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# Grand Balcon Sud
- URL: https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/grand-balcon-sud/
- Published: 2022-08-26T10:56:00.000Z
- Updated: 2025-12-31T22:06:37.000Z
- Description: The Grand Balcon Sud hike via Lac Blanc is one of the most popular hikes in the Chamonix valley and can get crowded on a sunny day in high season. Of course, it is popular for a reason.
- Author: Ivar Hagendoorn
- Tags: Photography

The Grand Balcon Sud hike is best done early in the season when the mountains are still covered in snow and when there are fewer tourists. I had skipped the Grand Balcon Sud and the Lac Blanc when I first visited Chamonix, because it is one of the most popular hikes in the region. Of course, it is popular for a reason. That's why, this time around, I decided to do it as a sort of acclimatization hike on my first hiking day. I started in Tré-le-Champ and from there I hiked to La Flégère via Lac Blanc and L'Index. I didn't want to stretch it on my first day so I didn't continue to Lac Cornu even though I could have managed. The route via Tré-le-Champ includes a section with ladders for some added fun.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/09/grand-balcon-sud-1.jpg)

Grand Balcon Sud view towards the North

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/09/lac-blanc-2.jpg)

It would be nice to visit the Lac Blanc early in the season when there's still a bit of ice

![Lac Blanc](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/09/lac-blanc-1.jpg)

On a warm and sunny day in August the Lac Blanc is crowded but it's still a beautiful place

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/09/grand-balcon-sud-2.jpg)

Grand Balcon Sud

![Grand Balcon Sud](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/09/grand-balcon-sud-3.jpg)

The views along the Grand Balcon Sud are indeed magnificent

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/09/grand-balcon-sud-4.jpg)

The stretch between l'Index and Lac Blanc is probably the most interesting section

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/09/grand-balcon-sud-5.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/c4/f7c4338c-1a69-4369-8416-8d74c9880bb6/content/images/2022/09/grand-balcon-sud-6.jpg)

Another optical illusion: the Chamonix valley is actually between the foreground and the background of the picture

### Related Posts

**More Chamonix!** The [Vallée Blanche](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/vallee-blanche/) traverse is one of the best hikes I've ever done. The hike to the [Refuge Albert 1er](https://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/refuge-albert-1er-glacier-du-tour/) offers amazing views of the Glacier du Tour.