Discover Notre-Dame-Du-Pré: Mountain Trails and Mont Jovet

Notre-Dame-du-Pré is particularly well suited to mountain hikes. Numerous other mountain trails and tracks are open to hikers. The commune borders the buffer zone of Vanoise National Park. At 2,558 metres, Mont Jovet is the highest point in the area and a prominent peak for orientation.

Mountain Trails and Circular Walks

The Notre-Dame-du-Pré–Montmagny trail is an easy circular walk that starts at Place du Village. It passes the Pierre à Cupules: the stone bears round and linear cup-shaped hollows that are at least 3,000 years old. The route thus combines hiking with an archaeological feature right along the way.

The Bois du Torrond viewpoint is also on the Notre-Dame-du-Pré–Montmagny trail. After about a 20-minute walk, it offers expansive views over the Tarentaise and the villages below: Montgirod, Centron, and Villette. Alongside the stone with its cup-shaped hollows, the circular walk therefore has a second prominent landmark: a view across the valley and its villages.

Another named option is the Hauteville loop. It starts at the car park on Place du Village in the main village of Notre-Dame-du-Pré. The remote hamlet of Hauteville is accessible only on foot. When choosing a route, the details are easy to distinguish: the Montmagny loop is described as easy and passes the Pierre à Cupules; for Hauteville, the key point is that the hamlet can only be reached on foot. Seasonal conditions may affect access on the Montmagny loop. Check trail conditions before your hike.

Views and Landscape

The Panorama sur le Mont-Blanc viewpoint offers an exceptional view of the village of Notre-Dame-du-Pré. In the background are the Lauzière Massif to the west and Mont Blanc to the north. Weather and trail conditions may affect your visit, so plan with the current situation in mind.

Another named natural feature is the Cascade de Lachail, where the waters of the Nant Gelé flow together and can be turbulent at times. The flow of the water is therefore one of the area’s distinctive landscape features.

Church and Heritage

The Église Notre-Dame is a Baroque church dating from the 17th century. It was preceded by a smaller structure dedicated to Mary, dating from the 12th century. This sequence places the church between an earlier Marian building and its later Baroque design.

A colourful altarpiece can also be seen in Notre-Dame-du-Pré; Pierre-Antoine Marauet carved it after 1847. Together with the Pierre à Cupules, it offers a different way to discover the area than the mountain trails: through tangible traces from different periods.

Starlit Nights on Mont Jovet

The local office of mountain guides and leaders organises starlit nights with an overnight bivouac on the summit of Mont Jovet every summer weekend. At an altitude of 2,558 metres, participants can experience sunset and sunrise there. This activity is specifically offered on summer weekends. If you are planning a starlit night, check the exact dates before arranging your trip around it.

Getting There from Moûtiers

From Moûtiers, follow the signs for Aime and, after Saint-Marcel, take the second exit on the right towards Les Plaines–Notre-Dame-du-Pré. These directions give you a specific route without assuming a journey time.

Discover more destinations: Demi-Quartier, Albens, Saint-Jean-De-Belleville, Sardières, Planay, La Tania, Val-D'isère, Pugny-Chatenod

Go to the main travel overview: Savoie.