Circular Pissus - Lakes and Col du Loup

A lovely hike in the Lauzière massif, with views of the peaks and glaciers of the Vanoise, not to mention the inevitable Mont Blanc.
You will also recognise the characteristic silhouette of the Cheval Noir along the way.

Details

41770
Creation:
Last update:
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 7.46 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 05 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 689 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 696 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 2,090 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1,568 m

Photos

Description of the walk

To get to Pont Gelon, in the Tarentaise Valley between Albertville and Moutiers, head towards the Col de la Madeleine. Drive through the village of Bonneval-Tarentaise and then the hamlet of Villard Soffray. A good kilometre further on, take the small road on the right just before Villard Benoît, pass through Le Biollay and then La Pautaz, and follow the signs for Pont sur Gelon.
There are a few parking spaces at the start.
Information board at the start 1589m.

(S/E) Follow the left bank of the stream, crossing it a little further up in the mountain pasture.
The trail climbs rapidly via a series of tight hairpin bends and leads to Les Pissus (altitude 1920m according to the signpost). There are not many markings on the climb, but the trail is well marked.

(1) From the signpost, head towards "La Cave", which is 1 hour away. This is a balcony trail offering views of the peaks and glaciers of the Vanoise. Markings and directions are clearly indicated on this section.
At the forks, keep left. Reach La Cave at 1,841 metres.

(2) Head west towards the two small lakes of Loup.

(3) Pass the lakes and continue to the Col du Loup. There are no markings on this section, but the Col du Loup is clearly visible from the Cave and the lakes drain into the torrent that flows a few metres from the Cave. Simply walk up the valley. Allow an hour to reach the Col du Loup (2,085 m).

(4). There is a panoramic view of the Vanoise and Mont Blanc on one side and, on the other side, a wide, wild valley dominated by La Pointe de Combe Bronsin. You can also see the Valmorel valley.
Descend back to La Cave.

(2) Then take the well-marked north-east path, which initially follows the stream. You will reach Pont Gelon in 40 minutes (S/E).
This last section of the trail is easier than the climb, so it is best to do the hike in the direction described.

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 1,575 m - Frost
  2. 1 : km 1.41 - alt. 1,945 m - Les Pissus
  3. 2 : km 3.07 - alt. 1,846 m - La Cave
  4. 3 : km 3.7 - alt. 1,939 m - The Lakes
  5. 4 : km 4.55 - alt. 2,073 m - Col du Loup
  6. S/E : km 7.46 - alt. 1,568 m - Frost

Notes

Shelter at Les Pissus and La Cave.
Blueberries galore.
Trout in the stream at La Cave.
Marmots.

Worth a visit

Other hiking routes in the same area.
Snowshoeing possible, but the road is not completely cleared of snow.
Skiing in Valmorel.

Reviews and comments

4.3 / 5
Based on 18 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.1 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.4 / 5
Route interest
4.5 / 5
Romain59
Romain59
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 16, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hike offering beautiful views. However, there are some dangerous sections if you are prone to vertigo, and I would not recommend it for children under 12 years old

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MichelGauthier
MichelGauthier

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 17, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very good signage throughout the route.
The access road to the Pont du Gelon starting point is winding and narrow.

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Raoul R.
Raoul R.

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 26, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

difficulty reaching the starting point of this hike
after Biollay, there are no longer any signs or markers, as indicated in the "description"
After Biollay, take the road on the right (no sign) and continue straight ahead until you reach a small bridge (Gelon bridge) with no sign.
park before or after the bridge (near a building)
the information sign is in the meadow on the left before the bridge.

The hike itself is straightforward (we stopped at the small lakes of Le Loup).

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pop1955
pop1955

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 14, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Please note: the departure point is on the right bank of the watercourse.

