Lakes Varicles and Ténibre

Park in the car park opposite the Maison du Mercantour.

(S/E) As you leave the car park, turn left onto the road towards Jausiers.

(1) Turn left after the bridge and continue along Boulevard Issautier for about a hundred metres; signpost 108 is on the right, immediately after a wash house (Torrent de Ténibres).

(2) Take the path on the right bank of the Torrent de Ténibres. Gradually leave the path and walk past the houses in Champés. Continue uphill to reach the telecommunications mast.

(3) Shortly after the mast, turn right to head east, then generally north again. Continue climbing until you reach an alpine hut. You’ll soon come to a crossroads with an unnumbered marker. Here, a few stones lie across the path, whilst others are lined up to indicate the direction.

(4) Turn left as indicated by the signpost: ‘walking route’. Continue due north, along the right-hand edge of a small meadow. The path is faint in places, but the yellow markings on the trees are clearly visible. Take care to follow them closely until you reach a hairpin bend to the right, which takes you back onto the main route. Follow the yellow mark at a right angle to the ground. Shortly after the house, veer left to reach marker 109.

(5) Cross the path and carry on straight ahead, heading roughly north-east whilst staying broadly on the ridge. Via a series of small hairpin bends, reach marker 112 at the junction with the Chemin de l’Énergie.

(6) Turn right onto this path and walk along it – on almost level ground – to reach the Plan de Ténibre at marker 114.

(7) Shortly afterwards, leave the Chemin de l’Énergie and turn left, generally following the intermittent stream flowing from the Lacs Varicles. Walk along the left-hand side of the lower lake, then reach the springs of the lakes.

(8) Continue on, then turn left to begin the final ascent and reach the Ténibre Lakes.

(8) Then follow the same route back in the opposite direction to return to the car park at marker 108 (S/E).

There is no water along the route until marker 111.
Alternative route: for those who do not wish to take a dip in either lake, the climb up to the Chemin de l’Energie is a destination in itself. The full panorama has now come into view and the elevation gain is already substantial (1,200 m).

As you make your way up, the view unfolds: first the village with the lake at your feet, then the village centre with its bell tower further to the left. Next comes the wilder Demandols valley, bounded at the far end by the Cime de Pal with its distinctive pyramidal shape. Next come the Cime de Bercha, the Cime de Las Donnas and the Auron ski area. Finally, in the background, the Mounier, the Col de Crousette, the Cime Nègre, the Col de Crous and the Cime de Pal, already mentioned. A panorama that unfolds like a theatre scene, as the curtain gradually rises.