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:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 6.93 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 30 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 186 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 187 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 2,466 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 2,273 m
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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 slightly. Continue along the path towards the dam. This path runs alongside the Saut (mountain stream). Look around carefully, as a few marmots may show their faces if it is not too hot. Continue until you reach the Chalet de la Sassière.

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

(2) Cross the dam to reach the other side, ignoring the paths on the right that lead to 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. Continue to the Santel chalet.

(4) Continue west on this track. At the small dam, reach the barrier blocking this track, then reach the gravel car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 2,280 m - Saut car park
  2. 1 : km 1.03 - alt. 2,314 m - Chalet de la Sassière
  3. 2 : km 3.07 - alt. 2,462 m - Dam - Lac de la Sassière
  4. 3 : km 3.37 - alt. 2,461 m - On the left, take the gravel path.
  5. 4 : km 4.96 - alt. 2,346 m - Chalet du Santel
  6. S/E : km 6.93 - alt. 2,279 m - Saut car park

Notes

You can picnic by Lac de la Sassière and camp there (there is a designated area by the lake).
Equipment: good walking shoes, binoculars (optional) to spot marmots and stoats, and above all warm clothing, as it is very windy up there!

Reviews and comments

4.8 / 5
Based on 11 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.9 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.9 / 5
Route interest
4.7 / 5
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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yannick72
yannick72
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 07, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A superb walk. During the climb, you can see a few marmots, which is nice, but the descent from the dam is a real treat, with lots of marmots. If you have binoculars, you will see two herds of at least 15 chamois on the right side of the mountain in the snowfields as you descend the path.

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