Refuge and Lac Presset from Cormet de Roselend

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A beautiful hike with views of Lac de Roselend, crossings of mountain pastures and a wilder section towards Col de Bresson. The Presset refuge and its lake offer a chance to take a break in an exceptional landscape.
After the Col de Grand Fond, Mont Blanc is visible for much of the return journey, directly opposite the path.

Details

n°582272
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 22.36 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 9h 50 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Difficult
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 1,212 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 1,212 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 2,673 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1,789 m
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Photos

Presset lake and refuge, Pierra Menta
lac de Presset
lac de Presset and La Pierra Menta
A distinctive cairn

Description of the walk

The start is at the Cormet de Roselend car park. You can also take two cars and leave one at Plan de la Lai to avoid the section on the road.

(S/E) Take the road (D925) from Cormet de Roselend to Plan de la Lai, which is 2.7 km and the least interesting part of this hike. Arrive at Plan de la Lai.

(1) Take the path on the left towards the Presset refuge (GR®5). The climb through the mountain pastures begins, with occasional beautiful views of Lake Roselend. The path climbs up to the Presset chalets.

(2) Turn left onto the path. The section before reaching the Col de Bresson is a little wilder and more rocky. Follow theGR®5to the Col du Bresson.

(3) Take the path on the left towards the Presset refuge (0.7 km). There is a short steep climb before you reach the refuge.

(4) Take the path to the right of the lake towards Cormet de Roselend for the return journey. The path climbs rapidly to reach Col du Grand Fond with views of the refuge and Lac de Presset.

(5) Follow the main path, which is theGRP® Tour du Beaufortain, with Mont Blanc as your destination.
Reach the confluence of the Ruisseau de la Neuva and one of its tributaries.

(6) Take the wide path on the left which leads back to the Cormet de Roselend car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 1,968 m - Cormet de Roselend car park
  2. 1 : km 2.76 - alt. 1,817 m - Map of La Lai - Refuge du Plan de la Lai
  3. 2 : km 11.02 - alt. 2,000 m - Le Presset
  4. 3 : km 13.55 - alt. 2,470 m - Col du Bresson
  5. 4 : km 14.31 - alt. 2,507 m - Refuge de Presset
  6. 5 : km 15.25 - alt. 2,673 m - Col du Grand Fond
  7. 6 : km 20.07 - alt. 2,008 m - Newva stream
  8. S/E : km 22.36 - alt. 1,969 m - Cormet de Roselend car park

Notes

(4) You can eat at the Presset refuge and fill your water bottles.
From the refuge, the view of the Pierra Menta is very different from the view from above Roseland Lake.
The small Presset Lake is absolutely beautiful. I was lucky enough to see some ibex quite close to the lake.

 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

4.8 / 5
Based on 14 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.9 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.8 / 5
Route interest
4.9 / 5
Lozocam
Lozocam

Overall rating : 5 / 5

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

A superb walk.
It's a demanding walk, especially the climb to reach the refuge.
As mentioned in other reviews, the start of the route isn't great, except perhaps at 6am when it's cool and you can admire the sunrise without any cars around.
The first part is varied, with views of the lake dam, and is a great way to warm up.
Then it's climb, climb, climb , but it's magical!
On the other hand, once you reach the top of the Col du Grand Fond, what a joy. and the return to the Col du Cormet de Roselend, what a landscape!

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Bartisback
Bartisback

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 04, 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. A slight detour via Lac d'Amour and Pierra Menta adds a little to the length, but it's doable and really worth it.
The descent from Combe de la Nueva with views of Mont Blanc is simply sublime.
I recommend doing the tarmac section at the start... at the end it's unpleasant.

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PascaleB.
PascaleB.
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 22, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

This is indeed a very beautiful circular in the Beaufortain, which I recommend starting by parking at Plan de la Lai.
To avoid following the road from Cormet de Roselend, you can walk along the flat section below, then follow the clearly visible (but unmarked) path that starts at the hairpin bend on the right bank of the stream. This path continues after crossing the road a little further down, still along the stream to the bridge. then simply follow the GR trail back up to the car park.
Hike completed in July with a small detour to Lac d'Amour and Col Tutu: 22km, 7 hours walking, elevation gain 1325m.

