Lac du Crozet - Lac du Loup - Lac de la Grande Sitre

A magnificent hike combining forest and low mountains, flora and fauna.

Details

85650
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 14.21 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 7h 40 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Difficult

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 1,277 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 1,272 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 2,346 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1,353 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Park in the Pré Comté car park after Saint-Mury-Monteymond.

(S/E) Follow the track to the right, heading south, until you reach the Font du Clos car park and the large crossroads at Col de Pré Molard.

(1) Take the track on the right towards Trois Ruisseaux and Lac de Freydières. Walk along a contour path, which can sometimes be slippery due to humidity but has handrails in the most exposed areas, and cross a footbridge over a cascading stream. Reach the Trois Ruisseaux crossroads.

(2) Turn left onto the marked uphill track, sometimesGR® Red and White, sometimesPR® Yellow. Follow a few tight hairpin bends to reach Lac du Crozet.

(3) Find the path on the left (GR®549) which climbs steeply up the slope on the left, then reach Lac du Loup.

(4). Continue along theGR® to quickly reach Col du Loup, the highest point of this hike.

(5) Cross the pass and descend, following theGR® markings in this completely mineral landscape. You will reach the Col de la Sitre crossroads.

(6) Leave theGR® here and turn left. Continue to the right at the junction with the path leading to Habert de la Sitre to reach Mont Saint Mury.

(7) Follow the path on the right, then turn 90° to the left to reach the Refuge du Pré Molard.

(8) Continue downhill to return to the initial junction at Le Clos.

(1) Turn right and retrace your steps to return to the Pré Comté car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 1,355 m - Pré Comté car park
  2. 1 : km 0.7 - alt. 1,504 m - Crossroads on the left - Col du Pré du Molard (1,485m)
  3. 2 : km 3.77 - alt. 1,508 m - Crossroads of the 3 streams
  4. 3 : km 7.09 - alt. 1,983 m - GR 549
  5. 4 : km 8.09 - alt. 2,254 m - Lac du Loup
  6. 5 : km 8.5 - alt. 2,346 m - Col du Loup (2380m)
  7. 6 : km 9.66 - alt. 2,115 m - Col de la Sitre (1988m)
  8. 7 : km 10.68 - alt. 1,990 m - Mont Saint-Mury (2038m)
  9. 8 : km 12.11 - alt. 1,741 m - Refuge du Pré du Molard (1740m)
  10. S/E : km 14.21 - alt. 1,353 m - Pré Comté car park

Notes

A few kilometres of forest track to reach the starting point.
Good footwear is essential, as are gaiters and crampons depending on the season.

Worth a visit

(3) Lac du Crozet: Enjoy a pleasant view of the Vercors Plateau and the Chartreuse Mountains.
Between (5) and (6) On your right, you will see the "Grande Lance de Domène" and then the "Pointe des Excellences", while on your left you will see the "Lac de la Grande Sitre" at an altitude of 1,952 metres, which you are overlooking.
(7) Mont Saint Mury: see Le Grand Pic de Belledonne in the background.

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.

Reviews and comments

4.8 / 5
Based on 13 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.8 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.7 / 5
Route interest
4.9 / 5
User 23152541
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 27, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We parked in the car park at Parking Pré Long because the road is passable but not much more than that. A magnificent hike, very varied, with some truly beautiful views. Bring crampons in case of snow. In the scree, the trail is not easy to follow without GPS. It's a feast for the eyes!!! There were a few hikers but it was more than acceptable. Highly recommended!

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FlickaPatsy
FlickaPatsy

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 31, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very popular hike to Lake Crozet, followed by a very peaceful section.
Be careful with the route after the lake: take the path on the left that climbs steeply to Lake Loup. Steep slope to the Col du Loup, where there is a magnificent 360° view. Option to go to Pointe de la Sitre (return trip) for a magnificent view of Belledonne.
Total hike including Pointe de la Sitre: 16 km and 1,240 m of elevation gain.
A feast for the eyes.

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Claraazimut
Claraazimut

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 04, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We did this hike with our two dogs. We went down to Lake Grande Sitre, which brought the distance to 17 km and considerably increased the elevation gain. We stopped at the inn to quench our thirst, which was very pleasant. The scenery is superb from start to finish and very varied. We came across lots of ibex! Pure joy from start to finish!

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nicol27
nicol27

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 29, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Nice little hike, good route.

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bader
bader

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 12, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

We did it over two days, camping by Lake Crozet, and we were right to do so because with all the elevation changes, it was much easier to do it over two days.
It was a bit cold, though...

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Christian69210
Christian69210

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 03, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A very beautiful hike, we were above the clouds with a superb view of the Chartreuse mountains.
For your information, we did it in the opposite direction, starting from the Pré du Molard refuge.
We set off from the Pré Long car park. I think the elevation gain is less than stated in the description.
Starting from lower down, we climbed 1,402 metres.
Next time, we'll do it the right way round.

Christian

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bellegardais
bellegardais

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 20, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

hello
it's a shame that Lake Crozet was undergoing maintenance

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fannysillo
fannysillo

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 18, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A superb hike, but one that requires a certain level of fitness.
Some scary moments due to the snowfields that are still very much present... but more than made up for by the magnificent scenery :-)
I recommend bringing the appropriate equipment if hiking outside of the summer season.

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pierre.nassif
pierre.nassif

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 20, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A very beautiful hike.
At marker 5 / Lac du Crozet, don't forget to turn left for the most difficult climb, but this is the start of the most enjoyable part as it is very quiet. The direction of the walk is perfect, as it would undoubtedly be more complicated in the other direction for the descents. Good footwear is essential.

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Nonoeline
Nonoeline

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 19, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A really great hike with scenery you'll never tire of! But be careful of the snow that still remains on the peaks....

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bouganim
bouganim

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 26, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Great route (not exactly as described). We did it at the end of May and there was still a lot of snow. Luckily we had crampons... But that meant a 9.5-hour hike!

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jakes38
jakes38

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 29, 2016
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A beautiful hike with stunning views of Belledonne and the Isère Valley.
I did the hike in the direction indicated. This direction avoids the long crossing on the way back to the starting car park.
You need good footwear as the route sometimes passes over rocks and scree.
Be wary of snow on the northern side of the Col du Loup in spring or autumn.

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Moabspring
Moabspring

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 15, 2015
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

I did the hike clockwise, setting off from the car park at around 7.30am. Great! I was on my own during the climb and even the descent to Le Crozet. You need to wear good footwear as some sections are rocky.

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