Summer
The Rival forest, from 1,300 m up to the Col du Mollard
Conifers, waterfalls, mountain streams and wildlife: the Rival forest runs from the Collet d'en Haut up to the Col du Mollard, crossed by footpaths and mountain-bike trails.
The Rival forest climbs from 1,300 metres up to the Col du Mollard at 2,000 metres. Seven hundred metres of conifers, waterfalls and streams, crossed by footpaths and mountain-bike trails — and home to wildlife you genuinely meet.
Where it is
The forest spreads across several hamlets of the commune of Albiez-Montrond. It starts at the Collet d'en Haut and rises to the Col du Mollard, passing La Colonne, Le Fregny, La Villette and the village centre.
In practice, it is the forest you drive through on the way up to the resort: you skirt it without really looking at it, when it deserves an outing of its own.
What you see
It is mainly made up of conifers, but it also holds a few waterfalls, and several streams cross it around La Colonne and La Villette.
As for wildlife, the list is long and the encounters real:
- Red deer and hinds
- Roe deer
- Squirrels
- Foxes
It is also full of mushrooms — in season you mostly meet locals, basket in hand and admirably discreet about their spots.
In summer, herds of cattle graze its clearings. That is also where the valley's constant soundtrack of cowbells comes from.
Getting through it
Several walking paths and mountain-bike trails cross the forest. It can be walked in any season.
One precaution: watch out for falling branches and trees, particularly after high winds or heavy snowfall. This is a mountain forest, not a managed park.
When to go
- Spring: the streams are full and the waterfalls at their best.
- Summer: the shade of the conifers is precious when the plateau is baking, and the clearings hold the herds.
- Autumn: mushrooms, colour, and the roar of rutting stags.
- Winter: on snowshoes, sticking to the waymarked routes.
Going with a guide
Yves Vionnet, a mountain leader based in Albiez, runs guided outings on the wildlife, the plants and the local heritage — and he works all year round, off-season included. That is what turns a forest into a landscape you can read.
Albiez Randonnée Patrimoine — Yves Vionnet
albiezrandopatrimoine.com
See also six waymarked walks from Albiez-Montrond and the summer page.
Read next
- The Col du Mollard by bike: three climbs and the Arvan-Villards loopA Tour de France col whose summit is our village. Three ways up, plus a loop linking the Glandon, the Croix de Fer and the Mollard.
- The Mollard lake: supervised swimming, inflatables and a leisure areaPaddling pool, inflatable play structure, pétanque, volleyball and picnic tables — all three minutes' walk away.
- Le Chalet d'la Croë, a refuge at 2,076 m below the Aiguilles d'ArvesA crêpe or a raclette mid-hike, and geodesic domes to sleep under the alpine night sky.