Lac des Sapins in Cublize

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Hike near a beautiful lake that is very popular in summer (with a beach, water sports, horse riding centre, tree climbing, etc.) and in the Mollières woods.

Details

n°12460
Creation:
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 16.43 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 5h 55 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 434 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 434 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 827 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 441 m
Downloads
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Photos

View of Lac des Sapins
near Montet Grand Mont

Description of the walk

Park in the Place de l'Église de Cublize.

(S/E) Take the road south-east towards the lake (Rue du Midi, Rue de la Platte).

(1) Pass the Rhins and follow it on the right. Cross and
follow the north bank of Lac des Sapins until you reach La Blanchisserie.

(2) Head towards La Graviche via the tree-top adventure park. Cross this area and climb up to the Croix du Tu.

(3). Continue east towards La Goutte and join the RD98.

(4) Turn left, then right and follow the road to Col des Fourches.

(5) Turn onto a path and join the RD98 at the Col des Fourches.

(6) Take the GR®°°7 heading north on the left until you reach an intersection.

(7) Leave theGR®7by turning left/right and descend north.

(8) Before reaching the houses, turn right. The descent is steep until you reach the Croix de Montagny.

(9) At Montagny, take the road to the north-west, then a path towards Cublize. Take the Chemin du Chevalier Bayard, then opposite, the Chemin Les Grossière and the Rue du Vieux Pont.

(10) Turn left in the middle of Rue du Vieux Pont, then take Rue des Favres and turn left towards the fire station.

(11) Take the street opposite the fire station, then turn left and head towards Cublize church (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 462 m - Place de l'Église de Cublize
  2. 1 : km 0.45 - alt. 447 m - Rhins (rivière) - Affluent de la Loire
  3. 2 : km 3.35 - alt. 442 m - La Blanchisserie - Lac des Sapins
  4. 3 : km 5.69 - alt. 562 m - Croix du Tu
  5. 4 : km 7.24 - alt. 714 m - RD98
  6. 5 : km 7.99 - alt. 703 m - Fork in the trail
  7. 6 : km 8.85 - alt. 774 m - RD98 - col de la Croix des Fourches
  8. 7 : km 10.12 - alt. 761 m - Intersection
  9. 8 : km 10.62 - alt. 707 m - Fork in the road before the houses
  10. 9 : km 14.1 - alt. 612 m - Montagny Cross
  11. 10 : km 15.93 - alt. 462 m - Rue des Favres
  12. 11 : km 16.14 - alt. 452 m - Fire station
  13. S/E : km 16.43 - alt. 462 m - Place de l'Église de Cublize

Notes

Picnic area towards Les Bruyères at an altitude of 715m.

Worth a visit

Around Lac des Sapins: beach, water sports, horse riding centre, tree climbing...

 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.

Downloads
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Reviews and comments

4.4 / 5
Based on 39 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.2 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.4 / 5
Route interest
4.5 / 5
Nad9
Nad9

Overall rating : 5 / 5

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

A very beautiful route, easy to follow and with lovely views. However, I did a little extra loop in the forest, just for fun!
Thank you for posting this route online.

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lionel3938
lionel3938

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 04, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Pleasant walk Beautiful views But lots of small paved paths at the start

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Patco69
Patco69

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 04, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

Easy to follow by downloading the map.
Average interest of this hike according to my criteria. A good part of the climb is on roads (admittedly with very little traffic) or forest paths (with several areas where trees had been cut down when I passed through). Some nice views at the end.
An easy (about 3½ hours) and very peaceful route; I didn't see any other hikers once I left the lake.

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pierthomas
pierthomas

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 01, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

route followed using GPX; very pleasant with beautiful 360° panoramic views

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Plu0669
Plu0669
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 13, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

We did this hike in beautiful weather and yet we hardly saw anyone (there were only a few people around the lake at the start).
I had read comments mentioning lots of paved sections, so I was worried we would be on the road a lot (which isn't practical when hiking with a four-legged companion), but in the end, most of the trails were forest paths with little (if any) traffic.

There are some very pretty views along the way, making this a really enjoyable outing! There are also a few picnic areas here and there, which is handy (although we preferred to settle down in a field to enjoy the view even more).

The whole trip took us four hours, including a 30-minute lunch break.

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MHM
MHM

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 16, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Thank you for this beautiful route... all uphill to the Calvary!!! It's paved, but there's so little traffic that it's not a problem. After that, it's covered and in the woods, which is great because it was a very hot day. It's best to have a GPS because it can be a little tricky to follow at times.
And it was wonderful to rest by the lake afterwards.

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BABOUR RANDO
BABOUR RANDO

Hello!

I don't have an IGN map of the area, but there must be lots of ways to shorten the hike: there are many small roads connecting hamlets on the Visa Rando map: you may be a little further from the forest, but there is less traffic once you leave Lac des Sapins.

Babour

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DITOLA
DITOLA

Can we shorten this hike to enjoy the beach? If so, where? (No asphalt, please.)
Thank you for your feedback

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BABOUR RANDO
BABOUR RANDO

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 03, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Beautiful weather on Sunday, perfect for this lovely hike around Cublize and Lac des Sapins.

The description of the route between markers 3 and 7 is very inadequate and unclear if you don't have GPS, especially around the Col des Fourches: there are many paths and logging tracks that can be confusing.

A hiking app is essential for this route.

Babour

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Vahinerii
Vahinerii

Overall rating : 4.5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 19, 2022
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

An accessible and very enjoyable hike in terms of trails and views.
We had a wonderful time!

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GADOUD
GADOUD

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 15, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant route in foggy weather.
But after climbing a little higher, we found the sun and enjoyed the autumn colours.

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pinpin01
pinpin01

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 26, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

we really enjoyed the route, with its paths under the trees and beautiful views, and it wasn't too difficult

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pdj2rando
pdj2rando

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 13, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We really enjoyed this route, with its many views of Lake Sapins and its shaded path. It's a very interesting route that doesn't require you to be particularly fit. Great!

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siouxfalls
siouxfalls

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 22, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The proposed route was interesting, but it included too much road. I modified two parts of the route to avoid the tarmac and favour trails through the woods. However, this added some elevation gain.
At a place called La Goutte, there is a farm track that branches off to the left and takes you to Calvaire.
At Calvaire (715 m), take the second path that climbs up to the left to reach the GR 76 at an altitude of 858 m
From there, take the GR76 on the left to reach the Col de la Croix des Fourches (776m)
Total time including breaks: 6 hours

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cavallier43
cavallier43

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 19, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike that appeals to everyone, whether exploring the heights or staying on the flat ground around the lake, which inspires serenity. We were also blessed with good weather

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The GPS track and description are the property of this route's author. Please do not copy them without permission.