Crest-Voland: Ski Area, Hiking Trails and Architectural History

Crest-Voland offers opportunities for winter sports, hiking, outdoor activities and exploring local history. Different priorities may shape your travel plans: the local ski area, trails with different themes, or historic buildings.

Skiing and Hiking

The Crest-Voland Cohennoz ski area offers 34 kilometres of ski slopes. If winter sports are to be a central part of your stay, this local piste length is a specific point of reference when choosing Crest-Voland.

For a hike with opportunities to observe nature, the Sentier des Arpelières is a family-friendly option: along the trail, you can discover the wildlife of a peat bog. The stroller-friendly trail at Mont Lachat offers a different focus. This easy route is 1.2 kilometres long, takes about 45 minutes and is accessible by chairlift. Chairlift access may depend on the season; check whether the chairlift is available on your planned visit date. When choosing, you can compare the nature focus of the Sentier with the distance and approximate time required at Mont Lachat.

Outdoor Adventure Activities

Le rocher d'escalade des Mottets is a freely accessible adventure climbing site. The approach from Crest-Voland follows a path that descends towards Ugine. The condition and maintenance of the equipment may vary; check both before your visit. The site and the approach are therefore among the factors to consider when planning this activity.

Escaladventure du Nant Rouge is a year-round adventure course that runs through the Nant Rouge canyon. Alongside the climbing site, it offers a separate adventure activity to consider. The course information combines its year-round opening with its route through the canyon, making it possible to distinguish between the two activities by their respective character.

Buildings and Local History

The Eglise de Crest-Voland is Neo-Gothic and was built between 1863 and 1866 on the site of a predecessor dating from the 16th century. The stained-glass windows were installed in 1913. Its features include white Carrara marble altars and a carillon with ten bells. The construction dates and the 1913 windows mark different points in the church’s history.

The Chapelle du Crest offers a different architectural accent. It was already in existence in 1677 and was rebuilt around 1850. Its features include a polygonal bell tower, a neoclassical altar and a gilded statue of the Virgin Mary. Together, the early records of its existence and reconstruction, along with details of its furnishings, offer insight into the chapel’s history and design.

Moulin Ainoz adds the history of local production to the religious buildings. It served both as a mill and as the site of a thriving wooden-handle factory, and is a living testament to the history of Crest-Voland Cohennoz. The heirs restored the historic mill to make it accessible to the public. Its former dual function makes the Moulin a distinct point of reference if you are interested in the area’s working history.

Routes through Hamlets and to the Main Village

The Tour du Village de Crest-Voland passes through hamlets where local history and traditional architecture come together. By contrast, the named starting and ending points are the main focus of Tour des Secrest No. 11: the route runs from the hamlet of Cernix to the main village of Cohennoz. You can therefore compare the tour, with its focus on hamlets and building styles, with the route between Cernix and Cohennoz, without reducing both routes to the same kind of local history.

Discover more destinations: Aiguebelle, Termignon, Sainte-Hélène-Du-Lac, Saint-Franc, La Bauche, Brides-Les-Bains, Viviers-Du-Lac, Les Chapelles

For the broader travel overview: Savoie.