Cime des Lacs

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This summit, which rises just opposite the Refuge des Merveilles, lives up to its name. 360° panoramic view of a dozen lakes and the main peaks of the Vallée des Merveilles: Mont Bégo, Grand Capelet, Cime du Diable.

Details

n°1313889
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 18.55 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 8h 35 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Difficult
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 1,144 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 1,139 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 2,478 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1,374 m
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Photos

View from the summit of Les Lacs
View of the Mouton, Fourca and Long Supérieur lakes.
Ascent to the Cime des Lacs
Return to the Refuge des Merveilles

Description of the walk

From Saint-Dalmas de Tende (06), take the road towards Castérino / Les Mesches.
Park in one of the various car parks around Lac des Mesches, depending on availability.

(S/E) Head south to quickly reach the Lac des Mesches car park crossroads (marker 82).

(1) Follow the 4x4 track, walk along Lac de la Minière and reach marker 88.

(2) Descend towards the stream until you reach marker 88b.

(3) Continue along the right bank of the stream to reach marker 89a. On the right, take the two shortcuts to quickly reach marker 89.

(4) Take the Sentier du Vallon de l'Enfer trail, next to the shelter, and leave the track that branches off to the left. Reach marker 90 after a fairly steep climb: stairs, steps carved into the rock, a dozen hairpin bends and finally a flat section in the scree.

(5) Continue westwards, returning to the track to reach the edge of Lac Long Supérieur.

(6) Then the Refuge des Merveilles.

(7) Continue to the Pas de l'Arpette - Baisse de Valmasque (Vallée des Merveilles) fork. You will reach it at Lac Mouton at marker 93.

(8) Cross the small stream coming from Lac Mouton and follow the path that branches off to the right of Lac Mouton. The path crosses a fairly steep corridor (no difficulty) to arrive more gently at the Cime des Lacs, where a magnificent panorama of a dozen lakes awaits you. There is a 360° view around the large cairn that marks the summit. This cairn is also visible from the Refuge des Merveilles. Altitude 2510m.

(9) Return by the same route to marker 93

(8), then the Refuge de Merveilles.

(7). Reach the first sheepfold on the left, shortly after Lac Saorgine.

(10) Take the path that passes right in front of the sheepfold, then continue along the balcony path. Follow the numerous cairns carefully. Join the path that descends from the Valaurette pass towards La Minière.

(11) Turn right and descend into the Minière valley, reaching marker 383.

(12) Continue along the path on the left bank of the stream in the Minière valley until you reach marker 382.

(13) Continue past the Minière lake. After a short steep descent, you will reach the Minière de Vaulaura.

(14) Take the wide track to marker 84, then the road to the starting car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 1,375 m - Lac des Mesches car park
  2. 1 : km 0.2 - alt. 1,374 m - Marker 82
  3. 2 : km 2.28 - alt. 1,592 m - Marker 88 sign: Baisse de Valaurette
  4. 3 : km 2.44 - alt. 1,579 m - Marker 88b
  5. 4 : km 5.17 - alt. 1,800 m - Marker 89: Chemin du Vallon de l'Enfer
  6. 5 : km 6.56 - alt. 2,059 m - Marker 90: signposted Les Mesches.
  7. 6 : km 7.71 - alt. 2,115 m - Lac Long Supérieur
  8. 7 : km 7.77 - alt. 2,122 m - Marker 92: - Refuge des Merveilles
  9. 8 : km 8.53 - alt. 2,168 m - Marker 93: Pas de l'Arpette - Baisse de Valmasque
  10. 9 : km 9.57 - alt. 2,473 m - Cime des Lacs
  11. 10 : km 12.19 - alt. 2,068 m - Sheepfold, shortly after Lake Saorgine
  12. 11 : km 14.6 - alt. 1,920 m - Chemin de la Baisse de Valaurette
  13. 12 : km 15.53 - alt. 1,657 m - Marker 383
  14. 13 : km 16.04 - alt. 1,597 m - Marker 382
  15. 14 : km 17.52 - alt. 1,500 m - Marker 85: La Minière de Valaura
  16. S/E : km 18.55 - alt. 1,376 m - Lac des Mesches car park

Notes

(7) Refuge des Merveilles: meals available.
Water source.
(10) This path is not marked on all maps, particularly IGN maps, but it is well marked by cairns and reliable.

