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Best Lake Hikes in France

293 routes in France qualify, ranked below by how much walkers rate them. They average 8.4 km and 247 m (810 ft) of ascent, with the longest running to 107 km.

That is 2 percent of the 15,466 routes we map in France. They are shorter than the local average, 8.4 km against 11.7 km, which is what makes this a practical shortlist for a half day.

Lake routes give you a natural halfway point, somewhere to swim in summer, and the calmest reflections of the whole week if you get there before the wind picks up. The mix is broad: 156 are rated easy and 41 are hard or harder, so there is something here whether you have two hours or a full day. A good share of them are loops, so you can park once and finish where you started.

Trails

Moderate

Les Cascades d'Orgon

Parc national des Cévennes (cœur) · Occitania

Distance
9.3 km
/ 5.8 mi
Elevation gain
460 m
Typical duration
2 hr 38 min
  • Waterfall
  • Lake
  • Forest
Hard

Les lacs de Crupillouse

Parc national des Écrins (cœur) · Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur

Distance
16.4 km
/ 10.2 mi
Elevation gain
1,351 m
Typical duration
5 hr 28 min
  • Waterfall
  • Lake
  • Forest
Hard

Le Pont du Tarn

Parc national des Cévennes (cœur) · Occitania

Distance
18.6 km
/ 11.6 mi
Elevation gain
716 m
Typical duration
5 hr 4 min
  • Lake
  • Mountain
  • Forest
Easy

Cascade de la Ravine Paradis

Guadeloupe National Park · Guadeloupe

Distance
2.4 km
/ 1.5 mi
Elevation gain
52 m
Typical duration
34 min
  • Waterfall
  • Lake
  • Canyon and gorge
Moderate

La Flandonenque

Parc national des Cévennes (cœur) · Occitania

Distance
9.2 km
/ 5.7 mi
Elevation gain
497 m
Typical duration
2 hr 39 min
  • Waterfall
  • Lake
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Deuxième Chute du Carbet

Guadeloupe National Park · Guadeloupe

Distance
0.8 km
/ 0.5 mi
Elevation gain
17 m
Typical duration
11 min
  • Waterfall
  • Lake
Easy

Col d'Arsine - Lac de la Douche

Parc national des Écrins (cœur) · Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur

Distance
3.8 km
/ 2.4 mi
Elevation gain
84 m
Typical duration
55 min
  • Lake
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Lac des Pises

Parc national des Cévennes (cœur) · Occitania

Distance
2.9 km
/ 1.8 mi
Elevation gain
65 m
Typical duration
43 min
  • Lake
  • Waymarked route
Hard

Le Pont du Tarn

Parc national des Cévennes (cœur) · Occitania

Distance
14.6 km
/ 9.1 mi
Elevation gain
510 m
Typical duration
3 hr 49 min
  • Lake
  • Waymarked route
Hard

Tour du Lac d'Arlet asp68

Parc national des Pyrénées (cœur) · Nouvelle-Aquitaine

Distance
16.9 km
/ 10.5 mi
Elevation gain
1,060 m
Typical duration
5 hr 10 min
  • Lake
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Boucle du Lac Blanc

Vanoise National Park · Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes

Distance
6.2 km
/ 3.9 mi
Elevation gain
137 m
Typical duration
1 hr 30 min
  • Lake
Easy

Le Lac du Génépy

Vanoise National Park · Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes

Distance
1.1 km
/ 0.7 mi
Elevation gain
24 m
Typical duration
16 min
  • Lake
Moderate

Le lac de l'Eychauda

Parc national des Écrins (cœur) · Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur

Distance
5.8 km
/ 3.6 mi
Elevation gain
823 m
Typical duration
2 hr 27 min
  • Lake
Expert

Tour du Lac Sainte-Croix

Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur · France

Distance
71.3 km
/ 44.3 mi
Elevation gain
2,050 m
Typical duration
19 hr
  • Lake
  • Coastal
  • Mountain
Expert

Tour du lac d'Esparron

Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur · France

Distance
66.2 km
/ 41.1 mi
Elevation gain
1,456 m
Typical duration
17 hr
  • Lake
  • Coastal
  • Mountain
Hard

De Lac de Servières à Mazaye

Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes · France

Distance
19.5 km
/ 12.1 mi
Elevation gain
429 m
Typical duration
4 hr 50 min
  • Lake
  • Waymarked route
Expert

Tour du Lac d'Annecy

Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes · France

Distance
84.6 km
/ 52.6 mi
Elevation gain
1,862 m
Typical duration
22 hr
  • Lake
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Expert

Tour du Lac de Grand Lieu

Pays de la Loire · France

Distance
71.1 km
/ 44.2 mi
Elevation gain
1,564 m
Typical duration
18 hr
  • Lake
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Expert

