(S/E) The car park at the end of the lake has easy access and allows you to start the walk along the 'Petit' (small) and the 'Grand' (large) Maclu's lakes smoothly.
Take the large path following the Petit Maclu's lake then the Grand Maclu's Lake.
(1)When you reach the end of the Grand Maclu's lake continue on this large path slightly uphill before turning right, leading to the lake of Ilay's shore (also called 'Lac de la Motte').
(2) At the intersection turn right to stay near the lake. Follow this path until you reach the road D75. (3)Cross the road and follow the track leading to the place known as 'La fromagerie'.
(4) Once there, turn right and follow another large track that leads you first through the forest then later through meadows. After about 2km you'll reach an intersection, turn right towards the village Frasnois. (6)Near the village, turn left and follow the path along the village, passing by a statue of a Virgin. Then turn right to reach the village centre, and continue to walk for a little while.
(7) Leave the departmental road to the right, and take the little road that leads you straight to the municipal campsite.
Enter the campsite and head towards the beach. Before getting to the beach, take the track on the left-hand side which will take you around the Narlay lake (turning right will take you back to your starting point quicker).
(8) Walk along this track which will lead you through Narlay, continue on the right side along the lake. Always stay on this large path which turns slightly around the lake.
(9) This track leads you to a small car park, continue on the paved road until it turns left, staying on the path. Once you reach the departmental road, cross it to get back to your starting point.(S/E)
A hike around the four lakes
A hike to do preferentially during fall to admire the beautiful colors of the Indian summer reflecting off the lakes.
Details
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Activity: Walking -
Distance: 11.52 km -
Average duration: 3h 40 -
Difficulty: Easy -
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Back to start: Yes -
Ascent: + 118 m -
Descent: - 115 m -
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Highest point: 806 m -
Lowest point: 748 m
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Country:
France
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Areas: Jura mountains, Haut-Jura -
City:
Le Frasnois (39130) -
Start/End: N 46.633593° / E 5.919527° -
IGN map(s): Ref. 3326ET, 3327OT -
Hour-by-hour weather
Photos
Description of the walk
Waypoints
- S/E : km 0 - alt. 778 m - Lac du Petit Maclu
- 1 : km 1.87 - alt. 784 m - Lac du Grand Maclu
- 2 : km 3.15 - alt. 775 m - Lac de la Motte ou d'Ilay
- 3 : km 3.6 - alt. 775 m - Lac de la Motte car park
- 4 : km 4.16 - alt. 779 m - La Fromagerie
- 5 : km 6.11 - alt. 775 m - Carrefour le Frasnois
- 6 : km 6.47 - alt. 783 m - Le Frasnois
- 7 : km 7.12 - alt. 800 m - Virgin crossroads
- 8 : km 7.83 - alt. 759 m - Campsite
- 9 : km 10.76 - alt. 776 m - Crossroads
- S/E : km 11.51 - alt. 778 m - Lac du Petit Maclu
Notes
It's possible to swim in various spots during the hike.
Worth a visit
L'auberge du Hérisson. (Herisson's Hostel)
Les cascades du Hérisson. (Herisson's Waterfalls)
Reviews and comments
4.7 / 5
4.7 / 5
4.6 / 5
Overall rating : 4.3 / 5
Date of your route : Apr 16, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No
We set off from the cheese dairy (point 4), so the start of the walk is mainly through woodland, though not very dense as the soil is very clay-limestone; we walk alongside the first lake (Lac de la Motte) behind a small hill, so we can’t actually see it. But after that, the scenery is magnificent. And I think finishing with the Petit Maclu and the Grand Maclu makes for a more memorable walk.
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Overall rating : 4.7 / 5
Date of your route : Oct 13, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes
Hike done on a very sunny autumn day. No difficulties, a few slightly wet sections but worth doing again. Really very pleasant.
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Overall rating : 5 / 5
Date of your route : Sep 20, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No
A magnificent hike around the lakes, peaceful, not too crowded, under bright sunshine. We took a slight detour off the marked trail to get to Saut Girard Nord (a sign we found along the route), which I recommend. It's a short 1.4 km detour, but well worth it. We were able to take some great photos! Be careful at the end of the hike when crossing the road to get back to the car park... this hike comes highly recommended! To get a view from above, we walked 400 metres from the car park to the 4 Lakes viewpoint (the Eagle Peak viewpoint is a little further away). It was wonderful to look back on our route from above...
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Overall rating : 3.7 / 5
Date of your route : Sep 14, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No
The first half, which runs alongside the first three lakes, is pleasant and easy. However, the second part, which leads to Lake Narlay, is not particularly interesting. Furthermore, at the end of the loop, the path is difficult to walk on as it has been churned up by agricultural machinery (near a riding centre)
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Overall rating : 5 / 5
Date of your route : Sep 07, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes
First time using the app, I'm very pleased with it
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Overall rating : 4.3 / 5
Date of your route : Sep 01, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No
A lovely walk along the ponds.
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Overall rating : 4 / 5
Date of your route : Aug 18, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No
Machine-translated
Overall rating : 4.7 / 5
Date of your route : Aug 18, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes
Very beautiful shaded hike
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Overall rating : 5 / 5
Date of your route : Jul 22, 2025
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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Overall rating : 5 / 5
Date of your route : Jul 28, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No
A very beautiful hike along magnificent lakes. A pleasant walk in hot weather
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Overall rating : 4 / 5
Date of your route : Jun 23, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No
A beautiful, peaceful hike.
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Overall rating : 5 / 5
Date of your route : Jun 02, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes
Lovely hike, beautiful views from the Pic, beware of the markets on arrival at the Pic.
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Overall rating : 3.7 / 5
Date of your route : Sep 16, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes
It's a shame that the start of the walk (markings) lacks precision.
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We set off from La Fromagerie, then followed the description. The route was a little monotonous, with the exception of the church at Le Frasnois.
Arriving at the Petit Maclu car park (the start of the description), we took the belvedere route and the Pic de l'Aigle: magnificent views of the lakes.
After the Pic de l'Aigle, we took the GR 559 back to the Fromagerie; this part is also very beautiful.
In all, it took 4 hours 50 minutes, but the detour via the Belvederes and the Pic de l'Aigle is well worth it.
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