Val Ferret is the name of the two valleys departing from the Col Ferret

Col Ferret

The Col Ferret is an Alpine pass between the canton of Valais and the Aosta Valley. This pass separates the Mont Blanc Massif from the Pennine Alps.-See also:* List of highest paved roads in Europe...

 on the border between Italy

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

 and Switzerland

Switzerland

Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

, on the southern side the Mont Blanc Massif

Mont Blanc Massif

The Mont Blanc massif is a mountain range in the western Alps. It is named after Mont Blanc, at 4,810.45 m the highest summit of the Alps. It is located in France , Italy , and Switzerland...

. To the northeast, the Swiss valley, which drains into the Rhône

Rhône

Rhone can refer to:* Rhone, one of the major rivers of Europe, running through Switzerland and France* Rhône Glacier, the source of the Rhone River and one of the primary contributors to Lake Geneva in the far eastern end of the canton of Valais in Switzerland...

 basin; to the southwest, the Italian valley, which drains into the Po

Po River

The Po |Ligurian]]: Bodincus or Bodencus) is a river that flows either or – considering the length of the Maira, a right bank tributary – eastward across northern Italy, from a spring seeping from a stony hillside at Pian del Re, a flat place at the head of the Val Po under the northwest face...

 basin.

The two valleys are connected by a mountain footpath

Trail

A trail is a path with a rough beaten or dirt/stone surface used for travel. Trails may be for use only by walkers and in some places are the main access route to remote settlements...

 through Col Ferret. Access to Col Ferret is forbidden for private motor vehicles, on both sides.

Swiss Val Ferret

The Swiss Val Ferret is a valley

Valley

In geology, a valley or dale is a depression with predominant extent in one direction. A very deep river valley may be called a canyon or gorge.The terms U-shaped and V-shaped are descriptive terms of geography to characterize the form of valleys...

 on the southern side of Rhône

Rhône

Rhone can refer to:* Rhone, one of the major rivers of Europe, running through Switzerland and France* Rhône Glacier, the source of the Rhone River and one of the primary contributors to Lake Geneva in the far eastern end of the canton of Valais in Switzerland...

 valley in the canton of Valais

Valais

The Valais is one of the 26 cantons of Switzerland in the southwestern part of the country, around the valley of the Rhône from its headwaters to Lake Geneva, separating the Pennine Alps from the Bernese Alps. The canton is one of the drier parts of Switzerland in its central Rhône valley...

 in Switzerland

Switzerland

Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

. It lies between the Mont Blanc Massif

Mont Blanc Massif

The Mont Blanc massif is a mountain range in the western Alps. It is named after Mont Blanc, at 4,810.45 m the highest summit of the Alps. It is located in France , Italy , and Switzerland...

 and the Pennine Alps

Pennine Alps

The Pennine Alps are a mountain range in the western part of the Alps. They are located in Switzerland and Italy...

, with the river La Dranse de Ferret running down the length of the valley from its source to La Dranse river.

Geography

The valley starts at the Col Ferret

Col Ferret

The Col Ferret is an Alpine pass between the canton of Valais and the Aosta Valley. This pass separates the Mont Blanc Massif from the Pennine Alps.-See also:* List of highest paved roads in Europe...

 (2490 m) on the Italian

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

 border. It is surrounded by high mountains, especially on the west side (Mont Dolent

Mont Dolent

Mont Dolent is a mountain in the Mont Blanc massif that lies on the border of Italy and Switzerland.It is generally considered the tripoint between France, Italy and Switzerland, although the point itself lies at 3,749 metres, north-west of the summit of Mont Dolent.The first ascent of the...

, Tour Noir

Tour Noir

The Tour Noir is a mountain in the Mont Blanc massif on the Swiss-French border.-External links:*...

 and other summits of the Mont Blanc Massif

Mont Blanc Massif

The Mont Blanc massif is a mountain range in the western Alps. It is named after Mont Blanc, at 4,810.45 m the highest summit of the Alps. It is located in France , Italy , and Switzerland...

).

The main villages of the Val Ferret are (from up to down): Ferret

Ferret

The ferret is a domesticated mammal of the type Mustela putorius furo. Ferrets are sexually dimorphic predators with males being substantially larger than females. They typically have brown, black, white, or mixed fur...

, L'A Neuve, La Fouly

La Fouly

La Fouly is a village in the Val Ferret in the Swiss canton of Valais. The village, at an altitude of 1,600 metres, is part of the municipality of Orsières . It sits at the foot of Mont Dolent and the Tour Noir in the Mont Blanc massif.La Fouly is a starting point for many hikes into the...