Tour du Lac de Vouglans

Bourgogne – Franche-Comté · France

Distance
83.3 km
/ 51.8 mi
Elevation gain
1,964 m
Typical duration
22 hr
  • Lake
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Cascade du Pich

Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur · France

Distance
5.0 km
/ 3.1 mi
Elevation gain
249 m
Typical duration
1 hr 24 min
  • Waterfall
  • Lake
  • Coastal
Expert

Boucle du lac de la Raviège

Occitania · France

Distance
46.1 km
/ 28.6 mi
Elevation gain
1,014 m
Typical duration
12 hr
  • Lake
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Cave trail

Grand Est · France

Distance
7.8 km
/ 4.9 mi
Elevation gain
172 m
Typical duration
1 hr 53 min
  • Waterfall
  • Lake
  • Cave
Moderate

Cascade de Clairefontaine

Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes · France

Distance
5.9 km
/ 3.6 mi
Elevation gain
300 m
Typical duration
1 hr 40 min
  • Waterfall
  • Lake
  • Forest
Hard

Les Cascades

Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes · France

Distance
16.9 km
/ 10.5 mi
Elevation gain
372 m
Typical duration
4 hr 9 min
  • Waterfall
  • Lake
  • Forest
Easy

Bois de Roue - Lac de Roue

Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur · France

Distance
0.4 km
/ 0.2 mi
Elevation gain
9 m
Typical duration
6 min
  • Lake
  • Coastal
  • Forest
Easy

Lac Miroir - Les Preynasses

Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur · France

Distance
0.4 km
/ 0.2 mi
Elevation gain
9 m
Typical duration
6 min
  • Lake
  • Coastal
  • Forest
Easy

Lac d'Arratille

Parc national des Pyrénées (cœur) · Occitania

Distance
3.7 km
/ 2.3 mi
Elevation gain
82 m
Typical duration
54 min
  • Lake
Easy

Refuge et Lac d'Estom

Parc national des Pyrénées (cœur) · Occitania

Distance
5.5 km
/ 3.4 mi
Elevation gain
121 m
Typical duration
1 hr 20 min
  • Lake
Moderate

Baousse del Biel

Occitania · France

Distance
7.6 km
/ 4.7 mi
Elevation gain
302 m
Typical duration
2 hr 2 min
  • Lake
  • Canyon and gorge
  • Forest
Easy

Cascade de la Pisse - ?

Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur · France

Distance
1.1 km
/ 0.7 mi
Elevation gain
23 m
Typical duration
15 min
  • Waterfall
  • Lake
  • Coastal
Moderate

Blue triangle

Grand Est · France

Distance
8.9 km
/ 5.5 mi
Elevation gain
196 m
Typical duration
2 hr 9 min
  • Waterfall
  • Lake
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Cascade de Bughja

Corsica · France

Distance
1.9 km
/ 1.2 mi
Elevation gain
43 m
Typical duration
28 min
  • Waterfall
  • Lake
  • Waymarked route

The shortlist, side by side

The ten highest scoring routes on this page, so you can compare effort before opening any of them.

Distance, ascent, walking time and difficulty for the top routes
RouteDistanceAscentTimeDifficultyBest season
Les Cascades d'OrgonParc national des Cévennes (cœur)9.3 km460 m2 hr 38 minModerateApril to October
Les lacs de CrupillouseParc national des Écrins (cœur)16.4 km1,351 m5 hr 28 minHardApril to October
Le Pont du TarnParc national des Cévennes (cœur)18.6 km716 m5 hr 4 minHardApril to October
Cascade de la Ravine ParadisGuadeloupe National Park2.4 km52 m34 minEasyApril to October
La FlandonenqueParc national des Cévennes (cœur)9.2 km497 m2 hr 39 minModerateApril to October
Deuxième Chute du CarbetGuadeloupe National Park0.8 km17 m11 minEasyApril to October
Col d'Arsine - Lac de la DoucheParc national des Écrins (cœur)3.8 km84 m55 minEasyApril to October
Col des Grangettes - Lac de l'EychaudaParc national des Écrins (cœur)0.8 km19 m12 minEasyApril to October
Lac des PisesParc national des Cévennes (cœur)2.9 km65 m43 minEasyApril to October
Le Pont du TarnParc national des Cévennes (cœur)14.6 km510 m3 hr 49 minHardApril to October

If you only have time for one, start with Les lacs de Crupillouse, Les Cascades d'Orgon, Le Pont du Tarn. Those are the routes people come back to. Every route on this page links through to a full guide with the map, elevation profile, seasonal advice and what to bring.

Frequently asked questions

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