Petit Croisse Baulet via les Bornes Romaines - hiking trail

Climb the Petit Croisse Baulet, discovering the famous Roman milestones along the way.

Start the hike at the forest road in the Jorasse Forest. After a long stretch in the shade, the landscape will open up to reveal the surrounding mountains: the Aravis Range and the Mont Blanc Massif.
Once you reach the Chalet de l’Avenaz, you’ll have one last push before reaching the pass, then continue along a ridge trail to reach the Petit Croisse Baulet. You’ll enjoy a bird’s-eye view of the Mont Blanc massif and the Aravis Range, with the village of La Giettaz below.

Starting from the Col de l’Avenaz, you’ll come across three Roman boundary stones. But what exactly is a Roman boundary stone?
A Roman boundary marker is an ancient structure embedded in the landscape that was used to demarcate the parish boundaries of municipalities.

Here is where the three Roman boundary markers are located along your route:

• The Col de l’Avenaz marker
• The Petit Croisse Baulet boundary stone
• The Col du Jaillet boundary stone

Please note that these boundary stones are located in the wilderness and do not have any facilities or interpretive displays explaining their history.

To learn more about this topic, we recommend the book by the Cordon Heritage Association “Hier pour Demain,” titled “Des Bornes Romaines aux Alpages,” available for purchase at Cordon Tourisme.

1/ Park at the Lezaive d'en Haut parking lot.
2/ Walk along the forest road towards Les Plaines.
3/ Once at Les Plaines, follow signs for Chalet de l'Avenaz.
4/ At Chalets de l'Avenaz, head for Col de l'Avenaz. Be careful, the path is a little steep.
5/ At Col de l'Avenaz, you'll find the first Borne Romaine. Continue towards Petit Croisse Baulet to discover the second, then continue towards Col du Jaillet to find the third.
6/ To return to the Lezaive parking lot, descend via the Pré du Col towards the Chalets de l'Avenaz. Follow the path back down to the parking lot.