Lac des Corbeaux and Croix Louis via the belvedere

A lovely little hike with a beautiful view of Lac des Corbeaux and perhaps a welcome swim.

Details

14452
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 4.79 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 05 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 237 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 236 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,117 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 886 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Park in the Lac des Corbeaux car park.

(S/E) Walk up the road on the right-hand side of the restaurant for about 20 metres.

(1) Take the path that climbs to the right (marked by a sign with a yellow ring) for about 700 metres until you reach the forest path.

(2) At the path, turn right and continue straight ahead until you reach Roche du Lac. Please note that before you reach this viewpoint and at the viewpoint itself, the rocks can be slippery in wet weather. There is a handrail attached to the rock, but caution is advised.

(3) At the Roche du Lac viewpoint, take the opportunity to take some photos, then, with your back to the lake, take the path that climbs up in front of you. At the top of the climb, turn right and you will soon reach a fork in the path.

(4) Turn left and descend to a track.

(5) Follow it to the left and you will reach Croix Louis and the refuge chalet of the same name, located south of Croix Louis.

(6) At Croix Louis, turn back (or go to the refuge for shelter or lunch) and continue for 1600 m on the forest road to reach the stele of the small pass of Mansuy.

(7) At the crossroads, continue straight ahead and follow the path downhill to the starting point (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 886 m - Departure - Lac des Corbeaux
  2. 1 : km 0.13 - alt. 896 m - Fork in the path. Take the path on the right.
  3. 2 : km 0.68 - alt. 976 m - Track
  4. 3 : km 1.37 - alt. 1,045 m - Viewpoint at Roche du Lac.
  5. 4 : km 1.69 - alt. 1,116 m - Fork in the road
  6. 5 : km 1.92 - alt. 1,082 m - Track
  7. 6 : km 2.57 - alt. 1,074 m - Croix Louis
  8. 7 : km 3.88 - alt. 1,055 m - Small pass Mansuy and Stèle
  9. S/E : km 4.79 - alt. 886 m - Lac des Corbeaux

Notes

(4) You can shorten the route by continuing straight on the path that leads to the small pass Mansuy memorial.

Refreshments are available at the starting point of the hike. Restaurant and picnic areas.
Shelter and snacks available at the Croix Louis refuge.

If the weather is nice, don't hesitate to take a dip in the lake. Don't forget your swimsuits; I don't think naturism is tolerated.

Please note that this hike is easy, but the trail is slippery in places, which may make it difficult for those who are less fit. Hold children by the hand.

Worth a visit

Lac de Blanchemer and its floating peatlands by heading back along the RD34d to Retournemer.
The Col de la Schlucht mountain pass.
Meurthe source.

and much more besides...

Reviews and comments

4.5 / 5
Based on 92 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.5 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.4 / 5
Route interest
4.5 / 5
FURETTE1959
FURETTE1959

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 01, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely hike to do in dry weather and to enjoy the shade. I agree with other reviews: the first part of the hike is not accessible to everyone, but more for those who enjoy a bit of exercise.
There is a beautiful view of the lake when you reach the lookout point, but it's a shame you don't see it more often during the hike.

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Denis26
Denis26 ★

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 07, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk with a magnificent view from the rock.

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User 3538760

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 05, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant walk with a magnificent view from the rock. Sturdy footwear is highly recommended as there are some more technical sections. We went as far as the cross, but it wasn't particularly interesting. At the end of the walk, we added a tour of the lake.

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User 14827938

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 09, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

We did this hike in the middle of summer. The shaded route allowed us to enjoy a lovely walk in the shade. There is also a magnificent view of the Lac des Corbeaux halfway along the route. Be sure to wear good walking shoes as there are a few rocky sections. It took us 1 hour 15 minutes instead of 2 hours. I highly recommend it.

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User 26583764

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 18, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Beautiful hike, the description matched the terrain well. Just one thing to note: this walk is described as easy, but given some of the rough sections, I think it would be wise to bump it up a notch 😀 Thank you Visiorando, see you soon!

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gazok54
gazok54 ★
• Edited:

Oh dear, this trail is one of the easiest I've ever described. Given the large number of hikers who use this route, the trail is easy to find, even without a description.
Thanks for the feedback.

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User 26265284

Overall rating : 2.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 23, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

The route was not easy to follow. The difficulty level was much higher than that specified on the website.

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gazok54
gazok54 ★

Not at all, you are entirely free to give your opinion, even if it's negative. I just don't quite understand why my description is rated very disappointing.
I would, however, add your comment about not venturing out if it's freezing.

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RB62
RB62

You're asked to give your opinion.
But as I understand it, you only have to give it if it's positive.

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gazok54
gazok54 ★

Hello
It's a shame to see the author penalised by a poor rating for a problem with the weather.

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RB62
RB62

Overall rating : 1.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 17, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

A hike not to be undertaken in winter.
Impassable and trapped by icy conditions.

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ADNET
ADNET

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 21, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

It's a lovely walk, but not for everyone. One person in our group lacked confidence and preferred to turn back from the Roche du Lac. In addition, the WPT 3 does not correspond on the map to the signposted path that runs from the Anneau Jaune to the Croix Rouge. As a result, we got a bit sidetracked between the 2 paths before going to Croix Louis...
Given the distance and the difference in altitude, it's an easy walk. The warnings at the start and along the way about technical sections should be enough to make novice hikers pay attention and possibly give up. This could also be noted in the introduction to the description.

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pmu51300
pmu51300

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 05, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

at the point the path marked out to view the rock, we did not find
and we turned back

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Pierrot DAVID
Pierrot DAVID

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 25, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A beautiful, well-shaded trail. A few minor difficulties for beginners, but a great experience for future hikers. You do need to be careful with somewhat boisterous children, as several sections require parents' full attention.
Personally, I completed this circuit with the tour of the lake (1.500km ascent = 0), which was super relaxing.
If you want a bit of peace and quiet, avoid Sundays and public holidays.

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Pirate369
Pirate369

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 24, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Only happiness in this walk of +- 5klm, we passed by all the emotions by the beauty of this nature, this sight, mixture of rocks of moss, normal difficulty by place a more pointed but very accessible, attention to hold the children close to you

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