The lake plateau from Poursollet

A walk at the foot of the Taillefer massif amongst the many lakes.
This walk passes through a Natura 2000 site and is subject to specific regulations. Please respect these.

Details

n°388580

Creation:
18 Oct 2016

Last update:
03 Jul 2026

Last review:
03 Jul 2026

Activity: Walking
Distance: 5.69 mi
Average duration: 4h 10
Difficulty: Moderate
Back to start: Yes
Ascent: + 1,781 ft
Descent: - 1,785 ft
Highest point: 6,929 ft
Lowest point: 5,407 ft

Country: France
Areas: Alps, Taillefer, Dauphiné
City: Livet-et-Gavet (38220)
Start/End: N 45.052979° / E 5.89806°
IGN map(s): Ref. 3335OT, 3335OTR, 3336OT, 3336OTR
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Description of the walk

Access: Take the D114 road, which serves the Alpe du Grand Serre resort and the village of La Morte. At the resort, head east on the D114E towards the Chalets de Poursollet. The road is tarmac-surfaced throughout. Park in the designated car park just before the hamlet.

(S/E) Turn right towards the houses and pass close to the lake on your right, following the^GR®® 50, marked in white and red.

(1) Follow the^GR®® to the left (east). Cross the meadow and then the forest. Take a well-maintained path up a steeper section which leads to the plateau, arriving at a junction. Turn left and you will soon reach a three-way junction.

(2) Turn left and go round Lac Fourchu on the left-hand side.

(3) At the far end of the lake, head right, climbing gently south-east then east. Follow the ridge to reach a junction of paths at the Pas de l’Envious.

(4) Turn right at a right angle towards the Vallon de la Jasse. A pleasant path winds round the mountain, heading south-west. Pass to the north of the Lacs de la Vèche, then the adjoining Lacs de l’Agneau and Lac Noir.

(5) After Lac Noir, continue along the GR® and rejoin the route you have already taken.

(3) Carry on straight ahead and follow the path downwards once more, in the opposite direction, to the hamlet.

(1) Turn right, pass by the chalets and head for the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

S/E : mi 0 - alt. 5,446 ft - Car park - Lac du Poursollet
1 : mi 0.17 - alt. 5,410 ft - Poursollet chalets
2 : mi 1.5 - alt. 6,755 ft - A/R junction
3 : mi 2.17 - alt. 6,736 ft - End of the - Lac Fourche (Oisans)
4 : mi 2.9 - alt. 6,791 ft - Pas de l'Envious
5 : mi 3.61 - alt. 6,709 ft - Lacs Noir and Agneau
S/E : mi 5.69 - alt. 5,446 ft - Poursollet car park

Notes

Rules to be observed at the sites:
- swimming prohibited,
- camping and bivouacking prohibited (except in designated areas),
- fires prohibited,
- littering is prohibited,
- dogs must be kept on a lead.

Make sure you bring a supply of water. There are plenty of lakes and water, of course, but is it safe to drink?
Mountain equipment...

Worth a visit

The hamlet of Les Chalets de Poursollet.
The Taillefer massif.
Distant views of the Grandes Rousses massif and the Grenoble region.
The lakes of the plateau: Fourchu, Vèche, Noir, Agneau, Culasson.

Reviews and comments

4.7 / 5

Based on 49 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.6 / 5

Ease of following the route
4.7 / 5

Route interest
4.9 / 5

Denis26

03 Jul 2026 at 16:01 7200

Thank you, Mireille38, for this information; I’ve just amended the itinerary accordingly.

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Mireille38

30 Jun 2026 at 10:41 7200

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 28, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

You must not leave the path to approach the lakes from point 5. You must go directly from point 5 to point 2, or from point 5 to point 7 (wetland protection).
At weekends in summer, rangers are on hand to raise awareness about protecting the site, which is very fragile due to high visitor numbers: swimming and camping are prohibited, etc. They are very friendly and interesting to talk to.
The car park is packed at weekends.

