Along the Canal des Étangs de Lège-Cap Ferret

This is a short, flat walk along the Canal des Étangs, between the D106E5 bridge and the Pas du Bouc bridge. On this section, the canal takes on the appearance and flow of a small river full of charm and wildness, a sort of miniature Amazon with orange-coloured waters. North of Pas du Bouc, it is still a canal, while south of the D106E5, it takes the name Courant de Lège and prepares to flow into the salt meadows of the Bassin d'Arcachon.

Fiche technique

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  • trace_mode_pedestrian
    Activité: trace_mode_pedestrian
  • ↔
    label_distance: 8.66 mi
  • ◔
    Durée calculée: 4h 00 
  • ▲
    Difficulte: Moyenne

  • ⚐
    Retour point de depart: Oui
  • ↗
    label_elevation_gain: + 30 ft
  • ↘
    label_elevation_loss: - 26 ft

  • ▲
    label_highest_point: 46 ft
  • ▼
    label_lowest_point: 7 ft
  • ⚐ Pays: France
  • ⚐ Commune: Lège-Cap-Ferret (33950|33970)
  • ⚑
    Départ/Arrivée: N 44.789838° / O 1.161957°
  • ❏
    Carte(s) IGN: Ref. 1336ET, 1337ET
  • Météo détaillée heure par heure

Photos

Description of the walk

Coming from Bordeaux via the Cap-Ferret road, after crossing the Lège stream, turn right at the roundabout towards Lège - Lacanau. After about 1 km, at the traffic lights, turn left and then immediately right onto Avenue des Chênes, then right onto Avenue du Canal, and park under the trees below the D106E5 ramp at the approach to the bridge crossing the canal.

(S/E) Take theGR® 8 path northwards, along the bank of the canal, which is a river at this point.

(1) After one kilometre, you will come to a road that crosses the canal via the Cassieux bridge. Cross it and continue along the path that runs between a complex of retirement homes and the canal.

(2) Continue northwards, sheltered by the maritime pines.

(3) After another kilometre, leave theGR®8, which branches off to the left. The path moves away from the canal slightly and leads to a sandy clearing where it crosses a track. Turn right to follow a double circular route of the river and arrive at a footbridge.

(4) Leave the footbridge on your right and continue along the same path heading north. For about 3.5 km, you will follow the winding river, which sometimes forms circular patterns that sink deeper to cross the sandy reliefs and sometimes carves out modest but wild-looking gorges.

(5) The sound of the river here tells us that it is crossing a threshold. Notice some remains of what appears to be an old bridge or aqueduct crossing it.

(6) About 400 m further on, pass along a beach that appears to be a canoe landing stage, then you will see the ruins of a small dam. Finally, you arrive at the road that runs from Lauros to La Jenny by the ocean and crosses the canal here at the Pas du Bouc bridge.
North of the bridge, you will see a lock that regulates the flow of the canal, which is better channelled to the north of it, and nearby is the Pas du Bouc Forest House.
Walk 350 m along the road towards the west and you will find the start of theGR®8 trailto the south.

(7) Take theGR® trail on the left, which is also the Way of St James, and after one kilometre, you will find the start of a path on the left.

(8) Take this path and you will soon find the path along the canal, which you should follow southwards. After 2.8 km, cross the footbridge again.

(4) Leave the route you have already taken and cross the footbridge. Then take the path on the right, on the left bank, which runs along the canal towards the south. This path remains close to the waterway and provides access to several pretty beaches. Follow it south until you reach a road.

(9) Cross this road and continue, still on the left bank, on a path that continues from the previous one, still along the water's edge, with access to several small beaches.

(10) The path ends at a very dense bamboo grove; rather than squeezing through the bamboo to try to reach the road, which you can see is nearby, take a path on the left that runs more or less alongside a ditch (estey), heading east, which quickly leads to a housing estate.

The path ends at a street; turn right, then follow it, turning left and then right, to reach a pedestrian crossing that leads to another street which opens onto Avenue de la Presqu'île. Turn right onto this street until you reach the Canal des Étangs.

(11) Cross the bridge, after which you will see the car park where you started on your right. Take the streets on the right in succession to return to the car park where you started (S/E).