, Prayon, Praz de Fort, Issert and Som la Proz, all belonging to the municipality of Orsières

Orsières

Orsières is a municipality in the district of Entremont in the canton of Valais in Switzerland.-Geography:Orsières has an area, , of . Of this area, 16.8% is used for agricultural purposes, while 25.2% is forested...

. Altogether, the valley has approximately 700 inhabitants (1 January 2008).

Tourism

The valley is mostly frequented by hikers on the route of the Tour du Mont Blanc

Tour du Mont Blanc

The Tour du Mont Blanc or TMB is one of the most popular long distance walks in Europe. It circles the Mont Blanc Massif covering a distance of roughly 170 km with 10 km of ascent/descent and passes through parts of Switzerland, Italy and France.It is considered one of the classic long...

. Many excursions are possible from the villages, such as: Cabane de l'A Neuve

Cabane de l'A Neuve

The Cabane de l'A Neuve is a mountain hut in the Swiss Alps at 2,735 metres above sea level open for visitors. It can be reached from the Val Ferret. The hut lies below the Grand Darray on the south side in the Mont Blanc Massif. Other summits close to the hut are the Tour Noir , the Grande Lui ...

 from L'A Neuve or Cabane de Saleina

Cabane de Saleina

The Cabane de Saleina is a mountain hut in the Swiss Alps at 2,691 meters above sea level. It can be reached from the Val Ferret. The hut lies above the Saleina Glacier near the Aiguille d'Argentière in the Mont Blanc Massif.- External links :*...

 from Praz de Fort or Cabane du Trient

Cabane du Trient

The Trient hut is a mountain hut in the Swiss alps, near the Swiss town of Martigny and the French town of Chamonix. The hut sits at an altitude of 3,170 m , on a rock perched above the Trient Glacier. It can be reached on foot by mountaineers and strong hikers with experience of glacier travel...

 above the Trient Glacier

Trient Glacier

The Trient Glacier is a 4.3 km long glacier situated in the Mont Blanc Massif in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. In 1973 it had an area of 6.4 km².-External links:*...

.

Italian Val Ferret

The Italian Val Ferret is the first left-side valley

Valley

In geology, a valley or dale is a depression with predominant extent in one direction. A very deep river valley may be called a canyon or gorge.The terms U-shaped and V-shaped are descriptive terms of geography to characterize the form of valleys...

 of Val d'Aosta, just south of the Mont Blanc Massif

Mont Blanc Massif

The Mont Blanc massif is a mountain range in the western Alps. It is named after Mont Blanc, at 4,810.45 m the highest summit of the Alps. It is located in France , Italy , and Switzerland...

.

Geography

From Col Ferret

Col Ferret

The Col Ferret is an Alpine pass between the canton of Valais and the Aosta Valley. This pass separates the Mont Blanc Massif from the Pennine Alps.-See also:* List of highest paved roads in Europe...

 (Swiss border), the valley runs down, beneath the Prè de Bar glacier and the towering Grandes Jorasses

Grandes Jorasses

The Grandes Jorasses is a mountain in the Mont Blanc massif.The first ascent of the highest peak of the mountain was by Horace Walker with guides Melchior Anderegg, Johann Jaun and Julien Grange on 30 June 1868...

 peaks. The stream running through the valley is the Dora di Ferret, which, near La Palud (in front of the Italian Mont Blanc Tunnel

Mont Blanc Tunnel

The Mont Blanc Tunnel is a road tunnel in the Alps under the Mont Blanc mountain, linking Chamonix, Haute-Savoie, France , and Courmayeur, Aosta Valley, Italy . It is one of the major trans-Alpine transport routes, particularly for Italy, which relies on the tunnel for transporting as much as...

 exit), joins the Dora di Veny flowing down from Val Veny

Val Veny

Val Veny is a lateral valley of the Mont Blanc massif, lying to the south-west of Courmayeur. The valley head is at the col de la Seigne, over which lies the Tarentaise Valley.- Geography:...

 to form the Dora Baltea

Dora Baltea

Dora Baltea or Doire Baltée , is a river in northern Italy. It is a left-hand tributary of the Po River, and is about 160 km long...

, a left-hand tributary

Tributary

A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...

 of Po.

The main villages are Planpincieux and La Palud, all in the Courmayeur

Courmayeur

Courmayeur is an Italian town and comune in the autonomous region of Aosta Valley, in northern Italy. It is located at the foot of Mont Blanc, the highest mountain in western Europe, in the Graian Alps range, and is crossed by the Dora Baltea...

municipality.