From Lake Melo to the Brèche de Capitello

Date of your route : Jul 21, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Most visitors stop at the second lake and head back down. After that, it's very quiet and well marked in yellow both on the way up and down. On the ridge, the trail changes to red and white, and you'll meet hikers on the GR20. Be careful on the climb to the ridge, as there may be loose rocks for those behind you, and there is a small difficult section on the GR20 where you have to use your knee to pull yourself up (only once). The fork for the descent is also well marked with a signpost indicating Bocca Soglia 2050m. You can see a third lake on the descent, presumably Lake Rinoso.

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Date of your route : May 09, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A magnificent hike at this time of year, but we had to stop at Melo because of the snow (no crampons)! Halfway through the hike, we were still in the snow to reach Melo at the beginning of May! The frozen lake was splendid!
Be careful with the ladders, which are not suitable for heavy dogs (we struggled with our German Shepherd), and the alternative route is not passable with this amount of snow!
We'll happily do it again once the snow has melted!

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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 superb, breathtaking hike. High mountain landscapes, the magnificent colour of Lake Capitello, a stretch of trail along the ridges. However, this hike is quite difficult, with sections that are more like climbing than hiking (from Lake Melo to Lake Capitello and the climb to the pass in particular).

The last 10 kilometres of the road from Corte to the car park are difficult to drive. Let's hope we don't meet anyone! Parking costs €6.

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Date of your route : Aug 01, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A very beautiful hike; just follow the yellow markings, which kept the children motivated.
It's a physically demanding route, but with good footwear it's easily manageable.
However, make sure you arrive early (8:30 a.m. for us), as it gets difficult to pass other hikers on the trail later on!

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

However, the first part of the hike is technical for children, so be careful in hot weather and remember to bring water.

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Date of your route : May 21, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A very beautiful hike. However, the weather that day did not allow me to complete the loop via the GR 20.
I set off early, but clouds quickly rolled in and visibility was already reduced by the time I reached Lake Melo. The climb to Capitello was tough, with snow covering the last 50 metres of elevation gain. I caught a glimpse of the frozen lake, but the fog made it impossible to go any higher without risk. So I descended by the same route, with many more people on the way back. To be done again at the end of summer. Parking costs €6.

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Date of your route : Aug 01, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Great hike with beautiful views of both lakes and a nice little detour onto the GR20.
Be sure to stop at La Bergerie to buy some cheese – it's very good and made on site

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Date of your route : Oct 30, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Completed at the end of October.
A very beautiful hike with the family, lasting 8 hours... we set off at 9.30am and returned at dusk at 5.30pm with two children (aged 6 and 10) who are used to walking. They had a great time climbing on the rocks.
two or three technical sections: the climb to Lake Capitellu, the climb to La Brèche and one section on the GR20.
The ladders are very easy to climb.
The descent via the other path is laborious due to all the rocks.
We loved this hike.
Good signposting with yellow markings.
Not very busy and free parking at this time of year.

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Date of your route : Sep 04, 2017
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Hello,
There is an error in the description:
{{ 200 metres further on, you come to a fork (1). At this point, there are two options.
Either take the left path via the ladders (easy passage)
or take the path on the right. The two paths meet just before
Lake Melo... }}
it is the path on the right that goes up the ladders!

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Date of your route : Jul 13, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Bad estimate of the time for this hike, which is advertised as taking 3 hours and 15 minutes and covering 6.6 km. We are regular hikers and it took us 5 hours and 20 minutes to walk 11 km. A word of advice: make sure you arrive before 8 a.m. to park in the car park closest to the start of the hike (near the shop), then take the route on the left in the morning as you climb, as you will be in the shade for most of the way.
A magnificent hike with a stop for a swim in Lake Mélo, which is great for cooling off.

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Date of your route : Jul 13, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Bad estimate of the time for this hike, which is advertised as taking 3 hours and 15 minutes and covering 6.6 km. We are regular hikers and it took us 5 hours and 20 minutes to walk 11 km. A word of advice: make sure you arrive before 8 a.m. to park in the car park closest to the start of the hike (near the shop), then take the route on the left in the morning as you climb, as you will be in the shade for most of the way.
A magnificent hike with a stop for a swim in Lake Mélo, which is great for cooling off.

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Date of your route : Jun 02, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A beautiful hike completed on 26 May in 8 hours and 40 minutes, including a 40-minute lunch break to visit Lake Melo.
A bridge collapsed 9 km from the start of the hike (currently under reconstruction), which increased the total distance of the hike and, inevitably, the overall time. This meant an additional 18 km round trip of fairly strenuous uphill and downhill walking, especially in the intense heat! Be sure to bring at least 3 litres of water.
Also note that the right-hand trail is still covered in snow, so bring gaiters and walking sticks, as well as a fleece, as it is cold at the top.
Those who suffer from vertigo should also be careful, as climbing the left-hand path via the ladders can be paralysing for some.

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Date of your route : Aug 25, 2016
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

An unmissable hike in Corsica for experienced hikers. Of all the hikes we did this summer (climbing Monte Cinto from Lozzi, hiking up to Lake Nino, climbing to Pointe des Eboulis from Haut Asco), this was our favourite (the landscapes are varied and magnificent!).
On 20 August 2016, we were able to park at the Bergerie de Grotelle car park. Arriving at the car park at 7 a.m., we had the pleasure of driving from Corté without meeting anyone (which was very nice) and climb up to the lakes in the cool air with no one else on the trail (as the day progresses, it gets busier and becomes unbearable around noon due to the climb to Lake Melo by many non-hikers, some of whom are wearing sandals and flip-flops...).
We extended the suggested route by continuing along the GR20 to Col de Rinoso, which allowed us to see Lake Rinoso (this adds about 200 metres of elevation gain).
The most difficult part was the descent from Lake Melo to the car park due to the large number of "tourists". We chose the path on the right going downhill for fear of having to wait too long at the ladders.

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Date of your route : May 04, 2016
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Hike done at the beginning of the season. Only the route via the ladders (the route on the right, contrary to the description) was passable without equipment. The other route was covered in snow. No particular difficulty up to Lake Mello, but good hiking boots are required.The ascent to Lake Capitello was through snowfields for a good half of the route. Crampons are recommended in such cases. The lake was completely frozen and access to the breach and the GR20 was impossible without crampons and an ice axe. Otherwise, a magnificent hike and enchanting setting. Quite physically demanding for the second lake.

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Date of your route : Sep 27, 2015
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Another magnificent hike in the Corsican mountains. Don't stop at the first lake (Melu), but continue on to Le Capitellu and pass through the breach as indicated. This will give you a magnificent view of the summit and the two lakes. Some sections leading to the second lake and through the breach are quite difficult and, to be on the safe side, I would say not accessible to everyone (and not in trainers – everyone takes their own risks!)

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