UKH

Hello,

Can anyone recommend a 2 night wild camping itinerary from chamonix.  I would like to stay one night near a lake and a second night near a glacier. 

Is September the best time for weather and less crowds? 

Any advice much appreciated. Thanks 

Have you looked at a map?

Have a look at the Aiguille Rouge area, Lac Blanc. I've done a one night wild camp near Montenvers with views of the Mer de Glace.

Wild camping is officially not allowed around most of Chamonix.

It is possible and semi-tolerated in general if you keep a low profile and stay away from huts and the like. You'll need to do your own research on this.

Weather is practically unpredictable until much nearer the time, as are glacier conditions etc. In terms of crowds; it's Chamonix and therefore almost always busy, but you can get away from the crowds by getting off the beaten track.

Why not stay in a campsite (the one in Argentière is excellent, cheap-ish, and connected to the rest of the valley by a free bus) and visit places during the day, or if you're desperate to sleep up the mountain you could stay in a couple of huts.

In terms of camping near a glacier; with the retreat of the Mer de Glace and the like the glaciers are now quite high up and much more unstable. You may to think about altitude, and if you're venturing out onto the glacier you should make sure you know what you're doing

I imagine the refuge at Lac Blanc would not be impressed at someone wild camping nearby! That hut would be a great place for them to stay though!

There’s no such thing as wild anything around Lac Blanc. More like a shopping precinct on a sunny day if the Flegere lift is open

Bivouacing- or wild camping, if that's what you want to call it, is allowed in the Aiguille Rouges, higher in the Mont Blanc Massif etc.

My understanding is that bivouacing is taken to mean an overnight stay in a tent or without one, so not the English language reading that it means no tent. The key seems to be that it's a temporary stay, for one night, moving on at dawn.

Details of the regulations,  including the new requirement to fill in an app before bivvying in the Aiguille Rouge to help track visitor numbers, can be found here:

https://www.chamoniarde.com/en/mountain-topics/bivouac#

It isn't much of a glacier any more, but the Glacier de Tre Les Eaux under the north face of Mont Buet is easy enough to get to, and there's a nice lump called the Gros Nol overlooking it that has excellent views for an overnight stop. An itinerary can be planned taking in Mont Buet summit, either of the Emosson Lakes, any number of the nearby summits (Cheval Blanc, Mont Oreb, Loriaz...), and of course the dinosaur footprints. Interestingly enough, if you access the Gros Nol from the Arete des Cristaux on the south face of Mont Buet, via the Tours de Buet, you can find a small section of the same fossilised beach that features the dinosaur footprints, a few kilometres away. This route is slightly off-road, and a sense of humour is recommended. The whole area is fairly off the beaten track, and a lot quieter than most other areas around Chamonix. 

Another quiet option for bivvying next to a glacier with an interesting approach is along the Becs Rouges ridgeline, up above Old Argentiere. Slightly scrambly at times, but never challenging, the higher you go along the ridge the better the view gets of the Argentiere Glacier north faces (Courtes, Droites, etc), and you have the Glacier du Tour just next to you for harvesting water, making snow angels, sledging (carefully) etc. Watching the sunrise growing on the Argie north faces is, of course, spectacular. 

You can do this route as a there-and-back, or turn it into a circuit by going up the dry and crumbly couloir under the Col du Passon, if you don't mind the inevitable peril that exposes you to. You can get there by crossing the Argentiere Glacier from Lognan, as one would in winter, or via a beautiful and deserted path cutting across the middle of the south face of the Becs Rouges.