Saint Jacques – Village and Hiking Destinations

Saint Jacques is a small village amid meadows and forests. If you would like to hike in Saint Jacques, you can choose from destinations requiring different amounts of time. From Saint Jacques, you can hike to Lago Blu, the Piani di Verra and Colle Superiore delle Cime Bianche; other route descriptions lead to Rifugio Mezzalama and Colle della Bettaforca.

Hiking destinations from Saint Jacques

The hike to Lago Blu starts at an elevation of 1,689 metres, climbs 550 metres and takes just under two hours. It follows Trail No. 7 via Fiéry and the lower Plan di Veraz. At the destination, the intensely turquoise water catches the eye, with the Monte Rosa massif in the background.

Another route on Trail No. 7 leads from Saint Jacques via the Plan di Veraz area and across a glacial moraine to Rifugio Mezzalama. The hike to the Piani di Verra is estimated to take about three hours. The elevation gain is 364 metres to the lower plateau and 693 metres to the upper plateau. From the Piani di Verra, you can enjoy an expansive yet close-up view of Monte Rosa.

The route to Colle Superiore delle Cime Bianche is also part of the Tour del Monte Rosa. It reaches the pass in about four hours and has an elevation gain of 1,293 metres. When planning, you can compare the walking times for the destinations: just under two hours to Lago Blu, about three hours to the Piani di Verra and around four hours to Colle Superiore delle Cime Bianche. At the Piani di Verra, the elevation gain depends on which plateau you choose as your destination.

Saint Jacques is the starting point for the Anello Ferraro / Verra winter route, a circular trail that passes through Fiéry and the Piani di Verra. Another hike begins near the village church and follows Trail No. 9 towards Résy and Rifugio Ferraro, with Colle della Bettaforca as its destination. From the pass, views open up over the Ayas and Gressoney valleys. The Sentiero Frassati also offers a view of the landscape: from there, you can see the Walser village of Resy.

Landscape and Village History

Saint Jacques is one of the historic villages of Val d’Ayas. Together, these villages form a historical, architectural and landscape heritage of exceptional value. The culturally significant complex of the Chiesa vicariale di Saint-Jacques has a history dating back to the 18th century and is mentioned as early as 1227. This allows you to appreciate Saint Jacques in its cultural and historical context as well as for its hiking destinations.

Steps lead from the main road to the Cappella di San Giacomo. It is another named place in the village, distinct from the hiking destinations in the mountains. If you are interested in the village’s history, you can consider the chapel and the church complex as separate places to visit, while the route descriptions focus on the surrounding landscape destinations.

Getting There and Finding Your Way

Ayas can be reached by the “Verrès – Saint-Jacques” bus route. If you are planning to travel by bus, check the timetable for your travel date. For finding your way on hikes, the specifically named starting points, trails and waypoints are helpful: Trail No. 7 passes through Fiéry and Plan di Veraz, among other places, while Trail No. 9 heads towards Résy and Rifugio Ferraro. Together with the approximate walking times and stated elevation gains, these details let you compare the described destinations by the time and effort each requires.

Discover more travel destinations: Epinel, Saint Pierre, Challand-Saint-Victor, Chef-lieu, Gressoney-Saint-Jean, Morgex, Pré-Saint-Didier, Roisan.

For the overview of the wider region: Aosta Valley.