Lake Laus

To reach the start point at Réallon, take the D241. After the hamlet of Le Villard, there is a small car park on the left, signposted towards Les Gourniers.

(S/E) Take the forest track on the right, just before the car park, which follows the Torrent de la Souche. Ignore the track that turns almost immediately to the left, crossing the stream via a ford, but continue straight on along the^GR®® for about 200 metres.

(1) Leave the^GR®® and turn left (heading north, at an altitude of 1,520 metres) onto the small path through a meadow.

(2) Cross a small stream and then climb up the path. When you reach the mountain pasture and the path disappears amongst the numerous drovers' roads, if you cannot see the small cairns, head uphill following the piles of stones on the left. Your destination is a small water intake (a concrete cube with a door). 100 metres below the intake – i.e. just before it – there are iron drinking troughs.

(3) Do not go as far as the water intake, but take the small path by the drinking troughs, which heads due east (1,615 metres above sea level). Your destination is the small copse of trees a little further up along the ravine. This path is marked by small cairns. You will also sometimes find white ribbons tied to the trees, to help the shepherd find his way (in the fog?).

(4) This copse is home to a collapsed barn. The next destination is the ‘lower sheepfold’, which is half-abandoned. To reach it, follow the flat stretch of ground by the barn (heading north-west, at an altitude of 1,675 m), which turns into a narrow track.

(5) Go round the ‘lower sheepfold’ and head back towards the ravine. Your next destination is now the ‘upper sheepfold’, the Cabane du Laus. Head due east as you climb. The easiest way is to look for a line of trees with a small flat area. This is the path the shepherd takes. Sometimes ribbons are tied there. Just past this line of trees, a narrow track leads uphill. Don’t panic – whichever drovers' road you take, you’ll join a path before reaching the ravine that climbs up and runs alongside it, marked by cairns. Simply follow them to the Cabane du Laus.

(6) At the Cabane du Laus, look out for a prominent cairn 300 metres to the north-west, clearly visible against the mountainside. Head towards this cairn.

(7) From this cairn, the path is clearly marked all the way to the lake. It winds through the forest, passes over small scree slopes, then crosses two ravines.

(8) Cross the second ravine, the Pissarote, at the blue-white-red markings. Follow these markings to climb up to the Coste. You will see a small cirque containing the lake.

(9) From Lac de Laus, return via the same route (S/E).

Alternative route:
For the return journey, those who dislike walking the same route twice can do a circular route and take the path that starts at La Coste, passing beneath the cliffs above the scree slopes. Cross to the other side of the ridge to head back down towards the Cabane du Laus. Personally, I find this route less scenic and the descent very hard on the legs. If you return via the same path, you’ll get a different view of the valleys and the Gourniers.

The only slight difficulty on this walk is the climb up through a mountain pasture criss-crossed by numerous cattle tracks. Which one should you choose? In any case, you can’t get lost. I’ll point out a landmark each time and tell you the best way to get there.

Mountain walks are best done in the morning, before the risk of early afternoon thunderstorms. The morning climb is in the shade, so it’s pleasant with superb views, as if you were standing on balconies. It’s best to wear trousers, or if you’re in shorts, put on gaiters: the spiky seeds of the tall grasses love to find their way into your shoes. This saves you the hassle of picking them out of your socks.

Where there are mountain pastures, there are herds. Take wide detours (there’s plenty of space) so as not to disturb them. The Cabane du Laus is a shepherd’s hut that’s inhabited during the summer months. Please respect the shepherd’s privacy by taking a detour as well.

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

The Écrins massif is an exceptional area, open to all, boasting natural, cultural and scenic heritage of rare beauty. To protect these treasures, the heart of the park is marked by blue-white-red flags, where certain regulations must be observed. Please familiarise yourself with these rules when planning your walk to help preserve this shared heritage, on the website https://www.ecrins-parcnational.fr.

Route signposted since 2017. Click here to view the new route

Les Gourniers is a superb village at the bottom of the valley, not yet spoiled by tourism. In summer, you can visit the small exhibition at the Parc des Écrins. There is a small campsite and a water source for swimming (brrrrr!).

There is plenty of wildlife around this village. In spring, from the Chapelle Saint-Marcellin, you can see numerous chamois basking in the sun on the snow, on the slope whose ridges we are about to traverse.

During this hike, I saw chamois, a vulture perched on a rock at the edge of the track, surveying the valley, marmots and... flies.

Indeed, this valley has been the subject of reintroduction programmes for birds of prey (eagles) and scavengers.