Every summer the Tour du Mont-Blanc welcomes tens of thousands of walkers on a route that crosses protected areas. A few simple habits are enough to preserve what we all come here to find.
Staying on the trail
Cutting a switchback seems harmless; repeated by thousands of walkers, it is what triggers erosion and wipes out high-altitude vegetation, which takes decades to recover.
Even in mud, stay on the path: going around it widens the trail a little more with every passing walker.
Waste, water and wildlife
Everything that goes up comes back down, including fruit peel and paper tissues. High-mountain refuges carry their waste out on people's backs or by helicopter: take yours down to the valley.
Do not wash anything with soap in streams and lakes, even « biodegradable » soap. And keep your distance from wildlife: marmots, ibex and grazing herds do not need to be fed or approached — keep dogs on a lead near the alpine pastures.
Bivouac and nights in the mountains
Bivouacking is regulated differently in France, Italy and Switzerland, and is banned in several protected areas along the route. Check before you leave: sleeping in a refuge remains the simplest and most environmentally respectful option.
The best benchmark: after you have passed through, the spot should be impossible to tell apart from how it was before you arrived.