Col des Muandes - Rond, Muandes, Madeleine and Long lakes

Enjoy a beautiful walk in the Haute-Clarée valley, which offers a festival of lakes reflecting the peaks of the Cerces (the Pointe des Cerces, the Roches de Crépin, the Pointe du Riou Blanc and the Pointe des Banchets). The Col des Muandes (2,828 m) offers a view of the Etroite valley and Mont Thabor.

Details

160745
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 14.69 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 6h 45 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Difficult

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 893 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 884 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 2,833 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 2,024 m

Photos

Description of the walk

The departure point is approximately 9 km after Névache, at the Laval refuge, where you can park in the car park at the end of the D301T road.

(S) Follow the trail (GRP® du Tour du Mont Thabor) that climbs up the valley, continuing along the road, ignoring all the trailheads on either side, until you reach the Pont de Pierre bridge before the Drayères refuge.

(1) Just before the bridge, take the path (GR®57) heading north-east, which climbs up the left bank of the Brune torrent. After a slightly steep climb at the start, the path becomes less steep and joins Lac Rond.

(2) Go around the lake on the left. The trail (GR®57) follows the stream feeding the lake for a while, then turns left, passes to the right of point 2503 and joins the Muandes ravine. Cross it and continue on the right bank to the lake of the same name.

(3) Continue to follow the trail (GR®57) to the left of the lake, then follow the stream feeding it on the same side (Muandes ravine). When you reach a more mineral landscape, the trail crosses the stream (characterised by flat slabs lying against each other) and turns right towards the northeast until you reach the Col des Muandes.

(4) Descend from the pass via the same route, pass the flat section at the foot of the pass and continue downhill. When the slope levels out and you can see the Muandes ravine, leave the trail (GR®57).

(5) Head right, horizontally, off the trail, towards the north-west, using the Pointe de Névache as a landmark. N.B. If you continue too far down, you will reach the stream you crossed on the way up and will have to climb back up!
When you reach the stream, follow it for a few metres until you reach the first small lakes upstream at point 2705.

(6) Continue north-west and make a semi-circle, more or less in the centre of this "flat area", to continue south-west, which will allow you to discover the various small lakes. At the foot of Pointe de Névache and Crête de la Madeleine is the last of the lakes, the Grand Lac de la Madeleine (point 2629).

(7) Continue along the lake's spillway on the left bank, then when the slope becomes steeper, cross the stream and continue on the right bank along a faint path marked by a few small cairns. At the bottom of the slope, head towards Lac Rond, crossing the stream that flows from Lac de la Madeleine and the Muandes ravine just above the confluence of the various streams. Take the path (GR®57) uphill for a few metres to return to Lac Rond.

(2) Leave theGR®57and take the path on the right that goes around the lake at the bottom, then climb a little way up the scree and turn right towards the south-west, continuing almost horizontally.
At the end of the rocks, resume the descent on a well-marked trail, pass to the left of a small lake and join Lac Long below.

(8) Follow the path that goes around the lake on the right and continue the descent that starts at the spillway until you reach a crossroads on a flat section.

(9) Turn left, heading south, onto the gently sloping path that follows this flat section. Further on, the path hooks to the right to pass under a small rocky outcrop and then joins the track taken at the start, which you follow to the left until you reach the car park.

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 2,024 m - Laval car park - Clarée (rivière)
  2. 1 : km 2.68 - alt. 2,164 m - Stone Bridge
  3. 2 : km 4.61 - alt. 2,445 m - Lac Rond
  4. 3 : km 6.06 - alt. 2,588 m - Lac des Muandes
  5. 4 : km 7.46 - alt. 2,833 m - Col des Muandes
  6. 5 : km 8.15 - alt. 2,680 m - Departure for the Lacs de la Madeleine
  7. 6 : km 8.47 - alt. 2,708 m - First small lakes of La Madeleine (point 2705)
  8. 7 : km 9.45 - alt. 2,637 m - Lacs de la Madeleine (Névache)
  9. 8 : km 11.77 - alt. 2,387 m - Lac Long
  10. 9 : km 12.75 - alt. 2,255 m - Turn left
  11. S/E : km 14.69 - alt. 2,024 m - Parking de Laval

Notes

Bring water with you.

Return trip from Lac de la Madeleine (5) to Col des Muandes, approximately 1 hour 15 minutes.

The hike forms a figure of eight, as this seems the easiest route and allows you to discover Lac Long from above.

From early July to late August, motor vehicle traffic is restricted in the upper Clarée Valley. The road is closed to traffic travelling uphill from Névache between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. (closing earlier than 10 a.m. if the car parks at Fontcouverte and Laval are full). To reach these valleys, a convenient shuttle bus service runs every 30 minutes from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. every year during the summer season.