This route passes through a protected area, which may be subject to special regulations:

Reviews and comments

4.6 / 5
Based on 6 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.7 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.3 / 5
Route interest
4.8 / 5
User 27340541
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 19, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Beautiful route, well marked. The detour to Cima del Diavolo was an excellent idea, the view was beautiful. The only negative point was the food served in the evening at the Rifugio delle Meraviglie, which was really awful, tasteless and with strange combinations. Nothing like the food served in Italian mountain huts.

Magnificent trail, well marked. The detour to Cima del Diavolo was an excellent idea; the view was magnificent. The only downside was the food served that evening at Rifugio delle Meraviglie, which was truly awful, bland and with strange combinations. Nothing like the food in Italian mountain huts.

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Dimz
Dimz

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 11, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We took advantage of sleeping at the refuge to hike the engravings trail/valley of wonders (not on the GPX track) in the early evening and climb to the summit of the lakes the next morning. The climb is a little steep at the end but nothing insurmountable. However, the start of the trail is no longer visible and the track is off-trail on this section. We spotted it a little further on, near the small Lac Mouton, where it is more clearly marked and begins to climb gently. Otherwise, I recommend returning by the same route you took on the way up (points 5 to 1), as the other trail is more technical and offers nothing more in terms of scenery. Very beautiful landscapes in any case.

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ameliecbt
ameliecbt

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 16, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A two-day hike with a bivouac by the lake; I think it would be difficult to do in one day.
It took us about an hour longer than indicated. This is the first time we've exceeded the Visorando times, but we had two large bags with camping equipment, which certainly slowed us down.

In any case, it was superb!
We went for a swim in the lake when we arrived and had a great evening meal at the refuge!
The refuge was full, but the trails were quiet, with people scattered throughout the Vallée des Merveilles.

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Alix06
Alix06

Thank you, Dominique, for these details. With the OpenStreetMap, which clearly shows the trail, and your GPS track, we should have no trouble finding it. So, that's one hike already on the list for next summer.

Best regards
Alix

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henrigole
henrigole

Hello Alix06,
Thank you for your feedback on your hike.
If you decide to climb up to the Refuge des Merveilles via the route I suggested, the path that starts at point 11 may be harder to find than in the opposite direction. In this case, make sure you have the track with you. I think point 11 is well located (within the margin of error of the satellites: 5 to 10 metres). You should also have the OpenStreetMap world hiking map with you, where the path is clearly marked, unlike on the IGN map.
Download the maps to your cache, as there is no network coverage in the area.
Best regards,
Dominique

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mėridon
mėridon

Hello Alix06,
Thank you for your feedback on your hike.
If you decide to climb up to the Refuge des Merveilles via the route I suggested, the path that starts at point 11 may be harder to find than in the opposite direction. In this case, make sure you have the track with you. I think point 11 is well located (with a satellite error of 5 to 10 metres). You should also have the OpenStreetMap world hiking map with you, where the path is clearly marked, unlike on the IGN map.
Download the maps to your cache, as there is no network coverage in the area.
Best regards,
Dominique

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mėridon
mėridon
• Edited:

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Alix06
Alix06

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 05, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Thank you, henrigole, for this route!
It was your comment about the lack of difficulty on the trail leading to the summit that convinced me to do the hike. From a distance, it does look quite steep, but the excellent trail winds its way up, making the climb easy.

The hike itself is already very beautiful, but the view from the summit is incredible!

However, I didn't dare to descend between points 10 and 12 like you did because I wanted to take the familiar route back, which wasn't too tiring. I'll try it next time, but on the way up.

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kléklé
kléklé

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 27, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A superb hike with very varied landscapes. We chose to do it over two days, camping at the Refuge des Merveilles, which was a good decision as the elevation gain is significant and therefore difficult to do in a single day for untrained people.
Spreading it over two days was perfect, as we were able to walk at a leisurely pace and enjoy the beautiful scenery and the blueberry tart at the refuge!

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GFrando38
GFrando38

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 10, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A superb walk last year, ending with a visit to the mine, which is to be opened to the public.
Great geological and human interest

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