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PERRET Alain
PERRET Alain

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 14, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A magnificent hike in Beaufortin. We started from Plan de la Lay, so we had to walk back at the end (it's a shame there isn't a trail).
To do in this direction: the climbs are harder, so it's best to do it in the cool of the morning (especially to climb the Col de Bresson, which is quite tough, a climb that you start after more than two hours on the "balcony" trail) and the descent is gentler, facing Mont Blanc (exceptional view).
We took the pass to the right of the Col du Grand Fond after Lake Presset (pass 2622 m, lower). The climb is via a fairly easy, undulating path, but the other side is more complicated: there is no longer a path and you have to zigzag through scree that is more or less easy and steep (there are cairns to help). Do not go too far to the right into a large recent rockfall from the Aiguille de la Nova, as this could even be dangerous. After this barren and desolate area (there is no one around), you join the GR on the left near a small lake (2,442 m).
In this variant, the time saved on the ascent is lost on the descent! High-top boots and a good sense of direction are essential.

The estimated time of 10 hours is quite generous (it took me 8 hours 40 minutes including stops, and I'm starting to tire with age).

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Benoit Nelles
Benoit Nelles

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 13, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

I set off around 11am to do the hike in the opposite direction. It was a beautiful route, quite varied.
I went via the Passeur de la Mintaz and Lac d'Amour, with a short technical section at the Passeur de la Mintaz, but it was quite enjoyable.
I covered the last few kilometres by cutting across from Petite Berge to arrive directly at Cormet de Roselend. It wasn't exactly straightforward, but it was more interesting than following the road.
I saw a mountain goat and marmots, and some very gentle cows in the mountain pastures.

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Chris79a
Chris79a

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 17, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful but somewhat challenging hike to reach the Presset mountain hut, but magnificent nonetheless

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jibe89
jibe89

I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed the hike. I think doing it the way I did is the best way to have Mont Blanc in your sights for most of the end of the route.
As for the mileage, I think it's pretty accurate: I also use my watch when running and I always agree with the distances during competitions. However, if you take out the road section, there are indeed 20 km left.
All the best.

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Didier P.
Didier P.

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 08, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

We did it in reverse because initially, we had planned to make a round trip from the Cormet de Roselend pass to the refuge, but we enjoyed it so much that we did the whole loop.
However, my GPS recorded a distance of 20 km.
We did it in 9 hours and 20 minutes.
Thank you for this superb hike.

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isabelle boutin
isabelle boutin

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 27, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A magnificent hike with views of Mont Blanc! We didn't have time to do the whole thing, so we'll have to come back!

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clidox
clidox

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 11, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A very beautiful but demanding hike. The first part is bucolic and pleasant, while the second is more difficult, with a high-mountain atmosphere. The stop at the Presset refuge is appreciated, despite its €5 beer.

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cisz
cisz

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 15, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

no issues with the guidance.

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ardechom
ardechom

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 21, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Certainly one of the most beautiful hikes in the Beaufortain.
Thanks to the author of the description.

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Randocaf
Randocaf

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 20, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A very beautiful hike in a perfectly marked mineral landscape.

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azimut
azimut

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 13, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

sunny day hike covering part of the route from Treicol to the Presset mountain refuge.
The refuge is fully booked until the end of September.
The effort of the climb is rewarded by the beauty of the landscape and the breathtaking views of the nearby Pierra Menta from different angles.

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stoic
stoic

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 16, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average

The Presset refuge and its lake offer a place to rest, in the company of a chamois, in an exceptional landscape.

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Walking Presset lake and refuge via the Combe de la Neuva.

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A beautiful hike in the Beaufortain, it starts gently from the Cormet de Roselend and becomes more rugged as you leave the mountain pastures behind and enter a rugged and colourful mineral world. No difficulty in finding your way, as this is a variant of the Tour du Beaufortain.

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