Around Lake Pétichet via Le Crey

de fr

This short hike allows you to explore part of the Matheysin Plateau, including one of its four lakes, Lake Pétichet. With no particular difficulty, this route is suitable for families and can be enjoyed in any season as it is well shaded. You’ll discover some lovely views of the lakes and the Grand Serre massif, the Thabor and the Piquet de Nantes.

Details

n°30380483
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 5.56 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 15 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 840 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 823 ft
  • ▲
    Highest point: 3,848 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 3,031 ft
Downloads
Open in the mobile app
Download GPX GPX
Download PDF PDF

Photos

Lake Pétichet
Lake Pétichet
The Grand Lac

Description of the walk

The starting point is at the Miradou car park in the hamlet of Pétichet; please note that the car park can sometimes be full during the summer months. The commune of Saint-Théoffrey, where the hamlet of Pétichet is located, is accessible by bus from Grenoble via the T90 route operated by the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes regional bus service.

(S/E) Leave the car park via Chemin du Moulin, located opposite the car entrance, and head towards the N85 road.

(1) Walk back towards the hamlet for about a hundred metres, cross at the pedestrian crossing, and continue towards the hamlet. Just past the town hall, turn left and follow Chemin de la Chapelle. Join a road and follow it for about fifty metres.

(2) Leave the road and continue right along the path. When you reach a second road, take it to the left and follow it downhill for about 300 m.

(3) Take the path to the right of the road and continue climbing towards Le Crey, ignoring, a little further on, the path that heads straight towards Les Berlioux. Cross the D113b for the first time, continue straight ahead to the hairpin bend.

(4) Pass the bend, descend slightly onto the road and take a path that climbs to the left, heading due south. Continue straight on in the same direction, pass the 1124m mark and reach a fork.

(5) Turn left, ignore the first path on the right and then a second one leading uphill opposite, and take a path slightly to the left which winds gently uphill before descending again. Follow it to the Croix des Théneaux and the N85 road.

(6) Cross the road with great care (no pedestrian crossing), follow it to the right for 50 m, then take the road on the left towards Les Théneaux. After just over 300 m, leave the road by turning left (sign for Les Théneaux) and follow a path overlooking Lac de Pétichet. You will arrive at the entrance to the campsite.

(7) Turn left onto a small road which becomes a track after a car park, and follow it to the junction at the Ruisseau des Moulins.

(8) Follow the road to the left until the junction leading to the Miradou car park. Turn left and return to your starting point (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 3,035 ft - Miradou car park
  2. 1 : mi 0.14 - alt. 3,061 ft - RN 85
  3. 2 : mi 0.55 - alt. 3,232 ft - Junction
  4. 3 : mi 0.79 - alt. 3,238 ft - Junction
  5. 4 : mi 1.31 - alt. 3,563 ft - D 113b
  6. 5 : mi 2.1 - alt. 3,763 ft - Le Crey. Junction
  7. 6 : mi 3.36 - alt. 3,120 ft - RN 85
  8. 7 : mi 4.06 - alt. 3,100 ft - Camping les Mouettes - Lac de Pétichet
  9. 8 : mi 5.06 - alt. 3,058 ft - Route de la Fayolle
  10. S/E : mi 5.56 - alt. 3,031 ft - Miradou car park - Belvédère Olivier Messiaen

Notes

The route follows good paths, although the section between (4) and (5) can be very muddy during wet weather or when snow is melting.

Worth a visit

Not far from the car park is Miradou Beach, perfect for a swim in the summer. Also worth noting is the Oliver Messiaen Lookout, which offers a beautiful view of the large lake as well as an illustrated audio presentation of the artist’s work; his house is located nearby.

On the N85 on your way back to Laffrey, pay a quick visit to the Prairie de la Rencontre, where a statue of Napoleon on horseback stands. This is the site where Napoleon met the king’s soldiers on his return from Elba.

