The Gates of Morgon from Pierre Arnoux

The Pierre Arnoux car park is accessible by car from Savines-le-Lac via the D468T, then the Route Forestière des Blaches (4.5 km of unpaved road).

(S/E) Take the gently sloping path on your left as you arrive at Pierre Arnoux. Along the first kilometre, information boards provide details about life in the forest and forestry operations.

(1) Continue along the path to reach the Pignée spring.

(2) Walk past the spring and carry on along the same path until you reach a forest track.

(3) Once at the forest track, turn onto it, keeping to your left.

(4) After about fifty metres, leave the track and take a path on the right. Head up this path and ignore a fork to the left. Carry on climbing until you reach the metal steps.

(5) Carry on climbing until you reach the forest track leading to the sheepfold at the foot of the Pic de Morgon.

(6) Take this road, heading off to your right. After a few metres, you’ll reach a cross and enter the majestic Cirque de Morgon. You’ll come to a spring feeding a long trough where you can fill your water bottles with refreshingly cool water (a lovely spot for a picnic, facing the ridges that enclose the cirque, with, from left to right, the Pic de Charance (2,316 m), the Tête de la Vieille (2,381 m) and the Pic de Morgon (2,324 m) above you.

(7) Retrace your steps.

(6) Continue eastwards along the forest track towards the Grand Clot car park. After about 400m, head north-east. Avoid the car park by cutting across the bends in the forest track. Join the^GR® de Pays Tour du Lac de Serre-Ponçon (yellow and red markings).

(8) Leave the forest road and join the^GRP® on the left. At the next junction, turn left. Descend along the winding path, staying on the^GRP®, to reach the hamlet of Les Charbonnières (picnic area with two tables).

(9) Turn left onto the forest road just above the picnic area.

(4) Carry on along the track and you’ll very soon reach a junction you passed on the way out.

(3) Carry on straight ahead along the forest track, not along the path you took on the way there. Ignore a turn-off on the right and continue along the track.

(10) At the signpost, follow the sign for track H3, on the right. Carry on until you reach the starting point (S/E).

Although this walk presents no particular technical difficulties, it should be classified as difficult for those unaccustomed to walking, given its elevation gain and length. For those wishing to discover the beauty of the Cirque de Morgon, a good option might be to do a round trip from the “Grand Clot” car park (elevation gain: 300m, round-trip distance: 4km).
Wear good, high-top, lugged boots for safety, and use walking poles to reduce fatigue and improve safety.
Water points are available at the start, at the Pierre Arnoux area, and at the sheepfold, the highest point (no pun intended) of the walk. I would not recommend the spring at (2).

Take a look from the viewpoint near the Pierre Arnoux car park. This is the only spot on this route where you’ll have a good view of the lake and the Savines bridge.

Discover information about forest life thanks to the information boards dotted along part of the route. The Boscodon Forest is an important source of timber from several species.

Extend the walk to the Pic de Morgon (an additional climb of around 300 metres) to enjoy one of the most beautiful and spectacular views of Lake Serre-Ponçon and the surrounding mountains. See the walk ‘The Pic de Morgon from the Fontaine de l’Ours’, which offers a gentler but longer route to the summit of the Pic de Morgon.

Nearby, a visit to the Romanesque-style Boscodon Abbey is highly recommended.