Ridges of Lac de la Thuile

A lovely walk with magnificent views of all the surrounding mountain ranges: Charteuse, Vercors, Belledonne, Vanoise and Mont Blanc.

Details

424966
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 10.98 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 40 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 539 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 524 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,206 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 902 m

Description of the walk

Park at Col de Marocaz.

(S/E) Take the wide path that climbs south-west. When you reach a hairpin bend, stay on the path. Pass the Croix de Fer and continue south to reach a large crossroads.

(1) Take the path on the left to go around Rochefort to the south, following the path. You will reach another crossroads before the Col du Mont.

(2) Take the marked path on the left and continue to Col du Mont. Once at the pass, turn right and head southwest. Continue to Rocher de Manettaz and enjoy the view, 30 metres south of the summit.

(3) Continue along the ridge to quickly reach Col du Mollard.

(4) Continue along the ridge heading west to climb up to Roche du Guet.

(5) Continue along the route to the crossroads after Col du Mont. Turn left and then quickly right. At the next fork, continue to the right and descend into the woods towards La Thuile.

(6) At the crossroads near the first houses of the hamlet of Lac, climb up to the right towards Col de Marocaz. Return to the initial crossroads, which marks the start of the circular route.

(1) Take the path you came on to return to the Col de Marocaz car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 952 m - Col de Marocaz
  2. 1 : km 2.43 - alt. 1,043 m - Crossroads of the circular
  3. 2 : km 4.43 - alt. 1,011 m - Junction, left towards - Col du Mont (1015m)
  4. 3 : km 4.86 - alt. 1,056 m - Manettaz Rock
  5. 4 : km 5.11 - alt. 1,070 m - Col du Mollard
  6. 5 : km 5.73 - alt. 1,206 m - Roche du Guet
  7. 6 : km 7.85 - alt. 902 m - Hamlet of Lac in La Thuile
  8. S/E : km 10.98 - alt. 958 m - Col de Marocaz

Reviews and comments

4.6 / 5
Based on 14 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.6 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.5 / 5
Route interest
4.7 / 5
cyrielle.boi
cyrielle.boi

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 07, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

At this time of year, when there are still lots of leaves on the trees, the highlight of the hike is really the view at the end
However, in hot weather, it's pleasant in the woods all the way.
It's not high mountain hiking, but it's a very pleasant hike!

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VAN BOXSOM
VAN BOXSOM

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 02, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Thanks to the GPX track, there's no way to get lost

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casillas
casillas

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 26, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

unglassesStarting at point 1, there is a rather uninteresting forest road for about three or four kilometres, after which the hike begins on good paths with beautiful views of the valley and the surrounding mountains. I did not find the alternative route that starts at point five to reach the lake; in my opinion, it must be quite a long way.

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Vagau73
Vagau73

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 08, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A pleasant walk to explore the area around Lake Thuile, with superb views of the lake, Les Bauges, the Alps and finally the valley. It's difficult to find the path at the start (don't go up to the relay station, but take the forest path that descends to the left into a field; I think you can even see the lake, then walk along the forest for 100 metres until you finally see the signpost). I admit that the trail is poorly marked, and even worse when there is snow (yellow markings on the ground in some places). But it's a very good walk

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caroolinegay@hotmail.fr
caroolinegay@hotmail.fr

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 07, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Hike done in the opposite direction. Departure from Lake Thuile. Then Roche du Guet, Rocher de Manettaz and well marked to Mont Rochefort. Then return through the forest and hamlet of La Rongère.
Best done in good weather! Very beautiful views

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belu33
belu33

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 30, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Very beautiful hike, steady but regular climb
magnificent view at the top
return via the boxwood trail, where all the boxwoods are dead, steeper than expected and the short climb to reach the car is a bit tough at the end, but overall it's a very beautiful hike that I would recommend.

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KANTDAVIS
KANTDAVIS

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 05, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Nice hike; can be done in "trail mode" with a quick dip at the end if it's really hot...

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gilcat 73
gilcat 73

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 09, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A pleasant hike with beautiful views, very enjoyable in hot weather thanks to the sections through the undergrowth. The destination of the hike is very beautiful, with a stunning 360° view of the surrounding mountains. At the end of the route, the climb up to the lake is steep but not insurmountable.

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michellecolli
michellecolli

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 22, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

We had a wonderful hike in superb weather. Exceptional views of Mont Blanc, the Lauziere massif and Belledonne. This hike is not difficult and is relatively well marked.
The section from the Marocaz Pass to the Mont Pass is a bit long (forest road) and can be avoided by starting directly from Lake La Thuile. A beautiful day!

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montagnemarche
montagnemarche

I didn't complete the entire route because I had to shorten it, like Yvette 74
But I really liked the map of the hike and used part of it to supplement my IGN map

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yoyette74
yoyette74

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 29, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

We set off from the lake rather than the pass because it was a very hot day!
At the start, the path is infested with box tree moths!
Superb panorama at La Roche du Guet: view of Les Bauges on one side and the Belledonne massif and Mont Blanc on the other: two beautiful orientation tables.
Return via the same route except at the end, on the other side of the lake.
A beautiful hike!

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fdewevre
fdewevre

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 17, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Great hike, the views are just magnificent, especially at the top of the Guet rock.
The only downside to this hike is the signage. The description is a bit brief and the signage throughout the first part is insufficient.
But the 360° view from the top quickly makes you forget this minor detail.

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champet67
champet67

Hello, you can choose your own route depending on the elevation and length of the hike you want to do! You can also do this route starting from Col du Marocaz, but it's not very interesting!
Happy hiking, everyone!

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Varenne Annie
Varenne Annie

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 15, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

The route starting from the Thuile multipurpose hall and leading to the Col du Mont is less wooded. Then it follows the same route along the superb ridge.

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champet67
champet67

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 09, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Very well marked route with superb views of the Manettaz rock, La Roche du Guet (views of the Lauzière Massif, Les Belledonnes, La Chartreuse, Lake Ste Hélène and the Cheylas reservoir in the Grésivaudan valley).

I extended this hike by following the ridge via Le Tapin (cables), La Savoyarde and up to the Torméry rock above Chignin (view of the Chignin vineyards and towers, and we can see Lake Bourget! Then I returned via the path towards the hamlet of Le Mont and climbed back up to point 2 to follow the original route back to the starting point.

Length of the hike: 14.5 km, elevation gain 850 m, time 4.5 hours of actual walking!

Thanks to the author for this superb walk, best done in good weather due to slippery rocks and numerous sharp limestone pavements.

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