Reviews and comments

4.3 / 5
Based on 8 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.6 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.8 / 5
Route interest
3.5 / 5
vb38
vb38
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 06, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Having set off at around 4 pm, we shortened the route to 2 hours and 170 metres of elevation gain by heading towards Les Berlioux after point (3) (a path that turns into a quiet little road). We continued along the road to the old Romanesque church (picturesque ruins on the left), where we took the path leading downhill (which can be muddy in places). We rejoined the original route just before the Théneaux cross (6).
There are a few scenic viewpoints (notably over Lake Laffrey), but it was mainly a walk in the countryside, with most of the route in the shade – very pleasant in hot weather.

Machine-translated

byebyefr
byebyefr

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 24, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

A shaded walk; otherwise, there is a charge for parking from 27 August: the first quarter of an hour is free, then €0.30 per quarter of an hour

Machine-translated

PERRY
PERRY

I didn’t go on that walk because I couldn’t find it.
I got it all wrong and mixed up two lakes
But the starting point isn’t easy to find.
A car park in a very touristy area can easily be mistaken for another.
In the case of this walk, the starting point seems to me to be the town hall in St Théoffrey, not a car park.
Otherwise, once you know where you’re going, everything is clear, and this observation holds true everywhere.
The guide is only intended for those who aren’t familiar with the area, and even then, we’re not immune to their mistakes.
I’ve got it all sorted and I’ll be going back.
Otherwise, I walked round Lake Laffrey – it was brilliant.
What’s more, a lost tourist asked me in St Théoffrey if she was on the right road to Alpe d’Huez, coming from Grenoble, as her sat-nav was telling her to go via Gap. Glad to see there are worse things out there!!!!

Machine-translated

Hypti
Hypti

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 20, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

The start of the walk is quite nice, with a gentle climb and lovely views through the woodland.
There were a few tricky stretches on the road, especially with children, but we didn’t come across any cars.
The end was rather dull, with few views of the lake due to the vegetation.
Best done in autumn, in my opinion.

Machine-translated

ydurand
ydurand

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 08, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

A pleasant route, mainly along forest paths. Beautiful views of the Obiou.

Machine-translated

romanche
romanche

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 07, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Highlights of the route: brilliant for 75-year-olds – 9 km, admittedly, but with very little elevation gain, stunning scenery, and no difficult obstacles to negotiate, apart from the second crossing of the main road where there’s no pedestrian crossing.
Route traffic: we were alone on the ridge section; busier around the lake, but still very manageable. However, it must be packed in summer!
Thank you very much in any case for this walk

Machine-translated

Bezard Christian
Bezard Christian

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 28, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Very busy route : No

The route looked particularly promising on paper.
In person at this time of year, the view of the lake from the heights is very patchy, and once you’re down past the campsite, you only follow the lake for a few hundred metres.
Kind regards
Christian Bezard

Machine-translated

orian reynaud
orian reynaud

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 09, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely little walk around the lake. /!\ There’s a bit of a climb at the start of the route (it’s a bit of a slog 😄) but once you’ve got past that little hurdle, it’s a gentle, hassle-free finish.

The route can be done on foot or by mountain bike.

Machine-translated

Claude R3.
Claude R3.

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 06, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

At the 1,127-metre altitude, there are two options: either continue straight on to Les Thénauds, or head down to the left to reach Les Thénauds via Les Berlioux, which also takes you past the ruins of the old parish church—an additional point of interest.

Machine-translated

Other walks in the area

Walking Circular route around the lakes of the Matheysin plateau and Pierre Percée

Visorando Member
Lacs du plateau matheysin et Pierre Percée en boucle
↔9.03 mi ↗+1,270 ft ↘-1,273 ft ◔5h 15 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from Saint-Théoffrey (Isère)
A fairly easy hike to discover three of the four lakes on the Matheysin plateau and one of the wonders of the Dauphiné, the Pierre Percée. The route is well signposted and marked, partly in the shade and offering beautiful views of the Matheysin and the surrounding mountain ranges (Obiou, Vercors).

