Alpine pastures and Lake Mariet

A pleasant and easy hike in the heart of the Bauges Natural Park, mainly through the woods, allowing you to discover the Mariet mountain pastures dotted with pretty chalets and a small lake... a touch of water in a sea of flower-filled meadows.
GPS recommended!

Details

2276660
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 9.64 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 35 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 283 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 277 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,091 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 878 m
  • ⚐ Country: France
  • ⚐
    Areas: Alps, Bauges
  • ⚐ District: Arith (73340)
  • ⚑
    Start/End: N 45.713933° / E 6.066376°
  • ❏
    IGN map(s): Ref. 3332OT, 3431OT, 3431OTR, 3432OT, 3432OTR
  • Hour-by-hour weather

Photos

Description of the walk

Montagny car park, above Arith.

(S/E) Take the wide path towards Lac du Mariet.

(1) After the hairpin bend on the wide path, at Le Chênay (961 m), take the path on the right.

(2) At Les Taillis (wooden cross), take theGR® on the left towards Les Combettes.
Easy climb through the woods.

(3) The first chalet of the Mariet dessus mountain pasture appears on the right. Leave theGR® andcontinue straight ahead (orange arrow on a stone at the foot of a tree on the right; do not head towards Chalet du Lachat). The path runs alongside the mountain pasture.

(4) At the last chalet, descend to the right into the woods and follow the small path marked with orange paint on stones or trees (circles or directional arrows) in a north-easterly direction for about 2km.

(5) Turn right at the hairpin bend to reach the first chalet of the Mariet dessous mountain pasture.

(6) Arrive at the first chalet on the mountain pasture.

(7) Pass in front of Lac du Mariet and continue downhill, following the orange markings.

(8) At the "Lac du Mariet" sign, take the path on the left (green and yellow signs)

(2) At Les Taillis, take the same path you came on and return to the Montagny car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 878 m - Montagny car park above Arith
  2. 1 : km 1.13 - alt. 967 m - Path on the right
  3. 2 : km 1.54 - alt. 992 m - Les Taillis
  4. 3 : km 2.44 - alt. 1,055 m - Mariet above
  5. 4 : km 2.95 - alt. 1,091 m - Descent into the woods
  6. 5 : km 5.06 - alt. 1,069 m - Fork in the road
  7. 6 : km 6.13 - alt. 995 m - Mariet below
  8. 7 : km 6.36 - alt. 983 m - Lac du Mariet
  9. 8 : km 7.27 - alt. 1,001 m - Fork in the road (sign for Lac du Mariet)
  10. S/E : km 9.64 - alt. 878 m - Montagny car park above Arith

Notes

There is no water along the way.
The large roofs of the alpine chalets can provide shelter in case of rain.
Equipment: water, sun cream, hat, walking sticks and good shoes

Worth a visit

Nearby:
- Lescheraines: leisure centre (swimming, fishing, camping, toilets, etc.), shops including a cheese dairy (selling local cheeses)
- Aillon: Chartreuse (Heritage Centre), cheese dairy
- Saint-François-de-Sales: Argenterie des Bauges (wooden tableware)

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

4.5 / 5
Based on 18 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.6 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.4 / 5
Route interest
4.4 / 5
Emmanuel26
Emmanuel26

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 28, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant, easy family hike with beautiful views of the surrounding mountains. The lake, however, turns out to be more like a large pond!

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Nadine 38
Nadine 38

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 10, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant hike mainly through forests and mountain pastures with beautiful chalets. We lost our way in the woods leading down to the small Mariet lake because the signposts on the trees had been partially erased.

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Domboss
Domboss

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 03, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Very varied paths with little elevation gain, mostly in beech forests that let the sun shine through in spring. In some places, there are beautiful views of the surrounding mountains. The Visorando app on our phone helped us take the right route, because without it we could have gone wrong twice.

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Chriscas
Chriscas

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 12, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Nothing but happiness!! Thank you!

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ON38
ON38

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 08, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Easy hike. No difficulty finding your way with Visorando and a little attention. Most of the hike is in the woods, which makes it a little monotonous. No views except for the mountain pastures at the end. Pretty lake with water!

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Cécile C
Cécile C

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 30, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant, easy walk, mostly through the forest.
The orange markings could do with a little touch-up in places (we missed a turn or two, but nothing serious...) when the opportunity arises...

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Thomas73
Thomas73

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 17, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk, mainly through the woods.
The signposting is a bit sparse, but with the Viso Rando app it's fine.
The first kilometre of stony ground is not very pleasant, both on the way there and on the way back.

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lesrandosdujeudi
lesrandosdujeudi

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 18, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Nice hike, a little difficult to follow the route, well described but poorly marked on the ground, we lost our way without knowing where, it's impossible to get lost, the house extends the route without meaning to. Lake Mariet will soon be dry! The meadows are beautiful at this time of year.

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Andrée A.
Andrée A.
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 23, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We hike during the week, so there aren't really many people around.
A very beautiful route through the green countryside. The paths are very well marked with different options depending on what you want to do. Perfect for a family outing.

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BOOUVIER
BOOUVIER

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 04, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

This hike takes 2½ hours at a leisurely pace.
It is very pleasant, winding through woodland and pastures... although the lake is more of a pond!

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courtelm
courtelm

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 29, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

duration 2½ hours, not 3½ hours

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jrcr
jrcr

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 01, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Lovely route, mostly through woodland
Beautiful scenery with chalets and pastures
The estimated time is too long and may discourage people who could do it (without walking fast, we did it in just over 2 hours)

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babethrando
babethrando

Thank you for your feedback!

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pierre5473
pierre5473

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

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

pleasant walk through the woods – beautiful view with even a glimpse of Mont Blanc – elevation gain is very suitable for children or less experienced walkers – varied landscape and, as a bonus, a snack in front of the small Mariet lake, which is a little busier
time and distances as described - thank you for the information sheet

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henri57
henri57 ★

Hello,

@MI.L
@Didier B3.

Also retired, if you have any free apps, I'm interested

You can use the Visorando GPS app with the OSM map...it's free.

Visorando app user guide

Try it out (it's free) and you'll love it... even without any maps.

See you soon!

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