Montagne de Lachat circular in Dingy-Saint-Clair

de fr

The tour of Montagne de Lachat, above Dingy-Saint-Clair (near Annecy), is a very pretty hike that is ideal for families, for example: a wooded trail and, from the summit, views of Annecy and Les Bauges. Possible in all seasons, safe in winter.

Details

n°7531067
Creation:
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Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 8.07 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 55 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 562 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 565 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,278 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 745 m
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Photos

February 2024
Annecy seen from the summit
The Hairy Cyclops
View of Les Bauges

Description of the walk

Park near the Blonnière chapel.

(S/E) Follow the tarmac road northwards and, at the first bend, take the (slightly steep) path on the left, between the houses. When you reach a bread oven 100 m further on, turn left and follow a wide forest path that runs flat through the meadows.

Cross a small stream and continue along the track, which enters the forest and quickly becomes a little steep. Continue until you leave the forest and arrive at the small Barman mountain pasture.

(1) Go through the fence, enter the mountain pasture and follow the path on the left that climbs up through the meadow to quickly reach a small pass.

(2) The view of the valley and Les Bauges is lovely. Continue west, re-enter the forest and follow the well-marked path that leads to the summit of Montagne de Lachat.

(3) Enjoy the beautiful view of the town of Annecy and Les Bauges once again. Then begin the descent along the path that runs along the ridge at the beginning, then quickly slips into the forest. At around 1,100 m, you will reach a well-marked crossroads.

(4) Turn left and, two hairpin bends further down (at around 1,000 m), join a wider track and continue to the left. Continue downhill to the hamlet of Gravel, where you will see a few old farms, one of which is still inhabited.
The track becomes more of a forest road. Follow it to the hamlet of Les Tappes and rejoin the tarmac road. Turn left, go up the road, cross the hamlet and continue along the street, which becomes steep.
Continue straight ahead; the tarmac road turns into a path at the last house. Continue straight ahead until you reach an old farm.

(5) At the farm, turn right onto the carriageway that joins the tarmac road. Follow it downhill to the right. Cross a small bridge, continue along the road, pass under a farm above and find a farm track on the left that climbs up into the meadow.

(6) Follow it, enter the forest and climb up to the reservoir. Go around it on the right and, via a short steep climb, join Chemin du Fournet.

(7) Follow it to the left to reach the tarmac road.

(8) Turn right and climb up to the chapel (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 945 m - Chapelle Saint-Jacques (La Blonnière)
  2. 1 : km 1.43 - alt. 1,122 m - Alpine pasture, on the left
  3. 2 : km 1.78 - alt. 1,161 m - Small pass, view of the valley
  4. 3 : km 2.64 - alt. 1,275 m - Summit of Montagne de Lachat
  5. 4 : km 3.8 - alt. 1,109 m - Crossroads, on the left
  6. 5 : km 6.05 - alt. 819 m - At the farm, take the gravel path on the right.
  7. 6 : km 6.5 - alt. 808 m - Farm track on the left
  8. 7 : km 7.37 - alt. 966 m - Chemin du Fournet
  9. 8 : km 7.89 - alt. 934 m - Tarmac road, on the right
  10. S/E : km 8.07 - alt. 945 m - Chapelle Saint-Jacques (La Blonnière)

Notes

The route described starts from the Blonnière chapel. As it is circular, you can start from other places, provided you can park – Les Tappes, for example.

Worth a visit

Montagne du Lachat can also be reached from the village of Dingy – via a traverse – but this is of course longer. In this case, you can leave a car at La Blonnière for the return journey... or not, but then you will have to take the tarmac road back down to the village.

Of course, you can also start from La Blonnière to climb Parmelan and cross Parmelan via the Col du Perthuis, which are interesting classic hikes.

Reviews and comments

4.3 / 5
Based on 11 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.5 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.5 / 5
Route interest
4 / 5
de Tellier Gilles
de Tellier Gilles

Yes,
And in this hot weather, this hike is really enjoyable.
Enjoy your hike - G de T

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bpagli
bpagli
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 05, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A short hike, mostly through woodland, very pleasant with two lovely viewpoints.
Not the best choice if you want to reach a "real" summit with a panoramic view, but recommended for families (children over 8 years old) for trail training or simply to get off the beaten track (very few people even in July).
You can go straight to point 5 by following a fairly steep path to reach La Blonnière (marked with dotted lines on the IGN map): in hot weather or if you are in a hurry, this significantly shortens the last part of the hike.
Finally, please note that parking is not easy in the hamlet of La Blonnière.

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de Tellier Gilles
de Tellier Gilles

Thank you for your feedback... and happy hiking in the future... 😊

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User 2894484

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 23, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A pleasant short circular walk.

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de Tellier Gilles
de Tellier Gilles

Nice sequence...
Well done!

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YOKE
YOKE

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 22, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

The hike was a bit short (we reached the summit in an hour), so we returned to the crossroads in the mountain pasture and climbed up to Chalet Chapuis, then headed towards Balmont to do a circular hike and descend back to the starting point.

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de Tellier Gilles
de Tellier Gilles

Yes,
That's right...
All the best...

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sergiomont
sergiomont

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 25, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely little spring or autumn walk for the family to stretch their legs.
An interesting route.

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PatrickHaute-Savoie
PatrickHaute-Savoie

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 04, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

It is very difficult to park your vehicle at La Blonnière, so we continued a little further and easily found parking at the start of a hiking trail that joins the route. I would recommend doing the circuit in the opposite direction, as the climb up Les Tappes is a bit tough.

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Normand
Normand

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 01, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Good application
Wide choice of hikes

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pascalefaure
pascalefaure

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 10, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Magnificent view. Very shaded hike. Difficult to park at La Blonnière and find the starting point, so we left the "village" and found a car park further up and a path that led back to the first one. Of course, going back up after the descent is a bit of a struggle.

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de Tellier Gilles
de Tellier Gilles
• Edited:

Yes,
You can actually do the route from Les Tappes and in the other direction too.
That's the advantage of a circular. 😊

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lou ravi
lou ravi

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 26, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

As previously mentioned, we chose to start from Les Tappes so that we wouldn't have to climb up to La Blonnière at the end of the route after the long and fairly challenging descent from Mont Lachat, especially the forest track section. A little bonus is the return trip to Chalet Chapuis from the Barman mountain pasture for the view, the geese and the donkeys! The view from the top of Mont Lachat is magnificent. Perhaps it would be more interesting to do the route in the opposite direction from Les Tappes?

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de Tellier Gilles
de Tellier Gilles

Hello,
Yes, you are correct.
That's also the advantage of a circular: you can start it from wherever suits you.
But the Tappes... they're great... 😉

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Roger Lambersens
Roger Lambersens

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 26, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

In response to the review dated 30 September 2021, the starting point should be moved to the lowest point of the hike, i.e. Les Tappes. This is to avoid an uphill climb at the end of the hike. There is a large car park at point 747 (IGN map) across the bridges over the two rivers. An alternative route that I took yesterday: take the small, well-maintained path directly between points 5 and 8. I suggest starting at Les Tappes, then 5, 8, 1, 2, 3, 4, Les Tappes.

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