Lac de l'Étroit and Croix Bozon

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The walk begins at a historic site with a rich industrial past, once home to silver-lead mines, and continues through a distinctly mountainous landscape, passing by pastoral activities on the descent.

Details

n°275820
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 5.53 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 5h 25 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Difficult
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 3,330 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 3,333 ft
  • ▲
    Highest point: 7,674 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 4,695 ft
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Description of the walk

After the village of Nancroix, park in the large Pont Baudin car park on the side of the D87.

(S/E) Walk up to the Palais de la Mine along the beautiful larch-lined avenue.

(1) Take theGR®5on the right, head down the path and then along the track that follows it, reaching a junction 50m after the Pont Romano on the Ponturin.

(2) Climb the winding path, first through the forest and then through a stony valley. You will emerge at Lac de l'Étroit.

(3) At the lakeside, turn right onto the path that continues to climb. This will take you to the Croix Bozon.

(4) Return to Lac de l'Étroit via the same route.

(3) Head straight ahead to reach the 2247m mark. Then begin the descent to reach Les Grandes Baraques.

(5) Pass the group of buildings and head down towards the Ruisseau de l'Arc.

(6) After crossing the stream, continue down to a junction.

(7) Turn right and head back towards the Palais de la Mine.

(1) Walk down the larch-lined path to return to the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 4,872 ft - Car park
  2. 1 : mi 0.26 - alt. 4,990 ft - Palais de la Mine
  3. 2 : mi 1.08 - alt. 4,695 ft - Pont Romano - Ponturin (torrent)
  4. 3 : mi 2.32 - alt. 7,126 ft - Lac de l'Etroit
  5. 4 : mi 2.71 - alt. 7,667 ft - La Croix Bozon
  6. 5 : mi 4.16 - alt. 6,539 ft - Les Baraques
  7. 6 : mi 4.44 - alt. 6,227 ft - Stream
  8. 7 : mi 5 - alt. 5,121 ft - Crossroads
  9. S/E : mi 5.53 - alt. 4,875 ft - Car park

Always be cautious and plan ahead when you're outdoors. Visorando and the author of this route cannot be held responsible for any accidents occurring on this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

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Reviews and comments

4.6 / 5
Based on 4 reviews
Reliability of the description
5 / 5
Ease of following the route
3.7 / 5
Route interest
5 / 5
JODIDO
JODIDO
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 30, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

I set off from Plan Peisey and made my way to the Baudin Bridge via Nancroix.
As I didn’t have a car to collect, I didn’t follow the same route as the one given in the description, as I wanted to take a different route back to Peisey rather than to the Baudin Bridge.
Instead of following the path to the Romano Bridge, I climbed up to Les Grandes Baraques and continued on to Lac de l’Étroit. I tried to climb Mont des Croix directly from the start of the ascent to Croix Bozon, following another route description found on AltitudeRando, but I turned back after 10 minutes as there was no longer a path. Once at the Croix Bozon, I took the somewhat exposed path leading to Mont des Croix. But seeing no signposts after a good 20 minutes, I realised I was tackling the first difficult sections of the climb up to the Pointe de Friolin (2,678 m).
Following advice from a friend who’s a mountain guide about the difficulty of this route, I decided to turn back and head back to Croix Bozon, where I stopped for a bite to eat.
The descent took 1½ hours to reach Peisey via Moulin.
In total, 15 km, 1,000 metres of elevation gain and a duration of 6 hours 30 minutes. A very beautiful hike, mostly in the sunshine. Once in Peisey, I took the cable car back up to Plan Peisey.

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abeauville
abeauville

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 28, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful but very steep climb, rewarded by the stunning Lac de l'Etroit. It’s a shame to stop at the Croix de Bozon: if you carry on for another 50 metres, a path (with a few rocks) leads to a small peak (La Frête de l'Arc on the map) with a splendid view of the lake.

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TJRandos
TJRandos

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 13, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

After a few hundred metres of almost flat terrain, the climb up to the lake follows a very challenging path. Straight into the forest, you have to lift your feet high with every step to make progress. The pace is distinctly mountainous; it’s not the altitude but the steep, long slope that you have to contend with. The lake displays lovely colours, shifting between blue and green depending on the sun and the angle of view; at the start of the season it has already receded by a good 50 cm; by the end of August it will have shrunk by a good third – you can still see the grass submerged. Beautiful views from the top of the Croix Bozon. The return path is very pleasant and much less steep than the way up, perfect for knees worn out by a fortnight of hiking.

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