Lake Saint-Léger

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Starting from the Church of Costebelle, in the commune of La Bréole, this route, suitable for ordinary walkers, will take you to Lake Saint-Léger, in the neighbouring commune of Montclar.

Details

n°145463
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 10.44 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 10 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 406 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 403 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,390 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1,069 m
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Photos

Morgon Massif
Arrival at the lake
The lake
Church of St Léger

Description of the walk

YellowPR®markings

(S) From the church in Costebelle (1070m), head towards the hamlet of Les Lafonds, 200 metres to the east.

(1) Take the path on the right (south-east). After 700 metres, this turns into a trail leading to the hamlet of Les Goirands (1140m).

(2) Take the road on the right for 40 metres.

(3) Take the road on the left

Yellow and redGRP® "Tour du lac de Serre-Ponçon"markings

(4) Follow the signs for Pierre à Sacrifice – Lac de Saint-Léger, follow the markings to Pierre à Sacrifice (1315m).

YellowPR®markings

(5) Turn right towards Lac de Saint-Léger (1,312 m).

(6) After a short stretch on a tarmac road, take the path that branches off sharply to the left and leads to the Chapel of Saint-Léger.

(7) Follow the path to the hamlet of Saint-Jean.

(8) Turn left towards the Sagnes de Saint-Jean peak (1330m).

Yellow and redGRP® "Tour du lac de Serre-Ponçon"markings

(9) Turn left onto a wide path until you return to La Pierre à Sacrifice (1315m).

(5) Return to the starting point via the same path as on the way there.

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 1,070 m - Costebelle Church - View of the - Lac de Serre-Ponçon
  2. 1 : km 0.23 - alt. 1,072 m - The Lafons
  3. 2 : km 1.61 - alt. 1,147 m - Take the road on the right
  4. 3 : km 1.7 - alt. 1,132 m - Take the road on the left
  5. 4 : km 1.86 - alt. 1,141 m - The Goirands
  6. 5 : km 3.32 - alt. 1,312 m - Sacrificial Stone
  7. 6 : km 3.82 - alt. 1,317 m - Lake Saint Léger
  8. 7 : km 4.18 - alt. 1,356 m - Chapel of Saint Léger
  9. 8 : km 5.22 - alt. 1,342 m - Saint John
  10. 9 : km 5.71 - alt. 1,327 m - Peatland of Saint Jean
  11. S/E : km 10.44 - alt. 1,070 m - Church of Costebelle

Worth a visit

The Sacrifice Stone (1315 m) is a local curiosity carved with crosses and holes. Unfortunately, as with the Eagle Stone (Costebelle Route), there is no reliable information to determine the origin or meaning of the engraved symbols.

Lake Saint Léger (1312m) is a 5-hectare bog that is slowly filling up. It contains a wide variety of water lilies and offers the opportunity to admire numerous wild ducks. A station has been built on the edge of the forest so that they can be observed without disturbing them.

the Chapel of Saint Léger is one of the oldest monuments in the valley. It was probably built in the 12th or 13th century by the Knights Templar, who guarded the pass at that time and ensured the safety of trade and travellers in those uncertain times.
It then passed to the Knights of St John of Jerusalem (who gave their name to the Col Saint-Jean, where they ran an inn) who became the Knights of Malta. The Maltese cross can be seen above the door.

 Always be cautious and plan ahead when you're outdoors. Visorando and the author of this route cannot be held responsible for any accidents occurring on this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

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Reviews and comments

4.8 / 5
Based on 15 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.8 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.9 / 5
Route interest
4.7 / 5
jmlafitte
jmlafitte

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 16, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Lake Saint Léger is no longer a lake; it has become a bog due to recurring drought
There is the St Léger chapel a few hundred metres before the lake, which is closed

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Manu d'Aix
Manu d'Aix

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 23, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant hike as it is shaded, as indicated.
A slight variation is possible on the return leg to avoid the climb after Les Goirands: go directly between points 5 and 1.

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violettelgv
violettelgv

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 22, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike, easy and with a lovely route. We did it on a scorching hot morning, and it was very pleasant because almost the entire path is shaded.
The only downside was that there is no car park in the village where the walk starts, but a local resident kindly offered to let us park in front of her house.

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Didier.RAID3D
Didier.RAID3D

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 24, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A peaceful and easy walk through fields with grazing cows. Very nice, I wasn't expecting this type of lake: it's not a mountain lake as you might imagine, you couldn't even see the water: there were reeds with a pretty heron. The dog was delighted to be able to run around.

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gilles_v4
gilles_v4

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 24, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful and easy-to-follow hike. Thank you

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patembrun
patembrun

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 18, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very beautiful hike. A few suggestions: - At Pierre à Sacrifice, we turned left towards Les Peatlands de St Jean and ended up at Chapelle St Léger. This allows you to reach the top and enjoy a view of the lake from above.
- Second suggestion: on the way back, when we reached the hamlet of Les Goirands (point 4 on the map), we continued along the GRP towards the Oratoire de Costebelle and back to the car park. This allowed us to complete a circular route along a pleasant path offering beautiful views.

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Jean-Pierre Maucort
Jean-Pierre Maucort

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 05, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

At Costebelle, park in the car park near the EPHAD (no parking at the church)
We followed the road back after the sacrificial stone
The Saint Léger chapel is worth a visit.
Saint Léger Lake is a curiosity for biodiversity studies

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Coccinelle05
Coccinelle05
• Edited:

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 17, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We did this beautiful hike on 13 May 2021.
However, I would like to add the following details, as the directions provided for the start of the walk are somewhat vague:

At the exit of La Bréole (towards Barcelonnette), after the "camping" sign, turn right onto the D7 (Col des Fillys).
Follow this road for 3.9 km until you reach the church of Costebelle, which is marked by a sign saying "Église de Costebelle".
Park nearby and follow the directions provided in the description.
Enjoy your walk!

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marceldetouillon@gmail.com
marceldetouillon@gmail.com

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 25, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Yesterday's hike took place in beautiful spring weather. The route is very interesting, with a magnificent forest, the sacrificial stone, the lake, the chapel and the St Jean peatland. It will surely be even more beautiful in May. Recommended
for a family outing.
Marcel

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kiwi83700
kiwi83700

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 28, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A pleasant hike, often shaded.
Water is becoming scarce in the small lake of Saint-Léger
which is actually a duck pond.
Thank you for suggesting this beautiful hike.

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fr6
fr6

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 30, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Short route starting from Col St Jean in Montclar. Numerous points of interest - chapel, lake, sacrificial stone and lush beech forest.

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f²
f²

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 15, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

This walk is ideal for a summer's day, as part of the route is shaded by beautiful beech trees.
f²

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mapigap
mapigap

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 05, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Our favourite route! A beautiful route through a beech forest. Magnificent views of Morgon, Les Ecrins and La Blanche. When we reached point 5, we completed a circular route in the opposite direction, which allowed us to see the lake from above.

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lual5530
lual5530

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 29, 2016
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

An easy route, often shaded, which was much appreciated on Saturday.

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Runnerup
Runnerup

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 13, 2016
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Beautiful hike, beautiful lake, not very busy at the end of June.

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