The Agnel and Salso Moreno Lakes

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This hike, starting from Camp des Fourches, will take you through the magnificent Salso Moreno valley, characterised by its many winding streams amid marmot meadows and numerous sinkholes.
You will climb to the small Lacs d'Agnel lakes, overlooking this pretty cirque at the foot of the Roubines Nègres.
You are in the Mercantour National Park, where there are regulations to be observed, with fines of up to €1,500 for non-compliance. See practical information.

Details

n°12075364
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 7.27 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 25 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 476 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 476 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 2,375 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 2,076 m
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Photos

The Agnel Lakes
Beautiful hike.
The largest of the Agnel lakes
The sinkhole

Description of the walk

On the RM 64, the Col de la Bonette road, park at the Camp des Fourches car park.

(S/E) From the car park, take the path on the right towards the Col des Fourches, which you will reach very quickly.

(1) The Col des Fourches already offers a splendid panorama of the Salso Moreno. Descend towards the valley following the GR®5.
When you reach a stream, the Ravin de la Tour, cross with caution. The passage is steep and slippery.
Climb up the other side of the stream, pass an unmanned refuge and then cross the stream coming from the Vallon de la Gipière.

Shortly afterwards, you will arrive at an intersection at marker 37.

(2) Climb up to the left, continuing to follow the GR®5 towards Pas de la Cavale.
The climb is gradual and you will see (if you haven't already) many marmots that are not very shy.

After crossing a small stream (at the springs indicated on the IGN map), the trail turns right and then left at a large sinkhole at an altitude of 2344 m.

(3) Leave the marked trail on the right and carefully go around this sinkhole. Do not hesitate to go higher up to avoid the very steep and slippery sections. Immediately afterwards, reach the upper lake and descend along the lakes. Atthe third (the largest), turn left of the outlet to find a faint trail at a cairn overlooking the valley.

Descend to the edge of the Combe du Graillon to join thePR® coming from the Col de Pourriac, which passes through the bottom of the valley.

(4) Follow the marked trail to the right. After a short climb and passing by another sinkhole, you will reach the intersection at marker 37.

(2) Continue straight ahead along the same path you took on the way up towards the Col des Fourches.

(1) From the pass, you can make a short detour to Mont des Fourches on the left for a beautiful view of the Tinée Valley.
Otherwise, continue to the right to return to the starting point at the Camp des Fourches car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 2,267 m - Camp des Fourches car park - Camp des Fourches
  2. 1 : km 0.49 - alt. 2,261 m - Col des Fourches
  3. 2 : km 1.84 - alt. 2,094 m - Marker 37
  4. 3 : km 3.24 - alt. 2,375 m - GR®5 fork - Lacs d'Agnel
  5. 4 : km 4.09 - alt. 2,218 m - Salso Moreno
  6. S/E : km 7.27 - alt. 2,268 m - Camp des Fourches car park - Camp des Fourches

Notes

Mercantour National Park regulations, full details at this link:
- Between (3) and (4), you are in an area of major flora sensitivity or in very fragile wetlands. Please respect the regulations.
- Bivouacking and camping: only permitted more than an hour's walk from road access points and park boundaries, between 7 p.m. and 9 a.m. It is forbidden to spend the night in your vehicle in a car park or on the side of the road in the heart of the Mercantour National Park.
- Dogs are prohibited, even on a leash.
- Fires are prohibited in the heart of the park and also in the Alpes Maritimes department
by prefectural decree.
- Parking may be prohibited at the start of certain hikes due to the risk of
torrential lava flows and rockfalls.

This hike is not technically difficult, except for a slightly steep and slippery section to cross the Ravin de la Tour and a sinkhole that must be carefully bypassed to reach the lakes (3).

Avoid in stormy weather and after heavy rainfall. Crossing streams would be difficult.

Shelter is available at the unmanned refuge at the bottom of the valley near the (2).

Provisions can be obtained at the top, just before the lakes, near the (3).

This route passes through a protected area, which may be subject to special regulations:

Worth a visit

Throughout the hike, you will have the opportunity to see many marmots up close.

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.

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Reviews and comments

4.5 / 5
Based on 10 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.5 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.3 / 5
Route interest
4.7 / 5
User 26876027

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 04, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The route description is good. I recommend downloading the map on Komoot so you have the GPS route to guide you between stages 3 and 4. With the GPS route, it's impossible to get lost, even if there are no signposts.
We were able to spot marmots easily, and the dolines are a beautiful sight.
No technical difficulties.

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User 24677942

Overall rating : 3 / 5

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

Superb hike with magnificent landscapes.
The only major downside was that the section between 3 and 4 (from the Agnel lakes) was impossible to find, and we had to descend blindly until we found the trail at the bottom of the mountain. It's best to do a round trip.
Lots of marmots

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LAURENTGRI
LAURENTGRI

Overall rating : 5 / 5

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

Very enjoyable hike, without any major difficulties! Trails not obvious between the lakes and point 4! I've never seen so many marmots!

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bebeghislaine
bebeghislaine

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 22, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Superb hike with lots of marmots and a lovely little lake. The climb back up from the hut wasn't easy in this heat.

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Sophie 04
Sophie 04

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 04, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

An easy hike in very dry weather. Be careful when descending after the lakes along the Combe du Graillon to reach the PR coming from the Col de Pourriac, as the path is very steep over the last few metres. Saw lots of marmots.

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Boris_06
Boris_06
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 16, 2023
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, well described and offering magnificent and varied landscapes.
We did it as a family with no problems, except that we did the circular in the opposite direction (but that was not because of the description).
Perfectly suited to young children, as long as you take care to protect them from the sun in summer (there is practically no shade along the entire route). Especially with the multitude of marmots and birds of prey that accompany you along the way!
The added bonus is that finishing at Mont des Fourches offers an excellent effort/panorama ratio at the summit.

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coraaalieb
coraaalieb

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 13, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Completed on the weekend of 13/14 August. We were alone in the world and the site is incredible!
The most difficult part, in my opinion, is the long climb back up and crossing the streams when there is water (which wasn't the case for us).

I went on this hike with two people who don't hike much and had never camped before, and they loved it too!

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osiris130
osiris130 ★

Thank you, Alix, for your kind words.

It was a short hike we did with our daughter, camping by the lakes.

We were alone in the world...

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Alix06
Alix06

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 26, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Thank you very much, Osiris130, for this hiking suggestion!

It's a beautiful hike in the spectacular Salso Moreno. Most hikers go to the Morgon lakes, which allows you to enjoy the beautiful Agnel lakes in complete tranquillity. The directions to get there were perfect!

The only part that caused me trouble was the last few metres of the descent from the lakes, as the steep slope is a bit slippery; however, I should point out that I am particularly clumsy on descents!

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ejr
ejr

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 04, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

We chose this route because it seemed easy for convalescents like us. In the end, the slope was quite steep, but it wasn't difficult to get around. We decided not to climb the last 50 metres up to the lakes, and the return journey with the final climb was quite tough.

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bebeghislaine
bebeghislaine

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 28, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike to a superb little lake with marmots – pure joy.

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The GPS track and description are the property of this route's author. Please do not copy them without permission.