Arsine Glacier Lakes

de fr

Hiking in the Ecrins massif towards glacial lakes.

Details

n°40348
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 9.12 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 6h 30 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 2,664 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 2,641 ft
  • ▲
    Highest point: 8,068 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 5,620 ft
Downloads
Open in the mobile app
Download GPX GPX
Download PDF PDF

Photos

Lakes
Lacets des Voutes

Description of the walk

Park in the last car park accessible via an unpaved track. To reach the car park, take the D1091 towards Briançon. Pass Villar-d'Arêne and shortly afterwards, leave the D1091 on the right towards the D207 until you reach the Arsine bridge car park. Continue along the track to park a little further on at the bottom of the valley in the last car park.
(S/E) Take theGR®54southbound. Follow the Romanche river on the right bank until you reach the Pas d'Anna Falque.

(1) Cross a stream via a footbridge and climb Les Voute via a winding path. Leave the Romanche springs path on your right. Reach the entrance to the Parc des Ecrins.

(2) Stay on theGR®54, still marked in white and red, and the whole valley will open up before you. Pass by the weather station. Then walk along the edge of the Villar-d'Arêne refuge.

(3) Now walk along the right bank of the Rif de la Planche. You may be able to see Lac de l'Étoile on your right.
The trail continues to the Col d'Arsine.

(4) Leave theGR®54on your left. Take a path on the right between large boulders. Discover the enormous moraine opposite. Go around it, following the track to reach the lakes, which have a characteristic milky colour due to the fine particles suspended in the water.

(5) Return via the same route to reach the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 5,620 ft - Terminal car park - Romanche (rivière)
  2. 1 : mi 0.4 - alt. 5,781 ft - Pas de l'Ane in Falque
  3. 2 : mi 1.26 - alt. 6,742 ft - Ecrins National Park
  4. 3 : mi 1.98 - alt. 6,837 ft - Refuge de l'Alpe de Villar d'Arêne
  5. 4 : mi 3.85 - alt. 7,713 ft - Col d'Arsine (2340m)
  6. 5 : mi 4.53 - alt. 8,068 ft - Lacs d'Arsine
  7. S/E : mi 9.12 - alt. 5,620 ft - Terminal car park

Notes

On the way, stop at the Alpe de Villar-d'Arêne refuge (drinks, etc.), a guarded refuge with 94 places.

You are hiking in the heart of the Ecrins National Park.

The Écrins massif is an exceptional area, open to all, with a rare natural, cultural and landscape heritage. To protect these treasures, the heart of the park is marked by blue, white and red flags, where regulations must be observed. Please familiarise yourself with these rules when planning your hike in order to preserve this collective asset, at https://www.ecrins-parcnational.fr.

Worth a visit

Villar-d'Arêne is located right next to La Grave and its panoramic view of La Meije.

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
Open in the mobile app
Download GPX GPX
Download PDF PDF

Reviews and comments

4.9 / 5
Based on 22 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.8 / 5
Ease of following the route
5 / 5
Route interest
4.9 / 5
Pierre V
Pierre V

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 27, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Just a quick note: the starting point is likely to change, as the car park is closed to traffic, adding two kilometres to the route (there and back).

Machine-translated

User 13551003

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 16, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A lovely route with no major difficulties apart from its length. Stunning scenery in the Oisans, particularly the glaciers, which are sadly melting before our very eyes. A beautiful finish overlooking the two glacier-coloured Arsine Lakes. Plenty of marmots along the route. A lovely route well worth doing.

Machine-translated

User 8262202

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 20, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A lovely walk that starts with a steep climb, then continues through magnificent mountain pastures surrounded by peaks, each more imposing than the last, up to the Col d’Arsine, before turning right towards the lake along a stony, somewhat steep path that ends just below the Pic de l’Agneau.

Machine-translated

sempervivum
sempervivum

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 05, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

The track is no longer passable and is closed, so you will need to stop at the lake car park and add half an hour there and back to reach the starting car park indicated on Visorando. High mountain atmosphere, spectacular landscapes, milky-coloured lakes, waterfalls, numerous marmots... an ideal hike. The GR 54 is very popular (Tour d'Oisans and des Ecrins)

Machine-translated

ed102
ed102

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 27, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A beautiful hike in marmot country. Once at the summit, there is a superb view of the lake and its glacier.

