Tour of Lake Paladru

A day's walk, quite lovely and varied. You start by going through the Grand Platon Forest, then going along the south-east bank of the lake with beautiful views over the lake. You change banks and go along the Feydelière and Véronnière marshes ('Marais' - protected sites). The return is via the north-west bank of the lake with beautiful views over Chartreuse and, if the weather is clear, Mont Blanc.

Details

226092
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 17.88 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 6h 25 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 470 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 470 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 675 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 493 m

Photos

Description of the walk

(S/E) Start at the Charavines Tourist Office and take Rue des Vannes to the east. You pass a stream. At the end, you take the right onto Rue des Arondières. When it becomes Route de Louisas (sign), you follow the stony path which climbs steadily opposite you.

(1) You will arrive at a crossroads. On the IGN maps, there are only two paths, but on the ground there are three. Take the left and continue to climb, after a short while the path levels out before going back downhill. Before that, ignore the path heading off on the right.

You come out of the woods and begin to get beautiful views over the lake. The path changes into a small badly-tarmacked road which goes downhill to meet a bigger road called Route de Charavines. At the stop sign, turn right (into the hamlet of Petit Bilieu). Coming out of the hamlet, be careful to walk on the left-hand side of the road because the pavement runs out shortly.

(2) Choose the first road on the left called Chemin du David. At the following fork, you go down the right branch called Route de Grand Pré. At the next fork, turn left and you will go around a wide bend to the right before climbing steadily again. In the hamlet of Charamel, take Chemin de la Jacquinière on the left and follow it to the end.

(3) Take the 'montée de Combe Faure' opposite you. At the first path, turn left.

(4) After a small bend to the left, you will see a field on your left. You need to be vigilant here! The path you need to take is practically invisible. At the top of the field, there is a hedge made from shrubs. If you look closely along this hedge, you can see that there are slight traces of tracks. Go ahead! At the end of a small field, the path turns into a poorly-marked path which heads into the forests.

You end up on a wide path. Continue straight ahead opposite. At the next fork, take the branch on the right. You will quickly arrive at a stop sign where you turn right.

(5) Take a path on the left with the sign 'le Vernay'. On arriving at a fork, turn to the left and ignore the small road which appears on the right.

(6) You will reach a stop sign, turn right and continue on until you reach the D90.

(7) Cross the D90 and head to the right. There is a section reserved for pedestrians and cyclists. A bit further on, you will find the marsh (Marais) nature trail on your left. Take the nature trail. All along this path, you can follow the educational signs which describe the life, flora and fauna of the marshes to you, along with artistically decorated benches.
After the car park, turn left onto Rue du Petit Port and go past the tennis courts. Your road bends to the right.

(8) Arriving on the D50, turn left (a bit further on, there are picnic tables and games for children). Go along the D50 until you reach a roundabout and follow a small road on the right. Looking in a straight line ahead, when you see a large house on the right, take the dirt path which climbs to the left.

You will cross the small road again which you have just left. You carry on opposite (the path runs along the gable of a building). After a little while, you will end up on a small road. You go straight on.

(9) You will reach a priority marker. On your left, there is a sign for 'La Montagne'. Go towards the left in the direction of 'Le Bandoux'. Follow the small road until you reach a fork in the road with a grove in the middle. Take the branch on the right (Chemin de la Pierre qui Danse). Further on, ignore the path with a speed bump heading off on the left towards a farm. At the next branch, turn right.

(10) At a sort of small pass, you end up on the GR65. Take the left and follow it to the village of 'Le Pin' (GR waymarking = Red and White + Yellow Shell on a Blue background). In the hamlet of 'Le Brandoux', carry on to the left in the direction of 'Les Allex' until you reach another junction.

(11) Turn onto the dirt path on the right and carry on until you reach a junction with a small wood between the two branches of the paths. Go to the right. You will arrive at a small road, turn right again.

(12) At the next junction, you will see a sign for 'Les Allex' and a fountain. Go downhill to the left in the direction of 'Le Pin'. Follow the only road which heads off to the right. On arriving at Rue de la Caserne, turn left. On your right you will see the small Etang des Palles (Palles lake). Carry on up to the stop sign.

(13) At the stop sign, turn left. Further along, take the first road on the right. 20m after having turned onto the road, you will see the sign for 'Le Gibet' in the direction of 'OT Charavines'. Follow in this direction. You will reach the D17.

(14) At the sign which says 'Les fougères', take the path opposite which heads in the direction of Charavines. Cut off the D50 to join Rue des Bains. You then return to the Charavines Tourist Office (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 494 m - Charavines Tourist Office. Close to the - Fure (rivière)
  2. 1 : km 1.12 - alt. 603 m - Take the left-hand path
  3. 2 : km 3.23 - alt. 539 m - Turn left
  4. 3 : km 4.58 - alt. 588 m - Head uphill to Combe Faure
  5. 4 : km 5.09 - alt. 626 m - Discreet path leading off to the left
  6. 5 : km 5.67 - alt. 593 m - Le Vernay sign - take the track opposite
  7. 6 : km 6.33 - alt. 519 m - Stop" sign at La Veronnière
  8. 7 : km 6.99 - alt. 498 m - Right at the D90
  9. 8 : km 8.74 - alt. 500 m - Left on the D50
  10. 9 : km 10.45 - alt. 640 m - La Montagne" sign
  11. 10 : km 11.6 - alt. 675 m - Left at the GR65
  12. 11 : km 12.67 - alt. 594 m - Take the dirt track on the right
  13. 12 : km 13.76 - alt. 552 m - Les Allex" sign
  14. 13 : km 14.76 - alt. 526 m - Le Pin - Turn left at the stop sign
  15. 14 : km 15.81 - alt. 525 m - Les fougères" sign - Take the path opposite
  16. S/E : km 17.88 - alt. 494 m - Charavines Tourist Office - Lac de Paladru