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MHnrt
MHnrt

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 30, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A very pretty hike with panoramic views and flowers, but steep in places. We do not recommend this hike for children under 8 years old unless they enjoy walking on steep trails and are not afraid of heights. (two-stage climb)
The climb to the Col du Loup was a little tricky because the path was not visible at all and the vegetation was growing thickly, plus there was residual snow. We took out our compass to make sure we were on the right track! We did not come back down the same way, but continued along the ridge to the east to make a circular loop and return to the sheepfold.
We were a little disappointed by the section of the descent after the shepherds' hut to get back to the car: the path was completely overgrown, often hidden by vegetation up to mid-thigh, which caused us to slip a few times in the wet areas.

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marble78
marble78
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 15, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Beautiful hike – steep climb at the beginning.
When you leave the main track to go to the lake and Col des Loups, there isn't really a path, so you have to cross the meadow and blueberry bushes . The view at the top is worth the climb across the field, but you need to be well equipped with suitable footwear.

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Lire7lynx3
Lire7lynx3
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 14, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Note regarding the access road to the Gelon Bridge: at Bonneval, follow the signs for Villard Soffray (do not go to the main town of Bonneval...).
The Gelon Bridge is easily recognisable by its location on a bend and the presence of a torrential stream, as shown on the map... however, the sign at the start of the hike indicated an altitude approximately 80 m lower.
It was difficult to find the access to the Col du Loup with only the map and directions... but with the GPS tracks on GPX Viewer it was easy.
A hike in an area untouched by civilisation, with almost omnipresent views of Mont Blanc and the Vanoise glaciers. At this time of year, there are still plenty of blueberries and their foliage is beginning to turn red... it's magnificent!
(hike done on 09/09/2018)

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Sardine14
Sardine14

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 24, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A magnificent hike, but getting there by car is quite complicated...we were lucky enough to meet someone who gave us perfect directions!

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ze.mamie
ze.mamie

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 21, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

we just had a little trouble finding the path up to the Col du Loup, but the GPS location on the map was a great help!
However, we didn't come back down the same way and followed the ridge path that branches off to the left when you reach the (magnificent) pass and follows a sheep field fence a little further on (the path isn't very well marked but if you follow the fence, it's fine). You arrive at a shepherd's hut (?) and join a wider path that descends to Le Lachat, then return to La Cave via a well-marked trail.
Much more pleasant than going back down the path that climbs up to the Col du Loup! Highly recommended!
A very beautiful route. We took the time to admire the marmots just before descending to La Cave (on the way there), it was magical!

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bibi
bibi ★

Thank you for your message. I have just tried adding the names of hamlets to try to better guide access at the start.
Apologies for this mishap.
Kind regards

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Laurence VITALI
Laurence VITALI
• Edited:

Hello, the directions to get there do not correspond to reality. There is no sign after turning right onto the road indicating "Pont de Gelon", which causes uncertainty and makes you turn back, thinking you've taken a wrong turn. You then set off again on this small road on the right, but as we were short on time and had a child who doesn't walk very fast, we had to give up... What a shame!

Why not clearly indicate the signs when you take this famous road on the right (which I didn't even take a photo of, not knowing if it was the right road)?

Thank you

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jepirando
jepirando

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 24, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A lovely, easy walk. Magnificent scenery.

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jepirando
jepirando

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 07, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A very beautiful hike with magnificent views of the Vanoise and Mont Blanc.

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yvan111165
yvan111165

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 09, 2016
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average

Access by car to the start of the hike is very complicated, if not extremely complicated
To reach the two lakes, cross the fields towards the Col du Loup without any further directions (do not use the marked route).
Finally, to get from the two lakes to the pass, get your walking sticks ready, catch your breath and take a deep breath, as the climb between them, about 200 metres, is extremely steep. You will find other routes to get back down.

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55MLU974
55MLU974

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 18, 2016
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

The trail had just been cleared: spotless. However, many of the signs along the route were on the ground, making it difficult to find our way. The result: we ended up lost, unable to reach the Loup lakes! What a shame...

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