The three Matheysins Lakes

de fr

A beautiful hike where, on the way there, you will walk along the shores of the Pierre-Châtel and Pétichet lakes with a short detour to see Lake Laffrey, and return via the Cholonge ridges at the foot of the Grand Serre.

Details

n°7016322
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 11.98 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 05 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 227 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 222 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,141 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 924 m
Downloads
Open in the mobile app
Download GPX GPX
Download PDF PDF

Photos

L'Obiou and Le Dévoluy
Lake Laffrey
The Olivier Messiaen viewpoint
Le Grand Serre

Description of the walk

Start from the car park on the south shore of Lake Pierre-Châtel.

(S/E) Take thePR® (yellow markings) towards "Saint Theoffrey-Plage". Enter the forest, further on leave a path on the left (our return route) and arrive atthe PR® signpost "Pré de Preille".

(1) Turn left towards "Saint Theoffrey-Plage". Ignore a path that veers to the right, about 250 m after asecond pathon the right (the return route).

(2) Continue straight ahead, northwards, until you reach the tarmac road at the hamlet of "Les Théneaux". Walk for about a hundred metres, then cross the road to reach thePR® signpost for "Les Théneaux" near a stop sign.

(3) At this sign, take the small tarmac road on the far right and join the D115a. Cross it straight ahead to join the path that runs alongside Lake Pétichet. Continue straight ahead on this path until you reach the bridge over the Ruisseau des Moulins at the entrance to the hamlet of "La Fayolle".

(4) At thePR® sign for "La Fayolle", cross the stream on the left and continue along the tarmac road to reach the "Olivier Messiaen" viewpoint.

(5) Enjoy the beautiful view of Lac de Laffrey. Retrace your steps to find thePR® sign near the stream.

(4) Cross the stream again and continue left on the tarmac road for a few dozen metres. Turn right onto the path towards "Cholonge". Continue on this path until you reach the tarmac road as you arrive in the village of Cholonge.

(6) At the crossroads (church on the left), cross the D115A and follow it to the right for a few metres. At thePR® sign for "Cholonge", turn left towards Villard-Saint-Christophe. Follow the tarmac road for about 500 metres, leave Cholonge and, just after a path that branches off to the right, join thePR® sign on your right.

(7) Turn right and take the path towards Les Creys. Climb up then descend southwards. Along the way, you will pass two information boards. You will arrive at a wide path at Combe de l'Oche.

(8)PR® signpost "Pré Dessous": Continue straight ahead, heading south towards "Les Troussiers" until you reach the Droueyves crossroads.

(9) Leave the path on your right and continue straight ahead on Chemin de Souler. Cross the D115 (take care) and continue straight ahead towards Les Cordeliers. Ignore the descent to the D115b on your left.

(10) Turn right and leave the tarmac road for a path that descends towards Lake Pierre-Châtel, cross a path and shortly afterwards rejoin the path taken on the way out.

(2) Turn left onto the path you took on the way there and continue straight ahead until you see thePR® sign for "Pré de Preille".

(1) Turn right and walk about 50 metres. Leave the path you took on the way up and take the small path on your right that descends towards the lake. Walk along the lake shore until you reach the picnic area and car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 932 m - Car park on the south bank of the - Lac de Pierre-Châtel
  2. 1 : km 0.63 - alt. 950 m - Pré de Preille
  3. 2 : km 0.99 - alt. 945 m - Crossroads of the circular
  4. 3 : km 2.04 - alt. 947 m - Les Théneaux
  5. 4 : km 3.81 - alt. 932 m - La Fayolle - Lac de Pétichet
  6. 5 : km 4.57 - alt. 928 m - Belvédère Olivier Messiaen
  7. 6 : km 6.59 - alt. 1,052 m - Crossroads - Église de l'Assomption de la Sainte-Vierge (Cholonge)
  8. 7 : km 7.17 - alt. 1,073 m - Fork in the road
  9. 8 : km 9.59 - alt. 1,018 m - Pré Dessous
  10. 9 : km 9.89 - alt. 1,018 m - Les Droueyves
  11. 10 : km 10.5 - alt. 997 m - Intersection, near the - Jonche (cours d'eau) - Affluent du Drac
  12. S/E : km 11.97 - alt. 932 m - Car park on the south bank of the - Lac de Pierre-Châtel

Notes

The entire route is marked with yellow PR® markers.

Worth a visit

Lake Pierre-Châtel
Lake Pétichet
Lake Laffrey
Olivier Messiaen viewpoint
Educational panels explaining the formation of the Cholonge moraine and the Matheysins lakes on the Creys trail

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.

Downloads
Open in the mobile app
Download GPX GPX
Download PDF PDF

Reviews and comments

4.9 / 5
Based on 9 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.9 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.9 / 5
Route interest
4.8 / 5
joelala13
joelala13

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 30, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk to do with the family and young children.

Machine-translated

wlassow
wlassow
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 17, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Family hike, easy, well marked, beautiful views. Benches by the church in Cholonge, halfway along the route, for a picnic.

Machine-translated

Josci
Josci
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 13, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant hike, not difficult at all, with lots of flowers along the way. After the viewpoint, we made a detour to Petichet beach for a picnic.

