Le Crêt Pela from Lamoura

Park in the large car park below the Lamoura Tourist Office.

(S/E) Leave the car park and walk up the main street to the junction with the D304 at the top of the village.

(1) Just before the D304, turn right onto Chemin du Bruchet, which climbs out of the village and into the forest.

(2) At the top of the climb, leave the forest track to the right at a right angle, heading into a gentle grassy hollow. The track is barely visible at first, but you’ll soon reach a well-marked old forest track that quickly veers left towards the north-east. The route is then clearly marked with yellow lines. It’s an unpaved track, poorly maintained, but very wide and easy to follow.

Follow this path in the same direction, following the yellow markings for about 1.8 km, until it turns left to climb a ridge and rejoin the main forest road you left earlier.

(3) Take this road on the right, which leads to a large holiday centre. Turn right along the centre’s car park and head down to the main road (D25). Follow the D25 to the left for 150 m to the large car park at the Serra resort. Turn right and cross it diagonally to the foot of the ski lifts.

(4) Take the stony path that starts between two ski lifts, then veers left to climb along an open ski run through the forest. Pass a reservoir on your right, then the access path to a chalet on your left before reaching a trail that heads into the forest on the left.

(5) Follow this path (clearly marked in yellow) which crosses the Route Forestière des Auvernes (which you were following on the way up) and continue to a cave on your right which can serve as shelter in bad weather. 300 m further on, you arrive at Crêt Pela.

(6) Enjoy the view of the Swiss Alps from the viewpoint bench slightly below. Descend to the forest track and turn immediately right (unmarked). Follow this pleasant path, along which you can admire a large number of giant anthills. This path leads to a circular platform on the ridge from which three ski runs start.

(7) Warning: the following section is not difficult, but requires good navigation skills.
Look for a barely visible track that descends into the undergrowth heading roughly south, before veering slightly to the right to head south-west. Initially running slightly south of the ridge line, it later follows a sort of gully between two small hills to reach the ridge at the start of a ski run. Pass to the right of the small building and descend along the ridge on the ski run to the start of a long descent.

(8) Turn right to descend this piste to a good forest track, which you take on the left to reach the lake viewpoint.

(9) Leave the track and head down to the right towards Lac de Lamoura (yellow markings). The path becomes a track, then a stony road. The road passes several chalets (the Thoramys) and then takes a sharp right-hand bend.

(10) Leave the road and continue left into the pasture, heading south-west along a faint path that passes to the right of a chalet. The track becomes a path that continues through a sort of valley. About 1 km from the road you left, the path is about to enter the forest again.

(11) Leave the track to enjoy the “real” view of Lac de Lamoura from the viewing platform situated slightly higher up on the right. Then take the path which descends quite steeply towards the lake. Walk around the lake anti-clockwise to the car park.

(12) Cross the road and take the path opposite the car park entrance, which climbs behind the chalets (yellow markings). Follow it along the ridge between the two roads until you reach a tarmac road (D292), which you take to the right, until you join the D25, which takes you back to the starting point (S/E).

I based this hike on the one named "Le Crêt Pela from Lamoura" by Visorandeur "kartman", but modified nearly 50% of it following several critical comments. I mainly chose to avoid the monotony of the "all-vehicle" forest roads as much as possible, and added the loop around Lac de Lamoura

A hike with no major difficulties, but with a few slightly steep sections that can be slippery in wet weather: good walking boots are recommended.

*** It is very easy to lose your way between points (7) and (8), but you won’t get lost if you stay close to the ridge. A GPS is highly recommended. Those who don’t want to take the risk can choose to descend from point (7) along the ski run to the forest track, which they should take to the left to reach point (9).

There is a picnic area at the Lac de Lamoura car park (12).

I did this walk on 3 November: most of the shops were closed!