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From Saint-Dalmas de Tende (06), take the D91 road towards Castérino. Park in the car park by the hotels in Castérino.
(S/E) Walk behind the Auberge Sainte-Marie-Madeleine.
(1) Continue along the small road that climbs to the upper car park as far as marker 395.
(2) Turn left and follow the 4x4 track to marker 392.
(3) Take the path on the right towards Lac des Grenouilles. Leave this path as soon as it stops climbing and head for a stony terrace. Make your way to it.
(4) Turn north-west through a few larch trees. After 200 to 300 metres through the grass, continue along a rather rough stony track to reach a lightning-struck tree visible from quite a distance.
(5) Continue along a path through the grass that is not always clearly visible but is well marked by cairns to reach a pond that dries up in summer (shown on the IGN map).
(6) From the pond, take the path opposite, slightly to the left (the only one that is visible and obvious). Continue over scree to reach Lac Sainte-Marie.
(7) Make the most of Lac Sainte-Marie for a lunch break (a quiet spot with very few visitors, unlike Lac des Grenouilles). For the return journey, head back down the same path to marker 392.
(3) Turn right onto the track heading towards the Refuge de Fontanalbe, until you reach a small bridge over a stream, just before marker 390.
(8) Just before the small bridge, turn left and follow the stream along its left bank. Continue until you reach a cattle shed and the junction with a track.
(9) Carry straight on along the path; do not turn right towards the bridge and the track. Continue to a large stone topped by a cairn.
(10) Turn right onto a winding path through the woodland, which is quite steep, and carry on to Castérino. The path comes out directly opposite the Auberge du Val Castérino. Then turn right to reach the car park (S/E).
Visorando Member
Difficult 
Very difficult 
