Between passes and rocks around Lac des Corbeaux

La Bresse: the start is at the junction of Rue du Pont du Void and Rue de Planot de Paris. It is easier to use the football car park. This makes the return journey easier, as you arrive very close to your car.

(S/E) From the football car park, head towards the bridge and continue straight ahead. Follow Rue du Chemin des Écorces, which runs alongside the industrial estate. Follow this street until you reach Route du Lac des Corbeaux and turn right at the crossroads, then continue to the tennis courts and the start of the trail.

(1) The trail on the right-hand side of the road (marked with a green rectangle) starts in the forest, at a place called Sentier de l'Inspecteur. Follow this trail, which crosses the road twice, until you reach the Lac des Corbeaux car park.

(2) Head left to take the Chemin de Sèchemer, marked with a green diamond, between the road and the Chalet du Lac inn. Follow the signs for "Étang de Sèchemer". When you reach the pond, continue along the main path, leaving the small bridge over the Goutte de Sèchemer on your left. Continue for a few dozen metres until you reach a fork in the path, and leave the direction of Séchenat (green diamond).

(3) Take the path on the right towards the Col de la Vierge, marked with a green triangle. After a small stream, the path forms a Y. Take the right-hand branch towards the Col de la Vierge (green triangle). Further on, a water point (wooden trough) marks another hairpin bend. Turn left at the trough and climb up to the carriage road, the Chemin du Sechenat. Once you reach the main road, turn right and follow this path for a short while until you reach the bend.

(4) Take the path on the left that joins the Vieille Montagne road. At the road, turn left and you will quickly reach Col de la Vierge, where the Virgin Mary is perched high up in a tree on the left-hand side. Turn right towards the refuge.

(5) At the refuge, follow the path that joins the Refuge Croix Louis trail marked with a red disc and the Croix Louis trail (red cross) for a short while, then follow the wide forest path to the^first path on the left.

(6) Leave the main path (and therefore leave the Croix Rouge trail) by turning left towards the Refuge Croix Louis, marked with a red disc. Reach a wider path and turn right. Stay on the main path, ignoring the various paths on the left, to reach the Refuge Croix Louis.

(7) Continue straight ahead until you reach a hairpin bend. Turn right towards Croix Louis. At the cross, turn left and follow the Red Cross signposted path. A little further on, turn right and follow the sign placed a little higher up the hill, "Point de Vue sur le Lac des Corbeaux 20 min" (Viewpoint over Lac des Corbeaux 20 min), which leads to a small plateau.

(8) At the fork, take the left-hand path (marked Croix Rouge and Anneau Jaune) towards the small pass of Mansuy. Further on, on the descent, take the left-hand path which leads to the small pass of Mansuy and the stele.

(9) Begin the descent to the right and head towards the lake. At the head of the lake, head towards the inn and then walk briefly up the road running alongside the inn on its right.

(10) Quickly take the path on the right with the small wooden bridge (marked with a yellow ring) and begin the climb that first joins the Rougemosse forest path. At this carriage road, turn right until you leave this road again in the middle of a hairpin bend, then turn right, where the yellow ring marked trail becomes wilder to reach Roche du Lac.

(11) After Roche du Lac, continue climbing until you reach the plateau you crossed earlier.

(8) Continue straight ahead and take the same path as before to reach small pass Mansuy.

(9) At small pass, there is a bend on your left. Take the Chemin de Mensuy (^GR® 533 Green Rectangle and Red Cross) towards the Col de Brabant to reach the Rachute shelter further on.

(12) Ignore the path on the right at the shelter and continue on the main path (Macheramont). Leave a path on the left and reach the next fork where you must leave the main path and turn right (signposted a little further on the tree) onto the Chemin de Mansuy path, towards the meadows. Take the path on the left, crossing a "chicane" at the fences (in summer). Descend and reach the Col du Brabant. Take a short detour to admire the interior of the chapel, then retrace your steps back to the crossroads.

(13) Take the road to the right of the chapel (Chemin du Haut des Bouchaux). Then, at the first fork, follow a small path downhill to the left: the Chemin des Gélinottes. At the hairpin bend, take the path of the same name, which starts opposite you in the bend (marked with a red ring and green triangle). Go through the wooden gate (there will be several to go through along this path). You are now on a magnificent "balcony" path with an incredible view of La Bresse.

Continue straight ahead. Leave the access to Besonfoing on your left. Further on, also leave the path on the left (Anneau Rouge) and continue on the main path marked Triangle Vert until you reach the Route des Bouchaux.

(14) Turn right onto the tarmac road and follow it uphill until you reach the Sacré-Coeur statue (viewpoint).

(15) Do not take the path on the left (arboretum) but continue around the bend to the right. Leave the dead-end road on your left, continue around the large bend to the right and, a little further on, look out for the small path on your left. (Note that you can "cut" the bend by climbing up the meadow. If you choose to do so, cross the road and take the path in question).

(16) Start climbing the path (signposted Arboretum Triangle Jaune and Arbuste Vert) passing a^first wooden cross and head towards the lodges and their car park (^second wooden cross). Cut diagonally across the car park to the left towards the stairs and continue climbing alongside the lodge, following the Arboretum signs until you reach the fork at the^third wooden cross.

(17) Leave the path and turn left onto the path towards the Arboretum trail (yellow triangle and green shrub signs) and continue downhill. At the last bench, take the hairpin bend to the right to reach the first houses on Rue du Planot-Paris.

(18) Walk down the street and turn right twice to return to the starting point at the Void bridge (or head towards the football pitch depending on where you parked). (S/E).

Hike completed again on 14-08-2022 and met a hiker, Clara, who was following my route.

IBP index = 94 (for a hiker with average training = Difficult)

In La Bresse, via Rue du Hohneck, the hike starts near the Pont du Void bridge. However, depending on parking availability, the start could be moved to the car park of the nearby football stadium, to the right of the bridge.

This is a fairly long hike (22 km) for those looking for a day of exercise in beautiful surroundings, but there are options to suit everyone's abilities and goals.
Of course, the full route offers advantages but requires more sustained effort.

I personally did the hike in summer (lots of shaded areas) but would like to do it again in winter. Check the winter conditions as you approach La Roche du Lac and adapt if necessary to avoid the slightly exposed section, which could be dangerous in snowy conditions.

Variation 1: start at the lake. By removing the winding climb through the forest, it is possible to drive to the Lac des Corbeaux car park and then finish the hike at the lake, either before or after the climb to Roche du Lac. This also means skipping the Col de Brabant section and the crossing of the Arboretum. For the lake and the rock only, see the existing information sheet on the website created by another hiker.

Variation 2: for those who want to shorten the hike, skip the descent to (10) and therefore skip the climb up to Lac des Corbeaux, I suggest:
(8) Instead of going to small pass Mansuy, you can descend directly to (11) and La Roche du Lac (the view is worth the detour), then retrace your steps and return to (8) to reach (9) small pass Mansuy and then head directly to (12) Abri de Rachute, towards Col du Brabant.
This alternative route loses the charm of the slightly aerial (but secure) path from the arrival at Roche du Lac.

Variation 3: for the more adventurous
(7) bivouac at the Refuge Croix Louis and spread the entire tour over two days.

For all information about refuges, huts and even nearby water sources: https://www.refuges.info

Lac des Corbeaux.
Etang de Sèchemer.
Col de la Vierge.
Refuge de l'Union.
Croix Louis mountain refuge.
Croix Louis.
Roche du Lac.
Col de Brabant and its chapel.
La Bresse Arboretum.