Route to the Sept Laux

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

Quite a long hike, be careful, low elevation gain overall, but steep at the end of the walk (500m elevation gain over a short distance).

Machine-translated

Date of your route : Sep 22, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

beautiful hike to the lakes. Nice place. The refuge is rustic with only one toilet and no shower, but picturesque.
Two sections are quite steep, but the rest is easy going.

Machine-translated

Date of your route : Jul 05, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

We did this hike over a weekend and were lucky enough to set off late in the day to avoid the heat and encounter very few people, as we were camping and pitching our tent near the lakes. We didn't see anyone, but judging by the number of cars in the car park and the number of tents at the refuges, there must normally be quite a few people.
The climb is quite tough and not for amateurs; we had 15 kg backpacks and carried them the whole 5 km to the lake, but it was definitely worth it as the views from the ridges are magnificent.
We slept at the first lake, which turned out to be a good choice as there were only three tents, whereas there must have been around thirty at the others.
We watched the sun rise from the higher lakes and were still alone before everyone else got up.
In short, a very beautiful hike that is well worth the effort!
The descent involves some scree and you need to watch out for sheepdogs lower down.

Machine-translated

Date of your route : Oct 31, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The route is quite steep in places, and the descent via the cul de la vieille is just as challenging, but it's well worth the effort!

Machine-translated

Date of your route : Jun 26, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Impeccable description and map route.

A magnificent hike in beautiful sunshine. I continued on to Lake Cos, but due to lack of time, I had to stop there and turn back. I will do it again, going as far as Lake Jasse, leaving early or spending a night at the refuge.

The climb is tough but not particularly difficult, and the view from the top is well worth the effort.

I highly recommend this beautiful hike!

Machine-translated

Date of your route : Oct 03, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

We scouted this hike on 2 October. We had a bit of trouble finding the start of the trail, but the easiest way is to take the road to the Essentiel lodge in Fond de France, where the start is obvious. A very beautiful but tough climb! Unfortunately, the weather was poor and there was a hailstorm when we arrived, so we stopped at Lac Noir, frozen through, and can't say anything about the landscape!
We'll do it again next June.

Machine-translated

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

A very beautiful hike, quite physically demanding. We did it with friends who live in La Ferrière, who advised us to do the circular in the opposite direction to the description. The climb is quite steep at the end, but when you reach the Col de la Vieille, the rocky landscape with all these lakes is really beautiful. We continued to the end of Lac de Cottepens, then turned back and returned via the "2 ruisseaux" (2 streams), which is rough at the beginning but then becomes fairly even. The end of the return journey under the pine trees seemed endless. We're glad we did it!

Machine-translated

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

Magnificent hike under blue skies
no technical difficulties
the lakes follow on easily from one to the next until you reach the Col des Sept Laux.
A must-see if you are in the Belledonne massif

Machine-translated

Date of your route : Aug 09, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A very beautiful hike, quite physically demanding indeed, so we chose to climb via the two springs (in the direction of the suggested route), a gentle climb taking 4½ hours, whereas the signs indicate 3½ hours.
There was a beautiful view of the lakes, and we camped at the 7 Laux refuge, where we were welcomed by a dynamic team. The next day, we crossed everything to see the Oisans valley, returning in 4.5 hours as well...
... to ensure a difficult descent via the very steep Cul de la Vieille.

For your information, we found it easier to climb up and then descend in the direction of the route.
During our 2½-hour descent, almost all the hikers who were climbing up to camp asked us, "Is the refuge still far away?"
Some of them were exhausted!

Machine-translated

Date of your route : Aug 04, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

The climb is quite strenuous, but what a wonder when you reach the plateau. The succession of lakes is magnificent with the mineral backdrop of the mountains, the refuge ideally located at the water's edge. The EDF buildings and equipment do not spoil the landscape but show that this site, so wild, also has an industrial vocation. We didn't do the circular route to Lac Blanc, preferring to continue to the Col des Sept-Laux along the edge of Lac du Cos. From there, there is a beautiful view of the Eau d'Olle valley and the eastern slope of the Belledonne massif. The descent through the combe is very steep and requires a great deal of attention, making you wonder whether the route might not be more practicable in the other direction.

Machine-translated