Tour of Lake Paladru

A day's walk, quite lovely and varied. You start by going through the Grand Platon Forest, then going along the south-east bank of the lake with beautiful views over the lake. You change banks and go along the Feydelière and Véronnière marshes ('Marais' - protected sites). The return is via the north-west bank of the lake with beautiful views over Chartreuse and, if the weather is clear, Mont Blanc.

Technical sheet

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 17.88 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 6h 25 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Return to departure point: Yes
  • ↗
    Vertical gain: + 470 m
  • ↘
    Vertical drop: - 470 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 675 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 493 m

Photos

Description of the walk

(S/E) Start at the Charavines Tourist Office and take Rue des Vannes to the east. You pass a stream. At the end, you take the right onto Rue des Arondières. When it becomes Route de Louisas (sign), you follow the stony path which climbs steadily opposite you.

(1) You will arrive at a crossroads. On the IGN maps, there are only two paths, but on the ground there are three. Take the left and continue to climb, after a short while the path levels out before going back downhill. Before that, ignore the path heading off on the right.

You come out of the woods and begin to get beautiful views over the lake. The path changes into a small badly-tarmacked road which goes downhill to meet a bigger road called Route de Charavines. At the stop sign, turn right (into the hamlet of Petit Bilieu). Coming out of the hamlet, be careful to walk on the left-hand side of the road because the pavement runs out shortly.

(2) Choose the first road on the left called Chemin du David. At the following fork, you go down the right branch called Route de Grand Pré. At the next fork, turn left and you will go around a wide bend to the right before climbing steadily again. In the hamlet of Charamel, take Chemin de la Jacquinière on the left and follow it to the end.

(3) Take the 'montée de Combe Faure' opposite you. At the first path, turn left.

(4) After a small bend to the left, you will see a field on your left. You need to be vigilant here! The path you need to take is practically invisible. At the top of the field, there is a hedge made from shrubs. If you look closely along this hedge, you can see that there are slight traces of tracks. Go ahead! At the end of a small field, the path turns into a poorly-marked path which heads into the forests.

You end up on a wide path. Continue straight ahead opposite. At the next fork, take the branch on the right. You will quickly arrive at a stop sign where you turn right.

(5) Take a path on the left with the sign 'le Vernay'. On arriving at a fork, turn to the left and ignore the small road which appears on the right.

(6) You will reach a stop sign, turn right and continue on until you reach the D90.

(7) Cross the D90 and head to the right. There is a section reserved for pedestrians and cyclists. A bit further on, you will find the marsh (Marais) nature trail on your left. Take the nature trail. All along this path, you can follow the educational signs which describe the life, flora and fauna of the marshes to you, along with artistically decorated benches.
After the car park, turn left onto Rue du Petit Port and go past the tennis courts. Your road bends to the right.

(8) Arriving on the D50, turn left (a bit further on, there are picnic tables and games for children). Go along the D50 until you reach a roundabout and follow a small road on the right. Looking in a straight line ahead, when you see a large house on the right, take the dirt path which climbs to the left.

You will cross the small road again which you have just left. You carry on opposite (the path runs along the gable of a building). After a little while, you will end up on a small road. You go straight on.

(9) You will reach a priority marker. On your left, there is a sign for 'La Montagne'. Go towards the left in the direction of 'Le Bandoux'. Follow the small road until you reach a fork in the road with a grove in the middle. Take the branch on the right (Chemin de la Pierre qui Danse). Further on, ignore the path with a speed bump heading off on the left towards a farm. At the next branch, turn right.

(10) At a sort of small pass, you end up on the GR65. Take the left and follow it to the village of 'Le Pin' (GR waymarking = Red and White + Yellow Shell on a Blue background). In the hamlet of 'Le Brandoux', carry on to the left in the direction of 'Les Allex' until you reach another junction.

(11) Turn onto the dirt path on the right and carry on until you reach a junction with a small wood between the two branches of the paths. Go to the right. You will arrive at a small road, turn right again.

(12) At the next junction, you will see a sign for 'Les Allex' and a fountain. Go downhill to the left in the direction of 'Le Pin'. Follow the only road which heads off to the right. On arriving at Rue de la Caserne, turn left. On your right you will see the small Etang des Palles (Palles lake). Carry on up to the stop sign.

(13) At the stop sign, turn left. Further along, take the first road on the right. 20m after having turned onto the road, you will see the sign for 'Le Gibet' in the direction of 'OT Charavines'. Follow in this direction. You will reach the D17.

(14) At the sign which says 'Les fougères', take the path opposite which heads in the direction of Charavines. Cut off the D50 to join Rue des Bains. You then return to the Charavines Tourist Office (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 494 m - Charavines Tourist Office. Close to the - Fure (rivière)
  2. 1 : km 1.12 - alt. 603 m - Take the left-hand path
  3. 2 : km 3.23 - alt. 539 m - Turn left
  4. 3 : km 4.58 - alt. 588 m - Head uphill to Combe Faure
  5. 4 : km 5.09 - alt. 626 m - Discreet path leading off to the left
  6. 5 : km 5.67 - alt. 593 m - Le Vernay sign - take the track opposite
  7. 6 : km 6.33 - alt. 519 m - Stop" sign at La Veronnière
  8. 7 : km 6.99 - alt. 498 m - Right at the D90
  9. 8 : km 8.74 - alt. 500 m - Left on the D50
  10. 9 : km 10.45 - alt. 640 m - La Montagne" sign
  11. 10 : km 11.6 - alt. 675 m - Left at the GR65
  12. 11 : km 12.67 - alt. 594 m - Take the dirt track on the right
  13. 12 : km 13.76 - alt. 552 m - Les Allex" sign
  14. 13 : km 14.76 - alt. 526 m - Le Pin - Turn left at the stop sign
  15. 14 : km 15.81 - alt. 525 m - Les fougères" sign - Take the path opposite
  16. S/E : km 17.88 - alt. 494 m - Charavines Tourist Office - Lac de Paladru

Practical information

You can park your vehicle near the tourist office which is located near the beach in Charavines at the end of Rue des Bains. At peak times, it could be a bit difficult to park, but otherwise there is space.

