Lac de la Girotte from Les Granges

Date of your route : Aug 02, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

very beautiful route, I pushed on to Black Lake.

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Date of your route : Jul 21, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A hike (done on 20 July) that is fairly typical of the Beaufortain region: covered with spruce trees, green mountain pastures and herds of cattle. Beautiful view of the Dôme de la Girotte over the lake, Mont Blanc and Mont Joly. No technical difficulties, but there is an average gradient of 20% with a fairly steep start.

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Date of your route : Sep 10, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

Not a very interesting hike. A fairly steep climb through the forest – which was fortunate, as it was very hot that day.

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Date of your route : Jun 30, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike, somewhat physically demanding as it is entirely uphill, first through the woods and then across pastures. Beautiful view of Mont Blanc from the summit. The only downside is the difficulty of parking at a place called Les Granges; there is only one area that can accommodate a maximum of two cars at the exit of the hamlet, otherwise you have to park along the road without encroaching too much on it (school bus route).

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Date of your route : Jun 22, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The trail is closed just before point 3 (Commanderie du Bas) to make way for cows. Unless you take the risk of crossing (there is a handle to open the electric fence), the trail ends there. This is a little frustrating, especially as the prospect of seeing the lake was appealing. The difficulty level is quite high, rather than average as advertised: steep slopes with almost no breaks throughout the climb.

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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 : ★★★★☆ Good

Difficult parking.
Steep and continuous slope, varied surroundings, beautiful scenery. A little disappointed, if not by the lake itself, then at least by the aggressive design of the dam.
Makes a nice detour at the top, by the mooring area.

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Date of your route : Jun 24, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A lovely walk with magnificent scenery. We completed the circular route by returning via the power station and walking 2 km along the road via La Chaudane to get back to the car.

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Date of your route : May 22, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Please note that this hike is not a moderate hike but a rather difficult one (712 m elevation gain).
It is therefore not a family hike as stated in the description.
However, it offers beautiful views and passes through mountain pastures.

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Date of your route : Aug 08, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Beautiful trail through different natural environments, woods, river, meadows...
It climbs and climbs and climbs , all the elevation gain in one go, the return is all downhill, but you need a bit of stamina. The Girotte dam is not exceptional in terms of colour, which is a shame because the view of Mont Blanc is very nice. You can eat in the shade of a sheepfold near the dam.
Parking isn't easy, but you'll find a spot if you walk a little.

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Date of your route : Aug 05, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

The plum trees have been privatised! I parked at Infernet (1.5 km) and walked around the lake, taking a circular route descending to Belleville (Infernet is 1.5 km away). It was a lovely route and Mont Blanc was there waiting for us.

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Date of your route : Jul 22, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A very beautiful hike with magnificent scenery in the mountain pastures and views of Lake Griotte at the end.
You can continue this hike to Lac Noir.
However, be aware that the return route is steep. Walking poles are a good idea to help you on the descent.

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Date of your route : Jun 25, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Much of the climb is quite steep, but the reward at the top of the pass is tremendous, with views of the dam, the lake and Mont Blanc.

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Date of your route : May 24, 2018
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

As the end of the route was impassable due to heavy snow, we set off with a friend from Belleville, located at 1,230 metres.
The slope at the start was a little steep, but almost halfway through, we found ourselves on a wide road, which was fortunate because, at the end of the route, we occasionally had to cross snowfields.
At the finish, near the shepherd's chalet, we looked out over the lake and the La Girotte dam. The view was fantastic thanks to the good weather.

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