Tour of Lac des Sagnes, a peatland lake

This lovely, short and easy route offers a touch of adventure: it involves crossing a stream over a few tree trunks forming a makeshift footbridge, then wading across another one with your shoes off – a refreshing experience guaranteed.

Details

2197590
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 1.39 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 0h 40 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 46 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 46 ft

  • ▲
    Highest point: 6,266 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 6,217 ft

Photos

Description of the walk

Start from the Lac de Sagnes car park.

(S/E) From the car park, take the footbridge and give the small private property a wide berth *.

(1) Join the well-marked path which runs past the large scree slopes on your left and follows the lakeshore.

(2) When you reach the wooded area, look for a path on the right (there are several that merge slightly – these are fishermen’s tracks) and head for a footbridge made of a few tree trunks laid side by side. Follow the track along the edge of the woods until you reach a house situated slightly higher up on the left. Continue along the path past the house.

(3) You’ll soon reach a well-marked path leading to a fairly wide but shallow river. **
Please note: the only option is to take off your shoes and wade across. Make the most of the small islands and look for areas where the river is wide and shallow; the water shouldn’t be deeper than knee-height in summer.
Head up the opposite bank to reach a track suitable for vehicles, turn right and, whilst enjoying the lovely views of the lake, make your way to the lake car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 6,220 ft - Lake car park - Lac des Sagnes (Jausiers)
  2. 1 : mi 0.18 - alt. 6,230 ft - Path at the foot of the scree slope
  3. 2 : mi 0.47 - alt. 6,237 ft - A discreet path and a footbridge made of tree trunks
  4. 3 : mi 0.65 - alt. 6,243 ft - Well-marked track
  5. S/E : mi 1.39 - alt. 6,220 ft - Lake car park - Lac des Sagnes (Jausiers)

Notes

* This entire meadow belongs to the occupant of this house, who has no objection to walkers provided you exchange a few polite words if you happen to meet them.
** Please note (3) before setting off on this route.

Reviews and comments

4.6 / 5
Based on 3 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.7 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.3 / 5
Route interest
4.7 / 5
PHILNOSAN
PHILNOSAN

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 22, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Thanks to the Visorando app for helping us find our way along this path leading to the lake 😉. You can get there in a standard car, especially in summer when the road is nice and dry. We stopped 5 km before the lake, just so we could finish the journey on foot and enjoy the beauty of the path. It’s not quite as pretty towards the end – there’s a lovely stretch through the forest (which is why we stopped to walk it) – but towards the end of the route there’s no shade, so be careful if it’s hot.
The lake is truly beautiful, and there’s plenty of space to relax without being on top of one another. We went back a second time, but this time drove right up to the lake, just for fun. Tip: arrive fairly early; from 1.00 pm onwards, people start turning up for picnics. It’s easy to walk all the way round the lake.

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grandin
grandin ★

JFGHA, they should have responded as early as 11 September to clarify the situation following AMT’s message

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JFGHA
JFGHA

Hello,
Why was this added?
Moderator’s warning dated 24/09/2020: Please note! The access route to the start of this walk is only suitable for 4x4 vehicles
I’ve driven this route three times in a standard passenger car without any problems...
Thank you!

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AMT
AMT

The Jausiers Tourist Office has indicated that the access route is impassable except for 4x4 vehicles

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delphine171001
delphine171001

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 10, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

To find the way, don’t follow the sat-nav, which initially leads to a track that’s impassable without a 4x4; take the next one just above it, one bend further on, heading towards a farm.
The road – or rather the track – is certainly long but not very difficult; in fact, there’s one really tricky section at the start, but otherwise the track is easily passable by any type of vehicle. Do be careful on rainy days, though, as there’s a risk of getting stuck in the mud at the start of the track.
We had a picnic at the foot of the waterfall, just a few metres from the car park; we were practically alone and it was magnificent, with a view across the whole valley.
As for the walk round the lake, we unfortunately couldn’t complete the whole circuit as we got caught in a storm. As a result, we only managed a third of the route, up to the point where you have to wade through the water barefoot, before turning back.
Conclusion: the area is stunning – well worth a visit!

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