Tour around Blanc and Noir lakes

A pretty walk, alternating between rises and descents following sinuous winds and paths over ridges with magnificent views. ‘’The’’ meeting place for local chamois.

Details

n°20058

Creation:
21 Feb 2013

Last update:
–

Last review:
25 Aug 2025

Activity: Walking
Distance: 9.03 km
Average duration: 4h 10
Difficulty: Difficult
Back to start: Yes
Ascent: + 559 m
Descent: - 551 m
Highest point: 1,305 m
Lowest point: 954 m

Country: France
Area: Vosges mountains
City: Orbey (68370)
Start/End: N 48.125109° / E 7.096912°
IGN map(s): Ref. 3618OT, 3618OTR, 3718OT, 3718OTR
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Description of the walk

Start at the car park of the Blanc lake inn. Head in the direction of the ski slope starting by following the road on the right of the lake (with views over it).

It soon joins a path that approaches the shore of the lake.
At its tip, start a relatively dry ascent but in small loops leading to the ski lift.
From there head along the west side of the lake, along the ridge that rises gently in a straight line to the highest point of this walk.

Then branch off to the left to go down to Noir lake, passing near the Altenkraehkopf viewpoint (1).

From the Noir lake car park, join a small path that goes along the lake and then moves away from it. It winds its way up to the "Belmont" observatory.

Take the opportunity to take a breath, have a drink and enjoy the view on the Alsatian side of the Vosges.

Finally, a steep descent to Blanc lake.

Take care on the stairs and winding paths along the cliff. Pay attention.

The entire route is well signposted.
Point of view

Waypoints

S/E : km 0 - alt. 1,053 m - Car park at the Auberge du Lac Blanc
1 : km 0.26 - alt. 1,071 m - Path to the left towards the lake - Lac Blanc (massif des Vosges)
2 : km 0.83 - alt. 1,069 m - Left fork
3 : km 1.18 - alt. 1,120 m - Ski lift, crossroads, left
4 : km 4.02 - alt. 1,291 m - High point of the walk, on the left
5 : km 4.46 - alt. 1,264 m - Intersection, left - Altenkraehkopf
6 : km 5.45 - alt. 1,073 m - Runway, opposite
7 : km 6.08 - alt. 955 m - Black Lake
8 : km 8.09 - alt. 1,230 m - Belmont Observatory
S/E : km 9.03 - alt. 1,053 m - Parking at the Auberge du Lac Blanc

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

Réserve naturelle nationale du Tanet-Gazon du Faing - more information

Reviews and comments

4.5 / 5

Based on 63 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.3 / 5

Ease of following the route
4.4 / 5

Route interest
4.6 / 5

eric.isabelle72

25 Aug 2025 at 15:16 7200

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

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

Hello
We enjoyed the route, although it was quite technical with lots of stones and roots at times. There was a beautiful section along the ridge and it was very easy to walk along the Tanet i think the route could be extended to allow you to descend to Lac Forlet, go around it and climb back up towards Lac Noir. Otherwise, we preferred to follow the Cornelius trail, which was easier from Lac Noir to Lac Blanc

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User 13647045

27 Jul 2025 at 18:46 7200

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 27, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

everything went well

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Till

24 Jun 2025 at 10:12 7200

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 24, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Beautiful view of Lac Blanc. Lac Noir is ideal for a lunch break with its restaurant, which also serves snacks and drinks. Much of the trail consists of large rocks that you have to climb over or down, so it is quite physically demanding and walking sticks are strongly recommended for safety.

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virgule

18 Jun 2024 at 19:28 7200 • Edited: 18 Jun 2024 at 19:32 7200

Hello,

visorando has the "excellent" signposting of the Club Vosgien. It is compulsory on IGN maps. If you want to do without it, you have to choose OSM.

Rather than improvising once you've arrived on site using the app on your smartphone, I advise you to plot out the route you plan to take on the site, then synchronise it with your smartphone. You'll have the whole area marked out with the CV, and you can go wherever you want. You don't have to follow the planned route, just have the whole area at your disposal.

Like any tool, using the app takes a little getting used to. But once you've got the hang of it, it's very practical.

I also find it hard to understand how to use the GPS with a mobile phone.

Don't hesitate to consult the instructions and ask your questions in the "application" part of the forum. This is the section where we comment on the tours. You'll find help here, either from ordinary hikers or from the visorando team.

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Bernhard Jean-Marie

18 Jun 2024 at 15:33 7200

''ANSWER
Visorando favours guiding hikers with the help of a description and an extract from an IGN map rather than the use of waymarking, which it does not control. In answering this questionnaire, please focus on the quality of the description and the route, without mentioning the markings.