Walking La Pierre Percée from Notre-Dame-de-Vaulx

Visorando Member
La Pierre Percée depuis Notre-Dame-de-Vaulx
↔6.58 mi ↗+1,243 ft ↘-1,266 ft ◔4h 05 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from Notre-Dame-de-Vaulx (Isère)
This is an additional and unique route to one of the Wonders of the Dauphiné, the Pierre Percée, a site which overlooks the whole of the Matheysine region and offers magnificent views of all the surrounding mountain ranges.After an ascent through the forest, the route opens out onto the meadows; the descent to La Motte d’Aveillans is wide open.

Walking Circular route around the three peaks of Conest

Visorando Member
Boucle des trois sommets du Conest
↔10.90 mi ↗+2,953 ft ↘-2,979 ft ◔7h 35 ▲Difficult
⚑Departure from Notre-Dame-de-Vaulx (Isère)
This lovely circular route takes you to the Conest (or Conex or Connex) summit plateau, which is a vast area of pasture.Although the climb may seem a little long, it is very pleasant and a magnificent reward awaits the hiker once at the top: a 360° panorama offering views of the Belledonne, Taillefer, Grandes-Rousses, Dévoluy and Vercors mountain ranges.The ‘Difficult’ rating is due to the combination of distance and elevation gain, both of which are significant.

Walking Beauregard from Le Villaret and return via Les Arnauds

Visorando Member
Beauregard depuis le Villaret et retour par les Arnauds
↔7.21 mi ↗+2,057 ft ↘-2,060 ft ◔5h 05 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from Saint-Jean-de-Vaulx (Isère)
This hike is a real treat for the eyes, with the summit of Beauregard in the Connex offering a sweeping panorama of southern Isère and all the surrounding mountain ranges, particularly the Laffrey Lakes. This circular route also allows you to discover the small, typical hamlets of the Matheysine region.

Walking Circular at Bois des Rochassières

Visorando Member
Boucle au Bois des Rochassières
↔3.33 mi ↗+289 ft ↘-289 ft ◔1h 45 ▲Easy
⚑Departure from Laffrey (Isère)
A lovely walk starting from the Prairie de la Rencontre, near Lac Mort and Lac de Laffrey, perfect for families as it’s very peaceful and offers a real treat for the eyes.

Walking Peaks of Beauregard and La Peyrouse

Visorando Member
Sommets de Beauregard et la Peyrouse
↔4.49 mi ↗+1,122 ft ↘-1,129 ft ◔3h 05 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from Notre-Dame-de-Vaulx (Isère)
This relatively short and easy hike takes you to two modest peaks offering magnificent views of the surrounding mountains. It also takes you to one of the largest mountain pastures in the department.

Walking Les Creys: glacial moraine of the Matheysine lakes

Visorando Member
Les Creys: moraine glaciaire des lacs de Matheysine
↔4.05 mi ↗+417 ft ↘-400 ft ◔2h 15 ▲Easy
⚑Departure from Villard-Saint-Christophe (Isère)
Don't worry, we are not in the high mountains and the glacier disappeared 15,000 years ago. The route is easy and short enough to be done with children. It is enjoyable and educational, with two panels explaining the geological evolution of the region and the formation of the Matheysine lakes.

Walking The three Matheysins Lakes

Visorando Member
Les trois Lacs Matheysins
↔7.44 mi ↗+745 ft ↘-728 ft ◔4h 05 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from Pierre-Châtel (Isère)
A beautiful hike where, on the way there, you will walk along the shores of the Pierre-Châtel and Pétichet lakes with a short detour to see Lake Laffrey, and return via the Cholonge ridges at the foot of the Grand Serre.

For more walks, use our search engine .

The GPS track and description are the property of this route's author. Please do not copy them without permission.