Val Ferret, U-shaped valley near Orsières, Switzerland.

Val Ferret is a valley in the Mont Blanc massif south of Orsières, in the Valais canton, crossed by the Dranse de Ferret, a tributary of the Dranse d'Entremont. It ends at the Petit and Grand Col Ferret, which give passage to the Italian valley of the same name. Several glaciers descend from its sides, including the Dolent, l'A Neuve, Saleinaz, Orny and Angroniettes glaciers. The Grand Col Ferret lies at 2,490 m on the Italian border.

The valley's documented history centres on its road: the route up the val Ferret has stayed open through winter since 1965, when year-round access to La Fouly and Ferret was secured. A postal car links Orsières with La Fouly, continuing to the hamlet of Ferret outside the winter season. In 1995 the grey wolf returned to Switzerland here, after an absence of roughly a century.

The valley contains several small villages like Praz de Fort and La Fouly, where you can find traditional Alpine architecture and local ways of life. These settlements shape the character of the valley and show how people have lived with the mountain landscape for generations.

The valley road is a dead end: it has stayed open in winter since 1965, and no motor route crosses to the Italian Val Ferret, which can be reached only on foot or by mountain bike. A postal bus runs from Orsières to La Fouly, continuing to the hamlet of Ferret outside the winter season. Private motor vehicles are barred from the Col Ferret on both sides.

Scientists confirmed in the 1990s through genetic analysis that wolves from Italy had returned to the region. This recolonization by wild predators is a sign of natural recovery in the Alps.