Dents de Morcles, Mountain summit in Valais, Switzerland

The Dents de Morcles are two summits: the Grande Dent at 2,969 m and the Petite Dent at 2,929 m, on the Vaud-Valais border. The Petite Dent forms the north-western buttress of the Grande Dent. Three ridges radiate from the top, and the west flank exposes the overturned folds of the Morcles nappe, visible from the Rhône valley at Evionnaz.

The mountain's interior between Morcles and Saint-Maurice holds about 23 km of tunnels dug by the Swiss army for the National Redoubt. At its foot stand the forts of Savatan and Dailly, the largest contiguous forts in Switzerland after Gotthard and Sargans. Artillery fire from Fort de Dailly sometimes reached the Dents de Morcles, and night flares launched by the army lit the slopes above the Rhône plain.

The peaks mark a border between two cantons and serve as a regular destination for hikers from both nearby communities. Local visitors use the trails as a familiar part of their summer routines.

The main access point is from Ovronnaz, reachable by public transport from Martigny through Leytron. Summer months offer the best hiking conditions, though hikers should prepare for sudden weather changes common at this elevation.

The summit of the Grande Dent de Morcles exposes a fold where Cretaceous rock layers are overturned about 180°, so younger beds lie beneath older ones. This Morcles fold can be seen from the Rhône valley near Evionnaz.