Is this the answer to my comment below?

I'm a bit disappointed with Visorando.
In the early days, we had access to IGN maps with the excellent Club Vosgien markings.

Now the "MAP" function is missing.

I'm not really interested in all these ready-made hikes. I've been guiding hikes myself for years, first near Reims where I used to live and now around Ribeauvillé (Haut-Rhin).

What I need is to be able to zoom in on a very specific area to 'visualise' the walk I want to do.

I'm also having trouble understanding how to use GPS with a mobile phone.
I used to click on a map "near home" and I'd have the map of the place I was in front of me.
I can't do that any more, even in "position" mode.

I have to go to GEOPORTAIL which works very well, I zoom in on the desired area, I make a screen copy and I use it for my walk.

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Bernhard Jean-Marie

18 Jun 2024 at 15:27 7200

I'm a bit disappointed with Visorando.
In the early days, we had access to IGN maps with the excellent Club Vosgien markings.

Now the "MAP" function is missing.

I'm not really interested in all these ready-made hikes. I've been guiding hikes myself for years, first near Reims where I used to live and now around Ribeauvillé (Haut-Rhin).

What I need is to be able to zoom in on a very specific area to 'visualise' the walk I want to do.

I have to go to GEOPORTAIL which works very well, I zoom in on the desired area, I make a screen copy and I use it for my walk.

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slva.sara

08 Apr 2023 at 21:01 7200 • Edited: 08 Apr 2023 at 21:02 7200

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 08, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Magnificent hike in the middle of April. However, bear in mind that this hike is difficult and very technical from the descent towards the Lac Blanc from Rocher Hans (point 8). There are handrails here to help, but the path is still very dangerous on this section because of the many rocks and the steepness of the slope. Avoid for :
- Beginners.
- People prone to vertigo.
- Bad weather conditions! Absolutely avoid in the rain/just afterwards as the stones can be very slippery.

Apart from that, it's a magnificent view of the white lake, a magical setting!

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meyerfrance@wanadoo.fr

01 Feb 2023 at 18:24 3600

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 01, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Hello,
Very nice snowshoe walk, but with two drawbacks:

# The descent to the Lac Noir could not be made on the planned route due to the closure of the route for the protection of wildlife (diversions of about 1km).
# The descent to Lac Blanc in winter conditions is dangerous!

It's steep and slippery!
If you really want to do this walk, it's better to do it in the opposite direction!

Enjoy the walk!

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Pierrot DAVID

15 Aug 2022 at 14:53 7200

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 15, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very nice walk with beautiful views. Be careful with young children.

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maxdur68

13 Sep 2021 at 22:48 7200

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 13, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

we did the circuit in the other direction and we also increased the course by passing by the lake of the trouts, like çà circuit with 3 lakes. to envisage 1H30 more approximately. splendid landscapes.

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ROBYSON

10 May 2021 at 16:34 7200

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 08, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

SUPER SPORTS HIKE: DO IT!!!
however, the descent to the dam at lac BLANC is dangerous as it is slippery (mud) if it has rained the previous few days.

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MNH54

05 Apr 2021 at 09:22 7200

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 05, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Very good walk, good spirit on the trail, beautiful views.

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Foloxflou

04 Jan 2021 at 11:00 3600

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 02, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : Yes

We did this walk on Saturday 2 January on snowshoes, under 1m to 1m50 of snow at the highest point (snowshoes compulsory).

It was a white day, so unfortunately for us there were no views, but the trail was very varied, with the route des crêtes, forest sections and beautiful viewpoints.

However, on the way back down to the Lac Blanc (after point 8), the path was very dangerous: we had to take off our snowshoes and proceed on foot/on our backsides, and a snow-covered staircase with extremely slippery steps gave us cold sweats... if we had to do it again, we might have done it in the opposite direction in heavy snow conditions, or taken another path back down if there was one.

Most of the trail is of course suitable for snowshoes, but be careful and beware of the risk of avalanches: record snowfall at the moment.

Thank you for this route, which we'll be happy to do again in the spring, hopefully with better visibility!

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ThPi

26 Oct 2020 at 23:11 3600

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 25, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A beautiful, aerial route with magnificent views.

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antoine bonvoisin

13 Jul 2020 at 10:10 7200

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 04, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Nice walk, easy on the whole, with some technical sections, be careful if you have vertigo and children, beautiful panoramic views...

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Author

alsupergai
1 Route

Visorando Member

A walk translated by LB_Neil - Original version

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