Lac Blanc via Altiport and the old mine from Alpe d'Huez

Date of your route : Oct 12, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Route done in the opposite direction; once under the Grandes Rousses cable car, we found a blue-marked trail that took us a little further north up this first cliff via a path that was both wilder (than following the tracks) and dotted with a few information panels, arriving almost at Gare 2700 - very short sections equipped with a cable where it may be necessary to use your hands. The atmosphere was lovely, and once we had passed Lac Blanc, it was splendid.

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Date of your route : Aug 11, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

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Date of your route : Aug 11, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

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Date of your route : Aug 06, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Beautiful route. Magnificent landscapes and well-marked trail

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Date of your route : Nov 05, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We did this hike on 5 November 2024 in glorious sunshine. The climb is quite steep.
For the descent, we did not always follow the trail as there are many ways to reach the resort, which is always in sight.
However, there was no wildlife to admire.

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A very unreliable GPS track, even though there are plenty of possible routes (trails, tracks, roads, etc.) in the area. To see for yourself, download the GPX file and overlay it on a digital topographic map or aerial photo. Some sections are even virtually impossible to complete.
On the other hand, if you like tarmac, concrete resorts, downhill ski slopes, cable cars with cables and pylons – in short, an overdeveloped and overexploited mountain environment – then this route is for you.
The worst route I've ever followed thanks to Visorando.

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Date of your route : Aug 24, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

I didn't expect it to be so beautiful
The full discovery is here
This hike is part of an epic 318 km & 19,496 m D+/D- journey over 24 days. It's very difficult and quite often
Pic du Lac Blanc is located in the Grandes Rousses massif.
At an altitude of 3,327 metres, it can be reached by cable car from Alpe-d'Huez. The climb offers views of Lac Blanc, lost amid the rocks, before reaching the summit.
I choose another option.
I make the ascent via the cable cars mentioned below from Oz Vaujany Station 1340 m.
At Grandes Rousses 2700, I first head downhill to admire Lac Blanc (in the middle).
Not quite acclimatised on the second day ;-o The descent is easy going.
You can either go back up the same way or head to the right to go back up, but it will take a little longer.
It is not possible to go around the lake. I go around the top after seeing the other lakes to get to the Déversoir.
It's a nice little descent and it would be worth going down a little further.
Then it's a direct climb to Pic Blanc!
From the 2700 station, it takes less than 6 minutes to climb to 3330 m!
I would have said more like that ;-) The sun is beating down on the peaks in the distance, making it a little too bright for photos, but it's magnificent!
So I'll go back there after visiting the lakes!
Mont Blanc is theoretically visible in the background of Pic Bayle, even though it has lost 2.22 metres in height!
At the cable car, there is a rotating platform that manages the ascents and descents.
For the other three lakes, there are beautiful little paths that are quite stony... but easy to walk on given the altitude. The initial climb is on a wide dirt track.
I stop at Lac de Balme Rousse. To get to the next lake, Lac de La Jasse (2,459 m), you have to descend 140 m, which you then have to climb back up for a 2 km walk.

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Date of your route : Jul 03, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The section towards Lac Blanc is superb, with a very beautiful climb (bring water, a hat and sun cream), but the descent back down to the resort is not very pleasant, as there isn't really a path, just a road that is quite busy with lorries and construction vehicles.
I think that from Lac Blanc, you should head further north towards the three small lakes for a more pleasant but longer return journey.

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Date of your route : Aug 09, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike, fairly easy, but no shade: bring caps and hats. Don't hesitate to take detours along the surrounding ridges, taking great care of course as they are very exposed.

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Date of your route : Aug 10, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful, uncrowded hike, which we started from Les Bergers, with an elevation gain of about 1,000 metres for the circular route.
The route is very well marked, and the climb after the Herpie mines is superb, where you can encounter ibex and marmots.

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Date of your route : Aug 01, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The hike started at Lac Blanc after a cable car ride up, then descended in the opposite direction via the old mines. Contrary to what is said below, the path is marked, albeit a little close to the ravine at times, but it is completely beginner-friendly and, without hiking equipment, it seemed easy and safe to me. The route is clear and it is difficult to get lost. The descent into the Charbonnière valley is incredible, with marmots, lots of rocks, but superb light and the feeling of being in an American desert. Superb views between the mountains, the lake and the town below. A shepherd grazes his sheep towards the end of the route.
Split in half by the cable car ride, the hike becomes quite easy, as it is all downhill.
I recommend this almost deserted and very exotic route, which I think is one of the most beautiful for beginners.

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Date of your route : Jun 20, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Very busy route : No

I found myself facing a very steep slope of scree with a narrow path like a balcony, interspersed with snowfields and without a single footprint. Shortly before, there was a pile of rocks that looked like they came from the old mine, which was where I was standing.
Not a very interesting walk! I turned back, afraid of slipping several metres!
Isn't there a more pleasant hike to Lac Blanc that starts from Lac Besson?
This hike deserves to be described as difficult, not average: I do average hikes all the time!

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