Lake Lestio from the large Viso viewpoint

Date of your route : Jul 22, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful trip, whose difficulty lies more in its length than in its elevation gain.
It's a shame there's no other option than to take the old road. There is an IGN trail, but as it's now a nature reserve, it's no longer accessible.
Once past the old car park, the path leading to the lake is simply incredible, with Mont Viso as a backdrop.
On the way back, you can stop at the Refuge.

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Date of your route : Aug 01, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A beautiful hike with no difficulty except for its length. We took the old road at the start and returned via the suggested route. This allows you to warm up gently and avoid climbing steep hills right from the start (see first point).

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

Beautiful view of Mount Viso.
At this time of year, the path through the valley (below the refuge) is in shade quite early in the afternoon (from 4pm)
The autumn colours are splendid, especially on the path between the lake and the foot of the climb to the Col de la Traversette.
I climbed up to the Col de Valante, but the view of Mount Viso from the refuge is just as majestic!

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Date of your route : Sep 05, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A magnificent hike that is never difficult, except that you need to bear in mind the distance. The trails are easy and the view of Mount Viso is sublime, even better in the afternoon when the sun is out

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Very beautiful hike.
Very pleasant route

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

Magnificent hike, splendid view of Mount Viso, very few people at this time of year.
We stopped for lunch at the lake and saw lots of marmots.
Pleasant welcome at the refuge.

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Date of your route : Aug 25, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Almost no one on the route, a few more at the last pass and lake, which can be reached in 1.5 hours via other routes...
The 900 metres are covered without you even noticing as they are spread out over the length of the route.
Very beautiful mountain pastures with much less edelweiss than described

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Date of your route : Aug 07, 2022
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike, especially the section from the Viso refuge to Lake Lestio.
I did this hike on a day when the weather was uncertain, so there were very few people around.
I recommend eating at Lake Lestio, which is magnificent

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Date of your route : Aug 08, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very beautiful hike with a view of Mount Viso. We started very early in the morning, so there were few people on the way there, but a few more on the way back.
Personally, I recommend returning via the refuge. The climb from the large viewpoint at the bottom of the valley seems more gradual and less difficult to me.

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Date of your route : Jul 31, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very beautiful hike. There are numerous signs. Just start from the large car park at La Roche Ecroulé (clearly visible on the IGN map) and follow the official trail (there is a large wooden sign explaining the route to the small and large Belvédère viewpoints).
Personally, I would recommend doing the loop starting at the refuge (you can see it from afar and it's better for the kids' morale, as the climb to the lake is at the bottom of the valley with a more limited view).
Very friendly welcome at the refuge.

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Date of your route : Jun 21, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Hello,
Thank you for this superb hike, very well explained, which allowed us to discover (and recognise) Mont Viso.
The route is partly circular, which avoids frequent back-and-forth trips in the alpine areas.

Three small comments

1- The starting point is about 300 metres after the "Roche écroulée" (collapsed rock). There is a car park after a large wooden bridge (similar to the one at Ristolas). After crossing the bridge, continue straight ahead along a faint path that leads to the "official" path, which you follow to the left.

2- When the "old road" starts to wind, a path starts on the right and runs along the Guil on your left. It comes out at a place called Razine where a signpost indicates "le grand belvédère" straight ahead along a pretty forest path, still following the Guil. This path leads directly to the Grand Belvédère (and thus avoids a long stretch of road).

3- At the Grand Belvédère, take the path on the left for 200 metres until you reach the signpost marked "la gardiole". From there, continue straight ahead towards the bottom of the valley to reach the lake. The path on the left will take you back to the Viso refuge.

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Date of your route : Jul 28, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Nice tour with no real difficulty except for the length

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Date of your route : Jul 13, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Very beautiful day hike
the start is poorly signposted to avoid the road and go via the little Viso viewpoint, but with an IGN map it's no problem
Definitely worth it if you go up to the Col de Valante, although there is a lot of snow at the end
Not much to see between the large Viso viewpoint and the starting point as it's on a road/track

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Date of your route : Jun 22, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

nice hike, not too difficult despite the length
nice views of Mount Viso, the lake isn't exceptional but the landscape makes up for it...

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Date of your route : Jul 10, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

It's a beautiful hike, albeit a long one... with some sections of road that can be avoided at times thanks to a small path.
We preferred to avoid going via the refuge and walked along the Guil: magnificent! Whole beds of anemones and buttercups, and even a few snowfields. When we reached the lake, an icy wind and the nebula coming in from Italy quickly sent us back down. We caught a glimpse of the Viso, which is definitely worth a visit!

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