Lake circuit via Lac Gignoux

This beautiful loop allows you to see Lac des Sarailles, the customs officers' hut, Lac Gignoux and Lac Noir in succession, ending at the ruined hamlet of Les Fraches. The summit of Le Chenaillet, particularly popular for its geological features, can be seen throughout this loop.

Details

2283987
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 10.24 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 25 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 514 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 508 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 2,340 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1,889 m

Photos

Description of the walk

In Cervières, take the Fonds de Cervières road. Park in the car park located after the Mur des Aittes and before the hamlet of La Chau.

(S/E) At the end of the car park, take the wide, well-maintained path that climbs north-west. Stay on this path until you reach the perpendicular track connecting Cervières to Lac Noir.

(1) Leave this track and continue straight ahead to reach Lac des Sarailles after a short climb. Walk along the left side of the lake and stay on the path to reach the Cabane de Douaniers.

(2) Make a round trip to Lac de Peatland Enfonza.

(2) Back at the hut junction, turn left onto the almost horizontal path that leads to a small lake in a valley near Lac du Rouséou.

(3) Continue straight ahead, taking the well-marked shortcut up the slope. You will then rejoin the level path, which further on leads to a Y-junction.

(4) Keep left and follow a final, very short climb to reach Lac Gignoux.

(5) Return to the previous crossroads.

(4) Take the wide path downhill to the left and walk through the mountain pasture to find the crossroads leading to Lac Noir.

(6) Turn right to quickly reach Lac Noir via a round trip.

(6) On your return, take the path that descends southwards, following a few hairpin bends, to reach the hamlet of Les Fraches.

(7) Walk past the ruined chalets to reach the hamlet of La Chau.

(8) Here, turn right onto the wide track that leads to the road. Turn right onto this road to quickly return to the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 1,890 m - Car park after the Mur des Aittes
  2. 1 : km 1.9 - alt. 2,200 m - Track junction
  3. 2 : km 2.71 - alt. 2,305 m - Cabane des Douaniers
  4. 3 : km 4.84 - alt. 2,301 m - Lac Vallon du Rouséou
  5. 4 : km 5.8 - alt. 2,328 m - Crossroads towards Lac Gignoux
  6. 5 : km 6.35 - alt. 2,333 m - Lac Gignoux
  7. 6 : km 7.88 - alt. 2,234 m - Lac Noir crossroads
  8. 7 : km 8.99 - alt. 2,060 m - Les Fraches
  9. 8 : km 9.69 - alt. 1,909 m - La Chau
  10. S/E : km 10.24 - alt. 1,890 m - Car park after the Mur des Aittes

Notes

There are no fountains on this route, but there are many streams. However, be careful when using this water, as herds are common in this mountain pasture.

Worth a visit

Le Chenaillet is well worth a visit, made even more enjoyable by the numerous information panels explaining the site.
For more information, see here

Reviews and comments

4.9 / 5
Based on 19 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.9 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.9 / 5
Route interest
4.7 / 5
pdereumaux
pdereumaux

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 21, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Route starting from the hamlet of La Chau.
A pleasant, sunny route where we encountered quite a few mountain bikers.
Beautiful stops at Lac Noir and Lac des Sarailles.
Nature is beginning to take on its autumn colours.
Thank you for sharing.

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clement.ganzin
clement.ganzin
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 18, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Beautiful scenery throughout this lovely, easy hike.
Bring water with you as there are very few places to get water.
The only downside is how busy it gets at this time of year.

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LETEVE Claudie
LETEVE Claudie

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 23, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The route is as described. There are rocks and pebbles with no shade, so bring a hat and water when it's sunny. The landscape is spectacular.

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vignalsi
vignalsi
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 09, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Route completed on 13 May 2025 with still quite a lot of snow (near the customs hut and Lake Gignoux). There is no mobile phone reception, so make sure you are well equipped and inform someone of your plans for your safety.
The descent to the hamlet of Les Fraches is a little steep. The end of the route is a little tiring. You can shorten the hike by avoiding Lake Gignoux. Or, alternatively, you can extend it towards Italy from this lake. So this hike is a bit of a compromise! 😃

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PATRICE31800
PATRICE31800

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 11, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hello, everyone.
Hike completed in beautiful, cool weather. Magnificent route with a series of lakes and views of the surrounding peaks, each one as beautiful as the next. Lots of marmots and varieties of flowers along the way. Thank you for sharing.

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claireMe
claireMe
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 01, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike with sweeping views of various mountain ranges.
A wonderful discovery of the Fonts de Cervières valley.

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Helene102
Helene102

A very pleasant hike with no technical difficulties.
The lake next to the customs hut was dry when we passed by.
There were many walkers and cyclists between points 2 and 5 in mid-August, but after that it was much quieter.
Very little shade, so bring something to protect yourself from the sun!

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Bruno65
Bruno65

Hello and thank you for sharing your hiking experiences. I just wanted to know if the road leading to the car park after Cervières is accessible to small motorhomes.
Thank you in advance, and we look forward to seeing you in our beautiful mountains
Bruno

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Joel84810
Joel84810

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 17, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Superb hike: after Lake Gignoux, push on to the Italian border and admire the landscape.

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gerardleo
gerardleo

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 04, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We didn't find the lake above the customs officers' hut, but apart from that, there were lots of Italian motorcyclists and mountain bikers approaching Lake Gignoux.
The numerous lakes along the hike were full and very pleasant.

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Helene102
Helene102
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

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

Hike to do in summer: we attempted this hike on 28 April 2023, when the snow was melting.

About 300 m before point 1, we came across a tricky section with snow where we sank up to mid-thigh. We continued but turned back after point 1 because everything was covered in snow.
We wanted to try an alternative route by taking a path that connects point 1 to point 6, but we were blocked by snow again.
We will do this hike in the summer because the setting is superb.
Despite everything, we are not disappointed because we were lucky enough to see marmots frolicking in the grasslands!

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smashdc
smashdc
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 30, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

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yvon66
yvon66

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 13, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

More desert-like and "mineral" landscape than other hikes in the area...
Clearly more crowded too (including mountain bikes), and Lake Gignoux isn't exactly breathtaking...

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quinouille
quinouille

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : May 20, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk, which can be done on foot in May. Beautiful views of the peaks and the valley.

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yul54
yul54

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 14, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very beautiful and enjoyable hike with stunning panoramic views.
High traffic on the trail between points 2 and 5 due to mountain bikers who take the ski lift to the top of Saurel.

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