Walking along the Sassière to the lake

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A family walk along a path following a small mountain river called the Sassière in the nature reserve of the same name. The walk ends at a small mountain dam that forms Lac de la Sassière. Keep your eyes peeled for marmots.

Details

n°745587
Creation:
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Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 4.31 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 30 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 610 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 614 ft
  • ▲
    Highest point: 8,091 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 7,457 ft
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Photos

View of the lake
Marmotton
Waterfalls
Tignes from the start

Description of the walk

Park in the gravel car park at the end of the road leading up from Lac de Tignes.

(S/E) Take the path on the right (east) which climbs gently. Continue along the path towards the dam. This path runs alongside the Saut (a high-altitude stream). Keep a close eye out – you might spot a few marmots if it’s not too warm. You’ll reach the Chalet de la Sassière.

(1) Stay on the path heading east and walk at a leisurely pace to the dam.

(2) Cross the dam to reach the opposite bank, ignoring the paths on the right which lead to the Pointe de Picheru. Enjoy the beautiful view of the lake

(3) Take the track on the left. Cross the ford over the Sassière stream, then cross the Bourtes stream. You’ll reach the Chalet du Santel.

(4) Continue westwards along this track. At the small dam, you’ll come to the barrier blocking the track; continue on to the gravel car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 7,480 ft - Saut car park - Lac du Saut
  2. 1 : mi 0.64 - alt. 7,592 ft - Chalet de la Sassière
  3. 2 : mi 1.9 - alt. 8,077 ft - Dam - Lac de la Sassière
  4. 3 : mi 2.09 - alt. 8,074 ft - On the left, a gravel path
  5. 4 : mi 3.08 - alt. 7,697 ft - Chalet du Santel
  6. S/E : mi 4.31 - alt. 7,477 ft - Saut car park

Notes

You can have a picnic by the shores of Lac de la Sassière and camp there (there is a designated area by the lake).
As for equipment: good walking boots, binoculars (optional) for spotting marmots and stoats, and, above all, warm clothing, as it’s very windy up there!

Reviews and comments

4.8 / 5
Based on 14 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.9 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.8 / 5
Route interest
4.8 / 5
User 23371845

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 09, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

It’s tricky to find the starting point because the car park for the waterfall isn’t at the far end of Lake Tignes at all!
After that, a brilliant walk in the company of marmots and chamois!
Splendid view

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C.Delerue
C.Delerue

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 14, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A lovely, very easy walk. We really enjoyed it.

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User 3321506

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 30, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very pleasant and easy walk. There really are lots of marmots and plenty of flora along the trail. A picnic with your feet in the water of the Sassière – absolutely brilliant! Beautiful views of the surrounding mountains.
Thanks to the person who mapped this route

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le dd
le dd

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 20, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Hello
A very pleasant walk at the foot of the Grande Sassiere.
The ideal place for a nice nap with your feet in the water!
The views are splendid
Thanks to the author

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JODIDO
JODIDO
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 05, 2024
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

After the famous hike to the Aiguille de la Grande Sassière, I returned to my car to rest for a good hour while drinking coffee and eating cereal biscuits.
Having seen the lake during the climb to the Aiguille, and not feeling particularly tired, I decided to go there via the main trail. It was a little busy, but since it was already 4 p.m., it wasn't packed either!
I returned via the path that branches off to the right after crossing the dam.
Beautiful views of Tsanteleina (3,602 m) and Aiguille du Dôme (3,027 m).
A very pleasant and easy two-hour walk with a 200-metre elevation gain.
A magnificent day where I took in the sights, covering 1,750 metres of elevation gain and loss!

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Nicole Guil
Nicole Guil

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 19, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

An easy and enjoyable hike. We would have liked to continue on to the glacier, but there was still too much snow.
We did the route in reverse, and there was still some snow on the right-hand side (Chalet de la Sassière side). Lots of marmots and a chamois!

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cagonis
cagonis

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 30, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

On 31/07/2023, there were quite a few people, the weather was good, and we enjoyed magnificent views in the company of marmots. The route was easy, even for people in their 70s with average walking ability. We met a farmer who was milking his cows. It was a pleasant day. Thank you, Visorendo, for this discovery.

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73 michel
73 michel

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 27, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Nice hike. We only encountered one group of four people and another group of two people, unfortunately accompanied by two dogs.
Lots of marmots, including some very young ones

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dauphin
dauphin

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 25, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A beautiful hike that is accessible and does not present any particular difficulties.
Very popular site in August
Marmots are present

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Mathilde F
Mathilde F

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 18, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Easy and enjoyable hike. Lots of marmots! We even saw a weasel and a chamois!
Note that it is possible to extend the hike via the glacier (an additional 1.5 hours to get there) or via the Picheru Pass (an additional hour minimum to get there). Superb views at the Picheru Pass, where we saw several chamois.

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cartoum
cartoum

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 31, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A lovely, easy walk. There are lots of people on the main path between the finish and points 3 and 4. That's why I would recommend doing the route in reverse to what is shown on the map, for two main reasons:
- Firstly, due to the crowds and the busy car park, it is not easy to find the start of the path in the direction indicated on the map.
- The return trip is much nicer, easy to find from the lake and much less crowded. As a result, there are more marmots and they are easier to approach, some as close as a metre away.
Otherwise, it's nice.

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Vivelasavoie
Vivelasavoie

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 11, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A beautiful, easy and short hike, which we did as a circular loop as described.
We attempted to go as far as the Picheru Pass, but it was too cold, so we turned back at around 2,600 metres.

There were lots of marmots along the way. However, we didn't see any large animals, having set off at 11am.
The lake is well worth the trip!

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doudouselyne
doudouselyne

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 10, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A very beautiful hike without much difficulty. Completed in less than 2 hours. Magnificent landscapes. Be careful when climbing up to the car park, as the small mountain road is very steep. We did the route in reverse order to the description. We climbed up the main path to Lake Sassière and then descended via the lovely little path, which offered us a beautiful view of the abandoned hamlet of Le Saut on arrival.

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yannick72
yannick72

oops, my mistake, I've changed it.
thank you

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grandin
grandin ★

yannick72, doesn't your comment clash with your "disappointing" rating?!

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