Lac des Prés at the start of Les Clots

A lovely snowshoe hike above Villard-de-Lans, starting from the Clots car park, a round trip to Lac des Prés.
Stunning scenery, beautiful snow-covered forests, a fairly easy route, and the tranquillity and beauty of the snow-covered fields.
There’s just one steep climb to reach the lake, followed by a good descent. Take care if there are patches of ice.

Details

n°979256

Creation:
18 Feb 2018

Last update:
02 Sep 2026

Last review:
20 Oct 2025

Activity: Snowshoeing
Distance: 4.56 mi
Duration according to the author: 3 hrs
Difficulty: Moderate
Back to start: Yes
Ascent: + 1,050 ft
Descent: - 1,037 ft
Highest point: 4,997 ft
Lowest point: 4,045 ft

Country: France
Areas: Alps, Vercors, Dauphiné
City: Villard-de-Lans (38250)
Start/End: N 45.055839° / E 5.568194°
IGN map(s): Ref. 3235OT, 3236OT, 3236OTR
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Description of the walk

Park in the car park at the hamlet of Les Clots, above Villard-de-Lans and the Glovettes ski resort.

(S/E) Head east along the^GRP®® ‘Tour des 4 Montagnes’ trail, marked in red and yellow. Continue to the first junction.
Carry on straight ahead towards Abri de la Fauge; do not take the path that climbs to the right. You’ll then reach a large crossroads of paths at an elevation of 1,245 metres.

(1) Turn right, still heading towards Abri de la Fauge; do not head towards the waterfall. At Collet des Clots, you’ll reach another junction at an elevation of 1310.

(2) Carry on straight ahead towards Bergerie de la Fauge (not Abri de la Fauge as before). You will reach the sheepfold.

(3) Continue southwards, crossing a large flat expanse, with streams occasionally emerging from beneath the snow. You’ll reach the junction at Combe Charbonnière.

(4) Turn right (do not continue towards La Combe). Simply follow the yellow and green markings to reach Lac des Prés after a few hairpin bends and a fairly steep climb.

(5) Head back down to the Bergerie de la Fauge and then to the small pass of the Collet des Clots via the same route.

(2) Turn left to quickly reach the Clos de la Mene at an altitude of 1,336 metres.

(6) At this junction, turn right onto a wide ski run (Green: return route) heading towards the hamlet.
Do not take the track on the right that continues straight on, but follow the path that descends beneath the fir trees to the car park at the start (S/E).

Waypoints

S/E : mi 0 - alt. 4,045 ft - Les Clots car park
1 : mi 0.43 - alt. 4,088 ft - Crossroads at 1,245 metres
2 : mi 1.17 - alt. 4,301 ft - Heading towards La Bergerie and the junction of the circular route - Abri de la Fauge
3 : mi 1.4 - alt. 4,406 ft - La Fauge Shelter
4 : mi 1.89 - alt. 4,514 ft - Combe Charbonnière junction
5 : mi 2.41 - alt. 4,997 ft - Lac des Prés
6 : mi 4.01 - alt. 4,354 ft - Clos de la Mene
S/E : mi 4.56 - alt. 4,045 ft - Les Clots car park

Notes

Actual elevation gain: 400m

(5) Lac des Prés: a hillside reservoir used for the artificial snowmaking on the ski slopes.
At La Bergerie, you can easily stop for a break

On arrival at the lake, it is possible to head back down by skirting round the lake and following the edge of the slopes until you rejoin the route shown on the IGN map to return to the car park; however, in winter, given the crowds on the slopes, we do not recommend this.
Please note that the lake is sometimes shrouded in mist; it is surrounded by orange safety netting to prevent any unwanted ‘splashes’…
Including photo breaks, it took us 3½ hours at a leisurely pace

Worth a visit

The village of Villard-de-Lans
The Vercors plateau
The ski resort

Reviews and comments

4.3 / 5

Based on 12 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.3 / 5

Ease of following the route
4.6 / 5

Route interest
4.2 / 5

bruken

20 Oct 2025 at 10:46 7200

I did this hike on 5 October 2025, in beautiful weather, but starting from BALCON DE VILLARS (no skiers at that time of year). Distance: 8 km round trip - 410 m elevation gain on the way up. Beautiful views. Picnic by the lake.