Notes

You can park your vehicle near the tourist office which is located near the beach in Charavines at the end of Rue des Bains. At peak times, it could be a bit difficult to park, but otherwise there is space.

In Charavines, there is a small supermarket at the crossroads with the D90 and Rue des Bains.

There is a fountain in 'Les Allex'.

In Paladru, you can use the picnic tables and the games for children.

There aren't any technically difficult sections on this hike, just the distance and two good lakeshores.

The south-east bank of the lake in the district of Bilieu is quite urbanised. Therefore, in this section you walk on tarmac through the houses. Other than that, we've tried to find stony or grassy paths for the hike.

Worth a visit

The marshes (Marais) nature trail before you get to Paladru at the north-west end of the lake.

There is a delightful museum in Charavines. Small in size, but very well done, it exhibits objects (found at the bottom of the lake) from prehistoric times and the Middle Ages in an educational way.
Recommended for children between 10 and 13 years old. Entry price is 4 Euros for adults and free for children (April 2016).

Charavines Tourist Office website: http://www.paysvoironnais.info/lac-de-pa...

General information on Lake Paladru: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lac_de_Pal...

Always be cautious and plan ahead when you're outdoors. Visorando and the author of this route cannot be held responsible for any accidents occurring on this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

Reviews and comments

4.6 / 5
Based on 106 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.7 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.7 / 5
Route interest
4.5 / 5
User 8430592

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 03, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Hello.

The information about Bilieu Square is unclear. A yellow mark indicates a right turn, but then there is no further information. As a result, we had to turn back to find the right direction, which was opposite the small square, slightly to the left.
It would be good to be able to choose the direction in which to do this circular. Your directions only give one possibility.

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Domicha
Domicha

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 12, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike around the lake, with regular views of the lake and Mont Blanc!

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User 8430592

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 24, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Beautiful hike, varied landscapes.

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User 4073476

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 13, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

one detail in the description misled us:
(S/E) "Follow the stone path that climbs steeply towards the forest in front of you, despite the yellow cross."

in fact, we took the path mentioned with the yellow cross and turned back because it did not correspond to the route.
you have to take it and about 50 metres after the start, you have to turn left

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pierre38270
pierre38270

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 05, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

It was lovely!

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User 3321506
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 23, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely route offering beautiful views of the lake.
However, there are a few too many small tarmac roads for my liking, even if they are not very busy.
Many thanks to the author of this route!

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bilbo007
bilbo007

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 23, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Taken in June in good weather. Mainly roads. The paved sections are rarely used by cars. Beautiful views of the lake.

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NOUNOUCHÉRIE
NOUNOUCHÉRIE

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 09, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant hike despite quite a few sections along the road. The road was quiet at this time of year.
We even took the time to have lunch at the Relais de la Tourelle halfway along the route. Please note that booking is essential!

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Jacques L1.
Jacques L1.

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 27, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant route around the lake, easy to follow with the instructions. Very little chance of getting it wrong. I've done other routes around the lake in the other direction that were less interesting. A fairly well-shaded route, with little tarmac overall compared with the possibilities. Lots of beautiful views over the lake and the surrounding area. Plenty of places to rest or eat. The icing on the cake was the GR65, the famous path that runs from Geneva to Le Puy and ends in Compostela!

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remaz
remaz

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 11, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Lovely route around the lake with many viewpoints over the lake and the mountains in the distance...the only downside is that the route takes in many tarmac paths.

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Benlam38
Benlam38
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 12, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Grand tour de paldru may seem long at times.campagnes forêts routes follow one another.certaines montée se font bien sentir mais le parcours est l'ensemble agréable.

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Perivolas
Perivolas

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 08, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk in a charming rural setting.

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Phil38
Phil38

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 21, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

the first part involves quite a lot of road, but the walk is fun.
Load the track onto your phone and follow the GPS to make it easier to keep track of the route ;-)
Allow 4h30 at a cool pace :-)

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Myrtille 07
Myrtille 07

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 17, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Unfortunately, the skies were quite cloudy on this walk, which offers some lovely views of the surrounding mountains and hillsides. Beautiful views of the lake and countryside.
Reliable and detailed description: thank you ☺️.
We didn't meet any hikers and it took us 3 hours 50 minutes to walk around the lake at a good pace.
Thanks to the author for this great walk 😉

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Yannick_Josset
Yannick_Josset

I'd like to think that at some point you lost your way...
Enjoy your walk

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