Machine-translated

MBill
MBill

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 13, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

I enjoyed this walk, which wasn't too difficult but was enough to get us moving and enjoy the beautiful Matheysin countryside. It's shaded and pleasant, and we didn't meet more than 10 people in total (no other walkers, mainly runners and cyclists).

Machine-translated

casillas
casillas

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 30, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A beautiful, sunny route with no difficulties, except for crossing the stream at Combe de l'Oche, which had a strong current and required us to find a way across, but we got our feet wet. The rest of the first part of the route was perfect. We saw lots of walkers, then two hikers. At the end, there is a small descent that is a bit difficult, but it doesn't last long.

Machine-translated

Bora38
Bora38

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 05, 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 for hikers, very pleasant and very natural. We really enjoyed the tranquillity of the area at this time of year.

Machine-translated

Coccinelle05
Coccinelle05

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 14, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant, bucolic walk near the iconic Matheysin lakes.
Shady spots, pretty streams, green pastures.
I highly recommend it.

Machine-translated

lauraguillemet
lauraguillemet

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 27, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk, pleasant, not too steep, and we had a beautiful sunny day and enjoyed a picnic by the lake, which was very pleasant.

Machine-translated

afaurie
afaurie

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 10, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

Very interesting, the Belvédère Olivier Messian

Machine-translated

Other walks in the area

Walking La Pierre Percée from Pierre-Châtel

Visorando member
La Pierre Percée depuis Pierre-Châtel
↔5.55 km ↗+285 m ↘-286 m ◔2h 25 ▲Easy
⚑Departure from Pierre-Châtel (Isère)
Follow the legend of the Pierre Percée (Pierced Rock) on this short circuit that will take you to one of the seven wonders of the Dauphiné.

Walking Circuit from Pierre Percée to Lac de Pierre-Châtel

Visorando member
Circuit de la Pierre Percée au Lac de Pierre-Châtel
↔14.72 km ↗+576 m ↘-566 m ◔5h 50 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from Pierre-Châtel (Isère)
This circuit, which takes you twice through Pierre Percée, one of the seven wonders of the Dauphiné, allows you to enjoy the view of the mountains bordering the Matheysin plateau and takes you around Lake Pierre Chatel.

Walking Les Creys: glacial moraine of the Matheysine lakes

Visorando member
Les Creys: moraine glaciaire des lacs de Matheysine
↔6.51 km ↗+127 m ↘-122 m ◔2h 15 ▲Easy
⚑Departure from Villard-Saint-Christophe (Isère)
Don't worry, we are not in the high mountains and the glacier disappeared 15,000 years ago. The route is easy and short enough to be done with children. It is enjoyable and educational, with two panels explaining the geological evolution of the region and the formation of the Matheysine lakes.

Walking The Gouret Cross

Visorando member
La Croix de Gouret
↔6.45 km ↗+557 m ↘-557 m ◔3h 25 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from Villard-Saint-Christophe (Isère)
From Villard-Saint-Christophe, there are many hikes possible in the Tabor massif, but the Croix de Gouret is the most accessible and offers beautiful views of the Matheysine, Vercors and Dévoluy lakes. The route suggested here is the shortest and offers interesting views, but other routes starting from the village are also possible.

Walking Le Pérollier via the Sentier du Diable

Visorando member
Le Pérollier par le sentier du Diable
↔7.83 km ↗+725 m ↘-723 m ◔4h 20 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from Saint-Honoré (Isère)
Seen from Lake Charlet and the climb to Tabor, the Sentier du Diable, which winds its way up the south-western face of Pérollier, is impressive, and its name deters many hikers from taking it. However, it is a pleasant trail with a fairly steady climb and is not particularly dangerous. We take it here to climb Pérollier (2,183 m), the third highest peak in the Tabor massif, and make a loop via Lake Charlet for the return journey.

Walking The Tour du Pérollier

Visorando member
Le Tour du Pérollier
↔10.55 km ↗+630 m ↘-638 m ◔4h 50 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from Saint-Honoré (Isère)
Le Pérollier is a small peak on the ridge separating the Lacs de Laffrey and the Alpe du Grand Serre resort. This circuit offers unobstructed views of the lakes and the Taillefer, Grand Armet and Belledonne mountain ranges. Note that in June, the meadows are particularly flowery (blue gentians and anemones, among others).

Walking Piquet de Nantes and Tabor circuit

Visorando member
Circuit Piquet de Nantes et Tabor
↔12.58 km ↗+918 m ↘-914 m ◔6h 15 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from Saint-Honoré (Isère)
The Piquet de Nantes (2,215 m) and the Tabor (2,389 m) near La Mure in Isère are the two highest peaks in the Tabor massif and can be reached separately, but the route proposed here connects the two peaks via a trail that gives an almost high-mountain feel while being easy and very pleasant. It takes only an hour and offers a circuit with beautiful views of the Matheysine lakes and the surrounding mountains.

Walking La Peyrouse

Visorando member
La Peyrouse
↔9.75 km ↗+734 m ↘-736 m ◔4h 55 ▲Easy
⚑Departure from La Motte-Saint-Martin (Isère)
This walk in Matheysine offers a splendid 360° panorama of the Chartreuse, Belledonne, Vercors and Dévoluy at the summit. Best enjoyed on a very clear day to get the most out of it.

For more walks, use our search engine .

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