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Stephan

30 Dec 2024 at 08:16 3600

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 30, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Very beautiful hike, done on 28 December 2024.
Lots of snow but the trail was visible, with a few slightly steep climbs.
Extension of the route at level 5, a significant advantage, as we were able to reach the restaurant with reasonable prices via the edge of the ski slope to rehydrate and eat, but it was a bit of a shame to have to go back to complete the circular.
Parking right at the start of the hike; leave early enough to get a spot.

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jldequin

18 Jun 2024 at 12:24 7200

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 14, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Done after the rain. Gentle climb through the meadows before the last kilometre, which is quite steep and crosses scree, which may put some people off.
We preferred to descend via the tracks rather than take the same route after the lake (not very interesting).
A beautiful outing nonetheless.

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Guicrk

22 Jan 2024 at 09:22 3600

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 22, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A lovely hike, not too physically or technically demanding, with beautiful scenery... quite busy at this time of year, but not unpleasant!

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ThiBert

11 Sep 2023 at 19:55 7200

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 19, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : Yes

A pleasant, very shady route, which is nice in hot weather. Beautiful views of the mountains... However, the "Lac des Prés" is disappointing, as it is only an artificial water reservoir...

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Paderic

16 Dec 2021 at 17:12 3600

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 14, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Snowshoe hike in the afternoon with beautiful sunshine and lots of snow.
A slightly tricky section on the climb between points 4 and 5. It's a steep climb, with short, somewhat perilous steps. On fresh snow, we might have had trouble finding a way through.
Beautiful views of the rocky ridges, wooded passages, other more open passages and a beautiful arrival at Lac des Près overlooking the Balcons de Villard.

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bebert38

16 Aug 2021 at 09:28 7200

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 12, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Beautiful route: after the lake, descend towards Combe Charbonnière, Col Vert, Roybon, then return to the starting point.
Elevation gain: 903 m, total distance: 12 km.

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francette66

05 Oct 2020 at 13:49 7200

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 17, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A lovely walk to do in summer too – lots of scree towards the lake – be careful if you have weak knees.
Good route. Beautiful view at the top. Thank you for this guide.

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beaune73

23 Jan 2020 at 08:33 3600

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 20, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

WARNING! This route has been downloaded for snowshoeing, but it is STRONGLY NOT RECOMMENDED in winter! There is a risk of falling on icy sections and passing under potentially dangerous ledges if there is snow cover!

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vanille2012

16 Sep 2019 at 11:39 7200

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 16, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average

A lovely walk in summer. A little disappointed by the lake, though, which is surrounded by buildings. I thought it would be a bit wilder. But the view is magnificent.

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Isatignieu

28 Dec 2018 at 17:40 3600

Overall rating : 5 / 5

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

Hello
Walk taken in December with little snow. The last hill is very slippery. Signs of chamois.
Blue skies and snow-capped peaks. A pleasant walk.

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captainjolo

17 Mar 2018 at 13:19 3600

Using GPS is mainly a backup option, and I use it with caution.
It is safer to plan your hike using a map and to know the elevation before setting off, especially to determine whether you
you and those accompanying you are capable of doing it.
Best regards

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manissieux

17 Mar 2018 at 10:17 3600

Hello,
Absolutely, the elevation gain is approximately 400mD+.
I'm new to the Visorando software, at least when it comes to recording tracks. I forgot to finish the track when we had already left by car to return to the valley... sorry about that.

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Thierryb26

16 Mar 2018 at 17:51 3600

Hello,

The actual elevation gain is actually closer to 400 metres.

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leon38

16 Mar 2018 at 17:34 3600

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 16, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Hello,
I just looked at this route. Please note, there is an elevation error.

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