Tour of the Corréo lake

From Gap, take the D994 road then the D513 between La Roche-des-Arnauds and Rabou. Pass the Chapelle de Sauveterre chapel, then leave the turn-off to Basse Corréo on your left and continue along the main road. Turn left at the next junction (altitude 1181 m), towards "La Roche - Haute Corrréo". Continue along the D513 road on the left (altitude 1,170 m), towards "La Roche", then park 1 km further on, in the car park next to the information board for the Corréo Reserve.

(S/E) Take the Basse Corréo path which descends towards the lake, heading south-west (wooden sign for "Manteyer"). After the bend, it passes under the lake's spillway.

(1) Do not go up onto the lake's embankment. Continue to the right, on the path that runs alongside the field, heading south.

(2) Turn left at the junction with Chemin du Mas, heading south-east, to enter the woods. Continue straight ahead at the next junction, walking alongside the fields heading south-east, but staying in the woods until you reach the junction with the canal.

(3) Turn left to go up along the field and the Canal de Gap, heading north-west, until you reach the dyke path. Then turn right towards the hamlet of Basse Corréo, heading north-east.

(4) Take the track on the left to follow the canal westwards, just before the hamlet. Less than 100 m further on, you will see the "canal water washing machine" and continue along the track above the buried canal, still heading west.

(5) Descend to the left towards the lake, heading south-west. Cross a sort of gravel platform dotted with patches of vegetation. Join the south dyke, then the west dyke to go around the lake. Cross the lake's spillway area and head back up towards the path.

(1) Continue towards the car park where you started (S/E).

There are no water sources along the route.

Caution: some sections of the route are exposed to strong winds (the "Raboutine"), and the area between points (2) and (3) can be marshy.

The hamlet of Corréo (commune of La Roche des Arnauds) has a private reservoir for irrigation (managed by the Canal de Gap).
Although swimming and fishing are prohibited, it can be pleasant to walk around it in good weather to enjoy the view of the mountains.
Since its construction in 1999, farmers on the southern slope (La Freissinouse, Pelleautier and Manteyer) have benefited from this water reservoir for irrigation. The water is supplied by a pipe connecting the canal to the bottom of the reservoir. The lake is dammed on the western and southern sides.
- Surface area: 60,000 m².
- Volume: 350,000 m³.
- Fed by a canal diverted from the Drac, the stored water is used for irrigation.
- Built in 1999.
- Altitude: 1,113 m.

Drac Canal (Gap Canal): the use of canals in the Hautes-Alpes dates back to the 13th century. One of the most remarkable structures in Champsaur is the Canal de Gap. The project to build this canal was approved in August 1802 by the Gap municipal council, but the costly work (10 million gold francs) did not begin until 1864, thanks to MP Maurice Garnier, and was not completed until 1880. Drawn from the Drac at Les Ricoux, the water travels 12 km through an earthen canal and then rushes into a 3,870 m tunnel under the Col de Manse. At its exit in the Gapençais region, the canal splits into two main branches, "Charance" (west) and "Romette" (east), which encircle the Gap basin. Over the last forty years or so, sprinkler irrigation, which is more economical in terms of water usage, has gradually replaced this furrow irrigation system.

Nearby is the Chapel of Sauveterre:
The Chapel of Notre-Dame de Sauveterre was built in^{the 17th century} . After the Duke of Savoy's troops passed through in 1692, the chapel was so badly damaged that the Bishop of Gap prohibited its use for worship in 1713. It was used as a hayloft. The bishop had restoration work carried out. In 1787, the chapel was almost entirely rebuilt by the inhabitants. It was consecrated on 12 October 1787. In the past, people would go there in procession on Whit Monday from La Roche-des-Arnaud to ask for blessings on the fruits of the earth.