Machine-translated

User 17876446

Overall rating : 5 / 5

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

Very beautiful hike, beautiful surroundings, beautiful panoramic views. Very well marked. People and marmots.
We started from the car park at the lake.

Machine-translated

cchambault
cchambault

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 11, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Very beautiful hike, gradual climb, stunning colours of the lakes, varying with the colour of the sky.

Machine-translated

bergen38
bergen38

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 11, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

beautiful hike; the glacier is receding!!!!

Machine-translated

Rando Leo
Rando Leo

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 13, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very beautiful hike with varied landscapes, partly done during a reconnaissance trip (in September, I will bring a group to do the Villar d'Arène/Col and Arsine Lakes/Lac de la Douche/Le Casset crossing, leaving cars at Villar d'Arène and Le Casset).
The only slight downside is that I would advise against parking at the last car park (unless you have a 4x4), as the track is very bumpy due to the Romanche river overflowing and carrying large rocks. In my opinion, it is better to park at the car park at the end of the tarmac road next to the small lake. Especially since the GR passes by there and climbs gently up a very beautiful path (a good warm-up before tackling the steeper climbs). I started the hike at 7:30 a.m.: there were very few people and I had the pleasure of seeing a chamois crossing the path. There are more people during the day, as the GR du Tour des Ecrins is quite popular, but it's also an opportunity to chat with other groups

Machine-translated

Francou38
Francou38

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 28, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Superb, magnificent landscape.
Crossing: from the foot of the Col du Lautaret to Le Casset.
Climb up this valley without much difficulty to the plateau where marmots await us
Very easy and relaxing alpine pasture on the plateau, short climb up the moraine to reach the foot of the lake and glacier.
The descent to Lac de la Douche is a little steep in places.
Best done at this time of year to enjoy the autumn colours of the blueberry bushes.

Machine-translated

Laurence57C
Laurence57C

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 11, 2023
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A magnificent route, with a high-mountain feel throughout. The path from the pass to the lake is easy, so don't hesitate – it's really worth the detour for those who love unusual landscapes. It's very interesting to climb the small ridge on the right when you reach the lakes, as the commanding view is a real bonus. We came back down at around 3pm – at this time of day, be careful not to crush any marmots!

Machine-translated

VirginieL
VirginieL

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 28, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

This side is relatively busy, but busier from Lac de la Douche than from Villar d'Arene. After the first climb, the rest of the hike is simply magnificent, with spectacular scenery and lots of marmots. Enchanting!

Machine-translated

Randofamily
Randofamily

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 11, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

We went on a magnificent hike and spent the night at the Les Alpes mountain refuge.
We walked through mountain pastures surrounded by very friendly cows , lots of marmots that we saw up close, and numerous sheep... The second part of the hike took us through a more rocky landscape, and the lake was impressive in both size and austerity.

Machine-translated

christinec
christinec

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 29, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

The time indicated is slightly overestimated: it took us 5½ hours, including breaks, passing by the banks of the Romanche on the way back

Machine-translated

JOSETTE25
JOSETTE25

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 13, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Superb hike, a magnificent lake. Gradual climb without difficulty. Marmots all along the hike.

Machine-translated

Other walks in the area

Walking The Lake and the Pavé Refuge

Visorando Member
Le Lac et le Refuge du Pavé
↔11.74 mi ↗+4,377 ft ↘-4,357 ft ◔10 hrs ▲Very difficult
⚑Departure from Villar-d'Arêne (Hautes-Alpes)
Enjoy a beautiful excursion into the high mountain landscape of the Écrins National Park at the foot of the magnificent peaks of Pic Gaspard, Pavé, Pic Nord des Cabales and Roche Méane, which form a magnificent cirque.

