The Mont Mars Nature Reserve in Fontainemore offers hikers breathtaking views of the forests and lush greenery surrounding beautiful alpine lakes

Leave Pillaz, in the municipality of Fontainemore, following signpost 2, then take the inter-estate road which leads through the woods to the Vargno valley.

The road continues in a straight line along the wooded slope alongside the Pacoulla stream. After a few bends, the path stops climbing and you cross a bridge to reach the more gentle meadowland below the Mattà pasture (1677 m). This is the start of a beautiful trail, which is paved in sections and runs into the Mont Mars Nature Reserve. Enjoy the beautiful view of Lac Vargno as you go up and, after an ice step featuring stone ground, you come to a wonderful basin of lakes including Lè Lounc and Lè Barma (2020 m) The last bends before reaching the hill are on terrain containing rock debris.

Features
The name Vargno derives from the patois name of the silver fir, which is typical of the area, but not so frequent in the rest of the region. It is found on the stretch of road between the hamlet of Pillaz and the bridge over the Mattà, along with maples, Sorbus, birch, alder and laburnum, as well as the ever-present larch tree, which accompanies visitors as far as Lè Lounc. As you go up, the woods, populated with larch trees, Norway spruce and Swiss pines, become less thick, having been cut down over the years to make way for meadowland, and competing with stone ground and humidity. The lake area provides geological testimony of the history of the place, through over-excavation and sheepback rock, signs of quaternary glacial scouring. Note the water vegetation including the narrowleaf burreed and the common water-crowfoot. Lastly the pinguicola hirtiflora, an uncommon insect-eating plant.