Chemin des Fècles and Belvédère de la Colonne

Hike on the heights overlooking Lake Nantua with beautiful views of the lake.
The areas sheltered under the trees provide respite from the summer sun.
The hike can be rounded off with a refreshing dip in the lake.
Some sections are a little technical.

Details

38769174
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 8.78 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 55 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 497 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 493 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 919 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 476 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Start at the Cascade du Palin car park.

(S/E) Walk along the lake for about a hundred metres until you see a gate at the top of a staircase on the opposite side.

(1) The path is well marked from this point (yellow markings).
Climb the relatively narrow path with some views of the lake. At the first intersection, turn right (a sign indicates the path). After a few hundred metres, follow the path to the right as it climbs. The path then leads to a trail along the Grande Roche and then Les Fècles.

(2) Continue to the Belvédère de la Colonne (steep passage).

(3) Continue straight ahead and begin the descent along a steep and somewhat technical path to a viewpoint.

(4) With your back to the lake, head north-east for about 200 metres until you reach the edge of the woods and a fork in the path. At La Colonne, turn right and climb a little before descending along the path to the intersection.

(5) Continue downhill to the right, follow the signs for Nantua and reach the town via Rue Borgnat.

(6) Turn right towards the lake. Follow the lake to return to the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 480 m - Palin Waterfall car park
  2. 1 : km 0.14 - alt. 481 m - Stairs + gate - Lac de Nantua
  3. 2 : km 3.06 - alt. 831 m - Arrival at the heights
  4. 3 : km 4.13 - alt. 898 m - Belvédère
  5. 4 : km 4.44 - alt. 885 m - Viewpoint
  6. 5 : km 5.23 - alt. 855 m - Descent
  7. 6 : km 7.22 - alt. 484 m - Nantua
  8. S/E : km 8.78 - alt. 480 m - Palin Waterfall car park

Notes

Hiking boots are recommended.
There are no water sources.
It is possible to swim at several places along the lake.

At Belvédère (3), there is a picnic area.

Reviews and comments

4.7 / 5
Based on 19 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.6 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.7 / 5
Route interest
4.6 / 5
joel21
joel21

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 18, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk; using my Garmin Oregon 600 GPS, the route was 11.5 km....

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licare
licare

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 07, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk – easy, varied and interesting (you follow an impressive fault line).
The path is very well marked and signposted all the way, posing no difficulty for regular hikers.
We did it in early April in fine weather, and it was brilliant: no leaves on the trees yet, so lovely views all along the route and the box tree moth caterpillars weren’t there yet (though you could see the forest had suffered 😢).
Not very busy at all on a sunny Easter Sunday (except for one spot at the summit, which must not be too far from a road and is accessible without the 500 m climb )
We recommend it 👍

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User 19743389

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 24, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very pleasant hike with beautiful views of Lake Nantua.
Be warned, though, it's quite physically demanding, with some steep climbs and a very long descent at the end. I would recommend being reasonably fit.

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allogoed@yahoo.fr
allogoed@yahoo.fr

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 07, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

We decided to start from the car park on the lake esplanade (parking fee: €5 for 6 hours, which is very reasonable), which allows you to park in the shade and start the hike on flat ground before tackling the climb.
Despite the intense heat, this hike remains accessible and very pleasant as it is very shaded and breezy at the summit, where you can picnic and enjoy the view of the lake.

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User 25780802

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 05, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

a very beautiful hike, less difficult than some reviews might suggest. However, I do think it's best to do it in dry weather, as the descent is a bit long. Very beautiful views. You don't even need the route map, as everything is signposted from start to finish, with signs at regular intervals. I recommend this beautiful hike!

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christelpiedras
christelpiedras

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 03, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A hike that offers a very nice panorama of Lake Nantua.

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Auriverde
Auriverde

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 01, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

superb, fast and efficient hike (and no caterpillars along the way )

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marie moune
marie moune

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 20, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

hello

i didn't realise from the description that there was a 3.5 km climb and just as much descent (on a stony path). I'm not a beginner, but I'm no expert either, and I found it very difficult. Of course, the view from the belvederes is magnificent, but I didn't choose the best season. Given the sheer cliffs, I wouldn't take children under 12
this was the first time I didn't really enjoy myself.
a casting mistake for me, in any case

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BRUNO48
BRUNO48

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 21, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Circuit with beautiful views of Lake Nantua.
Option to extend the route via the hamlet of La Tour.

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Barcassier
Barcassier
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 16, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Circuit with beautiful views of the lake and the cliff opposite. Shady paths that make the climb easier. Lots of caterpillars waiting for walkers 😩

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jfromager
jfromager

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 08, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The path is very pleasant with beautiful views of the lake and valley. However, there were lots of caterpillars, which was unpleasant

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JulesMndn
JulesMndn

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 13, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

An easy and fairly quick hike, even for inexperienced hikers. The detailed, clear and accurate description will tell you more than I can.

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zbh0170
zbh0170
• Edited:

Hello,

Today, I completed part of the route, stopping just before the Fècles area: I can confirm the presence of numerous caterpillars (box tree moths), particularly on the higher ground.

It should be noted that a few rocks fell not far from me during the return leg at the bottom of the trail, at the foot of a cliff that the Maria Matre trail skirts before joining the road leading down to the Belle Rive restaurant. This was either caused by a chamois or by unstable ground... it's hard to say. I had stopped just moments before. Please exercise caution in this area.

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Stéphanieb1973
Stéphanieb1973

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 13, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Very nice hike, but on the first part of the trail we encountered a lot of caterpillars due to the box tree moth.

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carinec21
carinec21

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of your route : May 08, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

I attempted this hike on the morning of 8 May 2024 and unfortunately decided to give up after about 2.5 km. The place looked spectacular, but there were hundreds and hundreds of caterpillars hanging from threads at all heights, on the right, on the left, in the middle, impossible to avoid. My dog and I had them falling on us every five seconds, no exaggeration. I had never seen anything like it. Normally, the processionary caterpillar season is over and they don't move around in the same way, so I'm thinking they might be box tree moths instead In any case, at the time I panicked, not being sure of the type of caterpillar and therefore how dangerous they were to my dog, so I covered my dog and myself and we ran in the opposite direction to get back to the car. I think that a large part of the route is like this because, without meaning to, I started the circuit in the opposite direction (no network for the track) and I see other comments saying the same thing as me, so I'm relieved that I didn't decide to continue to see if it calmed down

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