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Chamonix is located in France very near the borders of Italy and Switzerland. Chamonix is located almost in the shadow of Western Europe's tallest mountain, Mount Blanc

CHAMONIX, FRANCE

Dave
2004-02-22 14:00:38

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Chamonix is located in France very near the borders of Italy and Switzerland. Chamonix is located almost in the shadow of Western Europe's tallest mountain, Mount Blanc. The mountain towers 15,780 feet. This picturesque mountain town is situated in the far eastern southern part of France. It sits in the middle of a narrow valley surrounded on both sides by the towering peaks of the Alps. Chamonix is located at about only 3400 feet but it has the feel of being much higher because of the large mountains, glaciers, and snow that rise above. The Chamonix valley stretches about 20 miles. The valley is a deep "U" shaped and was carved out by glaciers during the Quaternary Era. At some point over 3000 feet of ice covered present day Chamonix.

Currently the town has about 9700 permanent residents. Most of the town is located on both banks of the Arve River. Of course there are quite a few more people then this in town, especially in the summer tourist season and in the winter skiing season. This town has long been a haven for the tourist and outdoors person. There are many outdoor activities to enjoy. Chamonix is a magnet for paragliders and hangliders. In the summer time you can see a brilliant display of multi-colored paragliders swirling and climbing high in the sky, caught in the wonderful thermals. Summer time is an excellent time for glacier climbing and walking. There are several hundred excellent hiking trails at many different elevations; some climb all the way from the valley floor to about 9000 feet. These hiking trails are by far some of the most spectacular in the Alps!! The views of Mount Blanc, Europe's highest mountain, are incredible. These views become even better during the "Golden Hour", in the early mornings and late evenings. At times the mountains near Chamonix reminded me of my trips to the Himalayas and the Canadian Rockies. This part of the Alps almost seemed to be a cross between those two huge mountain ranges. ...