Lakes Nègre and Graveirette

From the Vallon de Salèse car park, there are numerous hiking routes. This one takes you up the valley to the Col de Salèse and then on to two magnificent lakes: Lac Nègre and Lac de Graveirette.

Details

n°62710848

Creation:
11 Sep 2024

Last update:
18 Oct 2024

Last review:
yesterday

Activity: Walking
Distance: 8.14 mi
Average duration: 5h 50
Difficulty: Moderate
Back to start: Yes
Ascent: + 2,431 ft
Descent: - 2,405 ft
Highest point: 7,851 ft
Lowest point: 5,436 ft

Country: France
Areas: Alps, Mercantour
City: Saint-Martin-Vésubie (06450)
Start/End: N 44.125906° / E 7.261379°
IGN map(s): Ref. 3640ET, 3641ET, 3741OT
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Description of the walk

Park in the designated car park located just before La Vacherie de Salèse.

(S/E) Take the tarmac road; this is part of the^GR®52bypass. At a hairpin bend, you’ll reach a crossroads of paths.

(1) Take the path on the left; this is the^GR®52, marked in white and red. Walk gently uphill; the slope is very gentle, between the road and the stream. Further up, rejoin the road before reaching the Col de Salèse.

(2) Continue downhill along the road until you reach marker 268. Turn right onto a wide track, cross the Vallon de Mollières stream and, shortly afterwards, you will reach the junction at marker 269.

(3) Leave the track to the right and take the steeper, ascending path (this is still the^GR®52). Follow a series of hairpin bends to reach marker 270 at Camp Soubran.

(4) Leave the^GR® here and continue the climb along the wide path on the left. After a fairly steep climb, you will reach the large cirque of Lac Nègre.

(5) Caution: this section requires great care as it is off-trail with a few tricky but entirely manageable sections.
Turn left to pass between the boulders and reach the summit of the ridge separating Lac Nègre and Lac Graveirette. For the descent, follow the scattered cairns to reach Lac Graveirette.

(6) Walk along the left bank of the lake and, in the large plain at a place called Le Camp, reach a crossroads of tracks.

(7) Take the track on the right and keep right at the next junction to reach the hamlet of Les Sagnes, which is on peatland.

(8) Turn off, this time to the left, to return to the junction marked 269 which you passed on the way out.

(3) Follow the route back in the opposite direction, returning to the car park near La Vacherie de Salèse (S/E).

Waypoints

S/E : mi 0 - alt. 5,436 ft - Car park near La Vacherie de Salèse
1 : mi 0.81 - alt. 5,843 ft - Trail junction
2 : mi 2.07 - alt. 6,647 ft - Col de Salèse
3 : mi 2.75 - alt. 6,739 ft - Marker 269
4 : mi 3.49 - alt. 7,457 ft - Marker 270
5 : mi 3.9 - alt. 7,720 ft - Lac Nègre
6 : mi 4.34 - alt. 7,372 ft - Lac Graveirette
7 : mi 4.76 - alt. 7,228 ft - Le Camp
8 : mi 5.12 - alt. 6,916 ft - Peatlands
S/E : mi 8.14 - alt. 5,446 ft - Car park near La Vacherie de Salèse

Notes

No water source on this route.
Note: I have classified this hike as Medium, however the section between lakes (5) and (6) may be considered Difficult for some people. To avoid this section, you can return to (4) and then turn right to reach (7). Turn right here to find Lake Graveirette.

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

Coeur du Parc national du Mercantour - more information

Worth a visit

(S/E) You must use this car park, as the road leading from it is closed to the public unless you have special permission.
Between (S/E) and the^GR®52, the route has been diverted onto the road following the severe flooding caused by Storm Alex in September 2020.

Reviews and comments

4.5 / 5

Based on 4 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.7 / 5

Ease of following the route
3.8 / 5

Route interest
5 / 5

Espedaillac

yesterday at 15:44 7200

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 04, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

This is a classic route starting from the Salése car park. Please note that at this time of year there may still be some snowfields below Lac Negre; it is possible to bypass them safely, but do take care. From Lac Negre, the section leading to Lac de Graveirette is not the easiest before you cross over to the other side. From Lac Negre, you can take the ascent path and, at Camp Soubrant, head right. This will bring you to the foot of Lac de Graveirette. Make a return trip to the lake and then continue the descent as originally indicated.

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Boris_06

30 May 2026 at 19:59 7200

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 30, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hike completed on 30 May 2026, taking a total of 5 hours and 45 minutes (with just under 5 hours of actual walking), with two children aged 6 and 10 who are used to hiking.
No particular difficulties to report along the route, apart from a fairly large snowfield just before reaching Lac Nègre, which we were able to bypass, and the section between the two lakes where the descent is indeed quite steep and marked only by cairns (but nothing complicated or dangerous). Having recorded the route on my phone proved very useful on this section.
Lac Nègre was still partially frozen, which was absolutely magnificent!
The ascent is steady, without any particularly steep gradients, and mostly through woodland (pleasant during this heatwave in May).
The scenery is magnificent from the Col de Salèse onwards and the route is very quiet!
The only slight downside: we saw very few animals during our hike (we’re used to seeing more in the Cougourde/Trecolpas/Fenestre areas).
Thank you for the very clear description.

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Beren

01 Sep 2025 at 17:55 7200

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 01, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hike completed on 24/08/2025. It is true that the description warned us to be careful off the trail with a few tricky sections in stage 5.

Where it got tricky was on the "negotiable" side of this section, because although the cairns were clearly visible at the start, we couldn't see them anymore after a few dozen metres of descent. And it must be said that the drop is quite impressive (if you're afraid of heights, it's best not to look at the lake below ).

In the end, we were forced to turn back because we were afraid of getting stuck in an impassable passage with no way to turn back. A wise decision.

Because of this, and because of this particularly tricky section, I would classify it as difficult. But I suppose it all depends on the experience of the person doing it.

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lemarcheur65

01 Sep 2025 at 11:42 7200 • Edited: 01 Sep 2025 at 14:00 7200

Hello User 19952475
As already explained many times.

I had no signal at all during the entire hike, so I didn't have access to the description, just the GPS track.

You need to bookmark the chosen hike (it's easier).
you need to download it before you set off (using Wi-Fi or 4/5G)
you need to download the map(s) before you set off (via Wi-Fi or 4/5G)
Once you're there, without any network coverage (phone or data), you'll have everything you need on your smartphone.

Tip: copy/paste the description somewhere before you leave, as it is no longer accessible offline and sometimes the route requires you to refer back to the description.

this is not necessary if you follow the instructions above.

I forgot one interesting thing: print (only) the map with the route from your computer, it may help...

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User 19952475

01 Sep 2025 at 09:41 7200

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 01, 2025
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Great hike.
I had no signal at all during the entire hike, so I didn't have access to the description, just the GPS track. I had trouble finding the path when leaving Lac Nègre.
The descent just after the lake is a bit tricky (or maybe I took the wrong path).
Tip: copy/paste the description somewhere before you set off, as it is no longer accessible offline and sometimes the route requires you to refer back to the description.

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