Points de passages

  1. D/A : mi 0 - alt. 16 ft - Shaded car park below the D106
  2. 1 : mi 0.58 - alt. 20 ft - Cassieu Bridge
  3. 2 : mi 0.73 - alt. 20 ft - Crossroads of the circular
  4. 3 : mi 1.25 - alt. 26 ft - Right in the sandy clearing
  5. 4 : mi 1.34 - alt. 20 ft - The footbridge
  6. 5 : mi 3.71 - alt. 39 ft - The threshold
  7. 6 : mi 4.01 - alt. 39 ft - Pont du Pas du Bouc
  8. 7 : mi 4.21 - alt. 43 ft - GR 8 southbound
  9. 8 : mi 4.82 - alt. 43 ft - Turn left to reach the river
  10. 9 : mi 7.39 - alt. 16 ft - Crossing the road
  11. 10 : mi 7.83 - alt. 20 ft - On the left before the bamboo forest
  12. 11 : mi 8.39 - alt. 7 ft - Crossing the bridge
  13. D/A : mi 8.66 - alt. 20 ft - Return to the car park

Informations pratiques

There are no water points along the route, but if you need to cool off – or even take a dip – there are numerous access points to the canal and even a few pretty beaches.
You can always cross the canal on foot, as the depth rarely exceeds 50 to 70 cm.
This canal connects the large lakes of Gironde and Landes (via the Bassin d'Arcachon).
It flows calmly from north to south and is always full of water.
Simple trainers are sufficient, or even good sandals, as the route is always sandy.
Walking sticks are often useful to help propel you through the sand, but you can easily do without them.
Most of the route is shaded by maritime pines or oaks.

A proximite

During this hike, you can take your time to soak up the atmosphere of the Gironde moors, listen to the birds and even the cicadas in summer if it is hot.
Swimming is possible and even recommended if you want to fully enjoy the magic of this beautiful orange river.
The return journey through the neighbourhoods of Lège allows you to appreciate the quality of the environment in these small towns near the Arcachon Basin.

Reviews and comments

4.4 / 5
Based on 20 reviews

Fiabilité de la description
4.5 / 5
Facilité à suivre l'itinéraire
4.3 / 5
Intérêt du circuit de randonnée
4.5 / 5
Titane33
Titane33

Note globale : 5 / 5

Date de la randonnée : Feb 16, 2026
Fiabilité de la description : ★★★★★ Tres bien
Facilité à suivre l'itinéraire : ★★★★★ Tres bien
Intérêt du circuit de randonnée : ★★★★★ Tres bien
Circuit très fréquenté : Non

Very beautiful hike
No worries about the trail, which was good, as were the explanations
We just had to detour three times over a short distance because the path was flooded due to heavy rain.

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stjo
stjo

@ChantalZ, thank you for this information about the end of the route.
The next time we take this route, we will try to find a way to keep the return trip along the left bank, as it would be a shame to miss out on it.

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ChantalZ
ChantalZ

Note globale : 2.3 / 5

Date de la randonnée : Jan 14, 2026
Fiabilité de la description : ★☆☆☆☆ Tres decevant
Facilité à suivre l'itinéraire : ★☆☆☆☆ Tres decevant
Intérêt du circuit de randonnée : ★★★★★ Tres bien
Circuit très fréquenté : Non

Let's start with the negative point: the description no longer corresponds to reality! The end of the route on the left bank leads to a dead end! At the bamboo grove, you come up against impassable private property, and the recommended detour is closed off by a fence! The only option is to turn back and cross the Cassieux bridge again, ending up on the right bank. What a shame! Conclusion: do not leave the right bank on the way there or back.
Otherwise, it's a very beautiful walk through unspoilt nature and along a river whose meanders are unimaginable given the name "canal" given to it. It's also worth noting that at Pas du Bouc, facilities are being put in place to encourage hikers to stop, including sheltered picnic tables. An interesting feature: the fish and eel ladders that have recently been installed. We didn't meet anyone else, which is probably due to the season, as it is currently high water.

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Utilisateur 6256850

Note globale : 5 / 5

Date de la randonnée : Oct 13, 2025
Fiabilité de la description : ★★★★★ Tres bien
Facilité à suivre l'itinéraire : ★★★★★ Tres bien
Intérêt du circuit de randonnée : ★★★★★ Tres bien
Circuit très fréquenté : Oui

a very beautiful route, of great interest and one that deserves to be extended for longer hikers.