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Yvou73

17 Sep 2025 at 18:18 7200 • Edited: 17 Sep 2025 at 18:22 7200

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 11, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Warning! The GPS track is incorrect in the south-western part of the loop (points 5, 6 and 7). If you do the loop in the direction indicated, there is no problem; you will immediately realise the error and stay on the path. However, if you do it the other way round, as we did, the track starts to follow the path up to Taillefer before you realise the error and find yourself stuck on very steep slopes. You will be forced to turn back. In addition, around point 5, it crosses protected areas.
Otherwise, no complaints, it's a magnificent hike, even if it is very busy.

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Josci

26 Aug 2024 at 16:14 7200 • Edited: 26 Aug 2024 at 16:15 7200

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 01, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Probably one of the most beautiful hikes I've done in recent months.
No major difficulties. A plateau and lakes in an environment of exceptional quality.
I hesitate to praise the beauty of this place too highly, fearing that it will be too busy and wanting this jewel to be preserved.

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j-p

29 Jul 2024 at 12:13 7200

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 29, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Lovely hike, best done in summer.

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smashdc

14 Oct 2023 at 19:05 7200 • Edited: 14 Oct 2023 at 19:55 7200

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 08, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

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olivier brasseur

14 Aug 2023 at 09:56 7200

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 14, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Hike on 12 August. Very popular, family-friendly place. The car park was very full. The path is perfectly signposted. If you go up with children in the afternoon, take water as the path is exposed. The climb is tough but the view of the lakes is worth the effort.

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Celine3874

26 Jun 2023 at 14:03 7200

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 26, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Nice hike but personally I found it difficult - you need good shoes and poles... Pebbles make it slippery ....The return is difficult

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bader

13 Sep 2022 at 10:39 7200

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 30, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Nice walk and not too difficult

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nlx

23 Jul 2022 at 23:56 7200

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 19, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A magnificent plateau with lakes set in lush greenery. Allow plenty of time to explore the area,

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bader

31 May 2022 at 14:20 7200

Overall rating : 5 / 5

We did it yesterday and it was a Monday, which must explain why it wasn't too busy. We changed our itinerary a lot to go for a walk on the plateau and see the different black lakes...
We also set off backwards to do the slightly steep climb first.
This made a total of 14 kms.

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ocarina0656

06 Sep 2021 at 13:12 7200

Hello,
In fact, I mixed the "Plateau des lacs depuis Poursollet" route (followed in reverse) and the "lac Fourchu par les chalets de la Barriere" (still partly in reverse) and made the following circuit: Start at Lac du Poursollet, climb steeply to the plateau, on arrival at Lac Fourchu, descend to the right via Lac Noir, Lac de la Veche, Vallon de la Jasse, climb back up to Pas de l'Envious, towards La Valette (the name of this stage is missing from your topo of Lac Fourchu and Chalets de la Barriere). Without a signpost, I crossed the Ruisseau du Rioupéroux and climbed up (yellow path) towards Lac Canard and Lac Fourchu. Descend back to Lac de Poursollet on the uphill path.
A very pleasant walk. Lots of tracks but no risk of getting lost (in fine weather!). You should expect to find a lot of people at the car park and to have to look for a space for your car for a few minutes.

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mohammadarzi

30 Aug 2021 at 16:46 7200

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 30, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

It's a beautiful route that we did in a loop. The outward journey takes a relatively steep path that runs parallel to the watercourse and is therefore damp. When we arrived at the lake, which is one of the most beautiful in the mountains, we walked along the entire length of the lake, leaving the lake on the right, before descending along a gentler but slightly longer route.

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jeanjean12

28 Jun 2021 at 09:11 7200

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 27, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

very nice route, not so easy to get to the plateau (good gradient), then easy and contemplative;
On the other hand, at the top, you have to navigate a bit haphazardly between the many tracks, but there's no risk of getting lost because the area is completely clear and so beautiful and rare that you're not there to run!

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