Do you want to go hiking near Morzine in the French Alps? However do you want to go somewhere that feels a million miles away from anywhere? Then you should try the walk from Novel in France to Lac de Lovenex in Switzerland. This stunning walk is high up in the mountains overlooking Lake Geneva (Lac Leman). The start of the hike is around 1 hr 30 mins drive from Morzine or 1 hr 40 from Les Gets. You need to take the Routes des Grandes Alpes (D902) to Thonon-les-Bains. Then take the bypass towards Evian. Follow the lake road, through Evian all the way to St Gingolph. As you arrive in the Frontier village of St Gingolph there is a turning on the right (D30) signposted for Novel. Follow this road for around 20 minutes. You will be heading up the side of the mountain on a windy narrow road with stunning views. When you reach Novel, there is a sharp left hand bend. Keep going for another 5-10 minutes until you reach a gravel car park.
You will need to take the footpath that heads into the woods and is signposted Lac de Lovenex. The walk is around 2 hrs up and 1 hr 30 back down. It is fairly steep with an overall climb of around 645m. You will cross the border into Switzerland shortly after leaving the car park. Once you reach the Col de la Croix you will have amazing views over Lac Leman and towards Montreux and the mountains on the north shore of the lake. You will also have incredible views overlooking Lac de Lovenex and the surrounding peaks. If you are lucky you may spot Marmottes and Chamois (or at the very least you will probably hear their whistles). The Col is a great spot for a picnic before heading back down the same way.
On a hot day you will probably want to start this hike fairly early in the morning as the majority of it is in direct sunlight. Perhaps you will also want to take a dip to cool off in the crystal clear waters of Lake Geneva at Evian or Amphion before returning to Morzine.