Walking Tête de Pradieu via the Pas d'Anna Falque

Visorando Member
Tête de Pradieu par le Pas d'Anna Falque
↔7.88 mi ↗+3,796 ft ↘-3,796 ft ◔6 hrs ▲Very difficult
⚑Departure from Villar-d'Arêne (Hautes-Alpes)
A hike in a high-mountain setting on the slopes above the Refuge de l'Alpe, offering a breathtaking panorama of the high peaks of the Écrins massif.Partly off-trail hiking on steep slopes, where I recommend using the Visorando app.

Walking Le Pied du Col - Lac du Pontet - L'Aiguillon

Visorando Member
Le Pied du Col - Lac du Pontet - L'Aiguillon
↔7.66 mi ↗+1,834 ft ↘-1,824 ft ◔5h 05 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from Villar-d'Arêne (Hautes-Alpes)
This hike is accessible to all without any particular difficulty and allows you to walk with the magnificent panorama of the Meije glaciers as a backdrop. What's more, the remarkable exposure of the circuit and its relatively modest altitude mean that this loop can be completed as soon as the snow melts. Moderator's note added on 26/07/2021: please note that part of this circuit is no longer passable. See reviews for an alternative route

Walking The sources of the Romanche

Visorando Member
Les Sources de la Romanche
↔10.05 mi ↗+1,932 ft ↘-1,916 ft ◔6h 20 ▲Difficult
⚑Departure from Villar-d'Arêne (Hautes-Alpes)
A relatively low-altitude foray into a high mountain landscape where the Romanche river rises in the scree following the Plate des Agneaux glacier.

Walking From Alpe de Villard-d'Arène to Monêtier-les-Bains

Visorando Member
De l'Alpe de Villard-d'Arène au Monêtier-les-Bains
↔9.74 mi ↗+1,289 ft ↘-3,261 ft ◔5h 35 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from Villar-d'Arêne (Hautes-Alpes)
Stage2 of the Tour du Combeynot: From the Romanche to the Guisane Valley via the Col d'Arsine, this stage takes place at the foot of the Agneaux

Walking Alpe de Villar d'Arêne Mountain Hut - Monêtier-les-Bains

Visorando Member
Refuge de l'Alpe de Villar d'Arêne - Monêtier-les-Bains
↔9.66 mi ↗+1,266 ft ↘-3,271 ft ◔5h 35 ▲Difficult
⚑Departure from Villar-d'Arêne (Hautes-Alpes)
Stage9 of this route links the Refuge de l’Alpe de Villar-d’Arêne to Monêtier-les-Bains, taking a short detour to the Lac du Glacier d’Arsine, surrounded by the Pics de Chamoissière, d’Arsine, de Neige Cordier, the Pointe Cézanne and the Montagne des Agneaux. Unfortunately, the Arsine Glacier is suffering from global warming. The section starting from the pass along the Petit Tabuc stream in the valley, known as the Réou d'Arsine, is magnificent and very wild.

Walking Arsine Glacier Lake from the Col du Lautaret

Visorando Member
Lac du glacier d'Arsine depuis le Col du Lautaret
↔12.82 mi ↗+1,923 ft ↘-1,932 ft ◔7h 35 ▲Difficult
⚑Departure from Villar-d'Arêne (Hautes-Alpes)
For me, this is one of the most beautiful hikes in this magnificent region of the Alps, with breathtaking views of the eastern glaciers of the Meije massif. It is a long walk through the mountain pastures, but with very gradual climbs. However, there is one section that may be tricky for those prone to vertigo. A great alternative to the hike to Lac d'Arsine, which starts from Monêtier-les-Bains.

Walking From the Col du Lautaret to the Alpe de Villard d'Arène

Visorando Member
Du Col du Lautaret à l'Alpe de Villard d'Arène
↔3.99 mi ↗+463 ft ↘-315 ft ◔2h 15 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from Villar-d'Arêne (Hautes-Alpes)
Stage1 of the Tour du Combeynot: From the Col du Lautaret to the Alpe de Villar-d'Arêne refuge via the schistose crevasse trail overlooking the Romanche valley. Unique view of the Écrins and Meije peaks.

For more walks, use our search engine .

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