Always be cautious and plan ahead when you're outdoors. Visorando and the author of this route cannot be held responsible for any accidents occurring on this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

Reviews and comments

4.8 / 5
Based on 24 reviews

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

Overall rating : 5 / 5

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

Ideal for reconnecting with the mountains after winter

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smashdc
smashdc
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 10, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

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Grimpeur73
Grimpeur73

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 16, 2022
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 where we realised the extent of climate change and drought.
Otherwise, it was a beautiful mountain setting

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sebmichelin
sebmichelin

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 25, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful, varied and relatively easy hike, passing three beautiful lakes and offering views of the Ecrins and La Meije. We didn't make it to the Madeleine lakes due to lack of time. Beautiful view of the Thabor massif from the pass. The trail is well marked.

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Nonia
Nonia

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 18, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A sublime hike in every way.
I would only recommend starting the route towards the Drayères refuge by taking the path along the other side of the stream (very picturesque), as the GR trail is very busy. It adds 400 metres to the walk, but it's worth it!
I read in previous comments that some people had done the route in the opposite direction to that suggested in the hike description: this is a serious mistake! Don't be put off by the steep climb between points 1 and 2: it's steep, but this section is very short! The rest is really very easy. Above all, doing the route in reverse makes it much more difficult to reach the Madeleine lakes, which are the highlight of the walk (in my opinion!).
In short, thank you for this sublime route, which I highly recommend.

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manissieux
manissieux

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 09, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Another beautiful hike in this corner of La Clarée!
The weather didn't allow us to climb up to the pass, but the Rond, Muandes and Long lakes are worth the detour on their own, as are the landscapes
No difficulty on this hike

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sipoignet
sipoignet

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 17, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Nice walk.
The detour via Lake Madeleine is very pleasant: much less crowded and beautiful views.
Some people had even decided to sleep there!

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Sy.ba
Sy.ba

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

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

Start of the very busy route.
We did the circuit backwards to pass by the Drayeres refuge on the way back. We have no regrets, as the descent to the refuge is very steep: climbing it must be exhausting! This is not a criticism, it just suited us better and is our own choice.
However, we never found the starting point for the Madeleine lake. There was still snow at the fork in the path and we didn't see any tracks.
We were happy with the Col des Muandes.

But we have no regrets! The view is magnificent.
A very beautiful hike. Thank you

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claire.capdevielle
claire.capdevielle

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 29, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike from start to finish! The trail to the Col des Muandes was still quite snowy, so we decided not to go, but we did the hike in reverse 10 days later and reached the pass. What a magnificent view on both sides! The arrival at Lac Long from above is very beautiful, but the arrival from below is also nice, with the lake gradually revealing itself... The Madeleine lakes are worth the detour. We just had to take off our shoes to cross the river (which was freezing!) before reaching Lac Rond.

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bernardino
bernardino ★

Good evening
Thank you for your comment and for explaining why you selected "Average" for reliability in the Description and Route sections.
However, as specified in the description, access to Lac de la Madeleine is off-trail. The route that completes this description allows you to follow the trail using the mobile app. But perhaps you don't have access to this feature, which would explain your assessment.
Enjoy the rest of the site.

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lucienros1
lucienros1

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 19, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

I had two opportunities to go to Lake Madeleine, but there were no reliable directions. Otherwise, it was a beautiful hike with a great view at the pass

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Jean99
Jean99

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 22, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

I did the circuit starting with the lakes and returning via the GR57.
A very beautiful hike, varied and without any major difficulties. It was a really enjoyable day.
Be careful when crossing between the Long and Rond lakes, where there is a scree slope.
The view from the Col des Muandes is stunning, both to the east and west.
The route between the Drayeres refuge and the Laval car park is tedious. It is better to go via the right bank of the Clarée.

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Randophil57
Randophil57

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 21, 2019
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

We did the hike in the opposite direction to the recommended route... We couldn't find the trail to the Madeleine lakes, so we returned via the same route to Lac Rond, then took the GR trail to the Drayères refuge and the small path on the right bank of the Clarée to return to the car park.
A very beautiful route

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marieriom
marieriom

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 12, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

I did the circuit starting at point 9, to go to the long lake first. It seems to me that the climb is a little less steep than going from point 1 to the round lake. Very beautiful hike, with some snowfields on the climb up to the pass

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pinedey
pinedey

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 16, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A very beautiful hike with my three children (aged 5, 7 and 9). We started with the long and round lakes to enjoy the morning light. Then, at the pass, we extended the hike a little by taking a path on the left that leads to Roche du Chardonnet (a beautiful peak with a magnificent view). To avoid retracing our steps, we followed the ridge to the Col de Névache (be careful, there are a few technical sections). Finally, I would recommend taking the path on the right bank between the start and point 1, which is much nicer than the GR de Pays trail. Thank you for this beautiful hike.

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