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Danièle Quillet
Danièle Quillet

Note globale : 4.7 / 5

Date de la randonnée : Sep 28, 2025
Fiabilité de la description : ★★★★★ Tres bien
Facilité à suivre l'itinéraire : ★★★★★ Tres bien
Intérêt du circuit de randonnée : ★★★★☆ Bien
Circuit très fréquenté : Non

Apart from the end in the housing estates, which is uninteresting

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Squirrel33
Squirrel33

Note globale : 4 / 5

Date de la randonnée : May 27, 2024
Fiabilité de la description : ★★★★☆ Bien
Facilité à suivre l'itinéraire : ★★★★☆ Bien
Intérêt du circuit de randonnée : ★★★★☆ Bien
Circuit très fréquenté : Non

This route is very nice, along the canal it's quite wild, a single track path all along the canal. However, I did the round trip on the same path. I might suggest an alternative, but otherwise it's a parish specific to Brittany that is very pleasant to do

otherwise, nothing to report

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jefplus
jefplus
• Modifié le :

Note globale : 3.7 / 5

Date de la randonnée : Oct 12, 2023
Fiabilité de la description : ★★★★☆ Bien
Facilité à suivre l'itinéraire : ★★★☆☆ Moyen
Intérêt du circuit de randonnée : ★★★★☆ Bien
Circuit très fréquenté : Oui

It is very interesting to leave the main path and take the small paths along the river, because from the main path you can hardly see the beautiful river, which has picnic areas along its banks.
On the way back, do not take the paved path, but take the grassy path just before this marked paved path, which will otherwise take you on a long detour. We took the paved path, which forced us to walk off the trail to our left to get back on the right track (an extra hour of walking, making it 5 hours instead of 4). Otherwise, to avoid getting lost, take the same path as on the way there, taking the normal trail to go faster.

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stjo
stjo

@Gautreault, I would like to take this opportunity to respond to your comment and say that when I have a little time, I will publish a modification to this hike for the return trip from the footbridge at the point (4), which will allow you to return to the canal on its left bank, thus avoiding the long passage through the housing estates, which some people did not particularly enjoy.

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Gautreault
Gautreault

Note globale : 4.3 / 5

Date de la randonnée : Sep 07, 2023
Fiabilité de la description : ★★★★★ Tres bien
Facilité à suivre l'itinéraire : ★★★★☆ Bien
Intérêt du circuit de randonnée : ★★★★☆ Bien
Circuit très fréquenté : Non

Easy and interesting hike up to footbridge number 4. After that, much less so.

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Rubis10
Rubis10

Note globale : 4.3 / 5

Date de la randonnée : Aug 30, 2023
Fiabilité de la description : ★★★★☆ Bien
Facilité à suivre l'itinéraire : ★★★★☆ Bien
Intérêt du circuit de randonnée : ★★★★★ Tres bien
Circuit très fréquenté : Non

Wednesday, 23 August 2023.
A very pleasant hike, despite being disrupted by the heatwave, which I hadn't expected to be so intense.
Hiking among the pine trees = a real treat.

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alan33
alan33

Note globale : 4.7 / 5

Date de la randonnée : May 02, 2022
Fiabilité de la description : ★★★★★ Tres bien
Facilité à suivre l'itinéraire : ★★★★☆ Bien
Intérêt du circuit de randonnée : ★★★★★ Tres bien
Circuit très fréquenté : Oui

A beautiful walk through the broom bushes in April and May. The return journey follows the same route, which is a shame as it is not a circular walk. Highly recommended!

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Elisou
Elisou

Note globale : 5 / 5

Date de la randonnée : Nov 08, 2021
Fiabilité de la description : ★★★★★ Tres bien
Facilité à suivre l'itinéraire : ★★★★★ Tres bien
Intérêt du circuit de randonnée : ★★★★★ Tres bien
Circuit très fréquenté : Oui

Thank you very much!

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bedinoche
bedinoche

Note globale : 3.7 / 5

Date de la randonnée : Jun 14, 2021
Fiabilité de la description : ★★★★☆ Bien
Facilité à suivre l'itinéraire : ★★★★☆ Bien
Intérêt du circuit de randonnée : ★★★☆☆ Moyen
Circuit très fréquenté : Non

beautiful route, a bit too sandy for my taste, but very pleasant under the pine trees

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laurentcadier
laurentcadier

Note globale : 4.7 / 5

Date de la randonnée : Jun 11, 2021
Fiabilité de la description : ★★★★☆ Bien
Facilité à suivre l'itinéraire : ★★★★★ Tres bien
Intérêt du circuit de randonnée : ★★★★★ Tres bien
Circuit très fréquenté : Non

A magnificent and very pleasant journey along the canal. A very quiet trail
Like several other recent reviews, I also recommend returning by the same route as the outward journey,
as the GR8 is inconvenient, less shaded and, above all, very sandy, which makes walking difficult.

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grandin
grandin ★

Thank you for your follow-up. The hike is already very enjoyable as it is

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