In Charavines, there is a small supermarket at the crossroads with the D90 and Rue des Bains.

There is a fountain in 'Les Allex'.

In Paladru, you can use the picnic tables and the games for children.

There aren't any technically difficult sections on this hike, just the distance and two good lakeshores.

The south-east bank of the lake in the district of Bilieu is quite urbanised. Therefore, in this section you walk on tarmac through the houses. Other than that, we've tried to find stony or grassy paths for the hike.

In the nearby area

The marshes (Marais) nature trail before you get to Paladru at the north-west end of the lake.

There is a delightful museum in Charavines. Small in size, but very well done, it exhibits objects (found at the bottom of the lake) from prehistoric times and the Middle Ages in an educational way.
Recommended for children between 10 and 13 years old. Entry price is 4 Euros for adults and free for children (April 2016).

Charavines Tourist Office website: http://www.paysvoironnais.info/lac-de-pa...

General information on Lake Paladru: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lac_de_Pal...

 Always stay careful and alert while following a route. Visorando and the author of this walk cannot be held responsible in the event of an accident during this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

Reviews and comments

4.7 / 5
Based on 100 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.7 / 5
Clarity of route map
4.7 / 5
Route interest
4.5 / 5
bilbo007
bilbo007

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of walk : Jun 22, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No

Taken in June in good weather. Mainly roads. The paved sections are rarely used by cars. Beautiful views of the lake.

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Jacques L1.
Jacques L1.

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : May 26, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

A very pleasant route around the lake, easy to follow with the instructions. Very little chance of getting it wrong. I've done other routes around the lake in the other direction that were less interesting. A fairly well-shaded route, with little tarmac overall compared with the possibilities. Lots of beautiful views over the lake and the surrounding area. Plenty of places to rest or eat. The icing on the cake was the GR65, the famous path that runs from Geneva to Le Puy and ends in Compostela!

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remaz
remaz

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of walk : Nov 10, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : Yes

Lovely route around the lake with many viewpoints over the lake and the mountains in the distance...the only downside is that the route takes in many tarmac paths.

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Benlam38
Benlam38
• Last modified:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of walk : Aug 11, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No

Grand tour de paldru may seem long at times.campagnes forêts routes follow one another.certaines montée se font bien sentir mais le parcours est l'ensemble agréable.

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Perivolas
Perivolas

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Jul 07, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

A lovely walk in a charming rural setting.

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Phil38
Phil38

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of walk : Jun 20, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Busy trail : No

the first part involves quite a lot of road, but the walk is fun.
Load the track onto your phone and follow the GPS to make it easier to keep track of the route ;-)
Allow 4h30 at a cool pace :-)

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Myrtille 07
Myrtille 07

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Jun 16, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

Unfortunately, the skies were quite cloudy on this walk, which offers some lovely views of the surrounding mountains and hillsides. Beautiful views of the lake and countryside.
Reliable and detailed description: thank you ☺️.
We didn't meet any hikers and it took us 3 hours 50 minutes to walk around the lake at a good pace.
Thanks to the author for this great walk 😉

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Yannick_Josset
Yannick_Josset

I'd like to think that at some point you lost your way...
Enjoy your walk

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M Grisel
M Grisel

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of walk : Apr 07, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Clarity of route map : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No

We did this route yesterday with a group and were disappointed. Despite some beautiful views of the lake, there are many stretches of road and paths that are difficult to find or have even disappeared due to forestry work and undergrowth, so map and compass are essential.

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promenades
promenades

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of walk : Nov 25, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No

Lovely walk with beautiful views over the lake. Lots of roads but not very busy. Picnic by the lake at Paladru.

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sioucat
sioucat

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of walk : Dec 17, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No

nice, easy hike in the hills

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Jean Noël CAZZOLI
Jean Noël CAZZOLI

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Aug 20, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

Superb route that I recommend, with magnificent scenery and views over the lake. Be sure to follow the details of this walk to avoid route errors.

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Nilou 7
Nilou 7
• Last modified:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Jul 30, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

Very good hike with a great view of the lake accompanied by a beautiful landscape around the lake.
And very nice sculptures on benches, I liked the real tree drawing on a sign try to find it too bad I have not found. Otherwise the hardest part is the dirt climbs and be careful on the big stones and a bit slippery especially on the way down.... otherwise great hike.

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toffus
toffus

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of walk : Jul 29, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No

Very good indications

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Jeepers38
Jeepers38
• Last modified:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of walk : Jul 21, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No

A very pleasant walk completed in 5 hours 25 minutes without running and taking your time (picnic, breaks, photos).

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