Lakes of Mont Coua via Col Rouge and Col du Soufre

Park in the car park at the end of the D124, coming from Pralognan-la-Vanoise.

(S/E) Go to the end of the car park and take the path. At the three-way junction, keep right towards the stream.

(1) Cross the Pont de la Pêche bridge, then climb gently to the junction for the Col Rouge, near the Refuge du Roc de la Pêche.

(2) Continue on the right and follow the Doron de Chavière.

(3) Pass close to the Ritord mountain pasture, leaving the footbridge that leads to it on your left, and continue along the stream until you reach the start of a path.

(4) Turn right to climb towards Col Rouge via a series of hairpin bends with sections of scree. Reach the pass (altitude 2,730 m): view of the Génépy and Rosoire glaciers on the opposite side.

(5) Continue downhill towards the Refuge du Saut until you reach an altitude of approximately 2,450 metres.

(6) Turn left onto the path for a short traverse at the same level and off the path, then a 30-40 m ramp that leads to the path climbing towards the Passage des Eaux Noires. Turn left.

(7) Cross a few passages through boulders where the path is not very clear: however, the route is obvious if you follow the bottom of the valley, and you can see the Col des Fonds at the end of this valley, which is accessible and allows you, if you wish, to go directly to Lac Blanc and the Péclet-Polset refuge. Reach the Passage des Eaux Noires.

(8) At the small lake, turn right to begin the descent to the other lakes.

(9) Pass by the edge of Lac du Mont Coua on the left, then cross a slightly steep passage to reach the last lake.

(10) A well-marked trail then allows you to continue the descent to the left. Cross a first footbridge and continue to a second one on the Doron des Allues.

(11) Take the path on the left that climbs from the Refuge du Saut to the Col du Soufre.

(12) Begin the final climb up the Gébroulaz Glacier moraine to reach Col du Soufre (altitude 2,817 m).

(13) Begin the descent and head for Lac Blanc. From there, a long descent will take you back to the starting point (1100 m D-).

(14) At this point (altitude 2,450 m), avoid the Peclet-Polset refuge by heading left to join a path that leads directly down to the GR®55.

(15) Take the alpine path on the left to find the junction for Col Rouge.

(4) Continue straight ahead and follow the ascent route in reverse to return to the car park (S/E).

There is water along the route, but a filter bottle is recommended for safety.

In addition to the magnificent landscapes (lakes and Gébroulaz Glacier), you can see marmots, ibex, chamois and, with a little luck, ptarmigan along the route. Alpine flora is also present: linear, genepi, gentian, etc.