Pavé lake and mountain refuge

23347540-diaporama

23347540-diaporama

23347541-diaporama

23347541-diaporama

23347542-diaporama

23347542-diaporama

A hike for immersion in incredible alpine landscapes, where the goal is to discover the Pavé lake. Life, zooplancton and phytoplancton, already exists in this recent lake, at an altitude of 2800 m.

About : Pavé lake and mountain refuge

From the start, at the car park at the bottom of the La Gravière, beyond the Arsine bridge, the footpath to the Pavé mountain refuge first follows the very popular footpath to the Alpe de Villar d'Arène refuge (GR54). It leaves this path at the summit of the glacial cross-cliff that the locals call "Les voûtes".  It then goes alongside the Romanche on the right bank for 2 km of the Plan de l'Alpe, which was previously of interest for the construction of a hydroelectric dam. At the Valfourche bridge that marks the entrance to the heart of the Parc National des Ecrins, the route then crosses to the left bank. It leaves the Romanche valley to go up to the Cavales valley, along the edge of the stream of the same name, until it reaches Les Pichettes, where the alpine meadows end. The valley is then purely mineral. The footpath follows the ridge of the remarkable moraine, up to just below the Clot des Cavales pass in order to circumvent a series of rocky ledges and leads to the Pavé lake and refuge.

Welcome: Hard

En bref

4 h 00

J+ : 1203 m

10.85 km

Map and GPX marking

Pavé lake and mountain refuge

Getting There

Services

Tours

  • Average duration of the individual tour: 240 minutes

Prices

Free of charge.

Location supplement

Departure : Villar-d'Arêne.
Arrival : Col du Lautaret.
From La Grave, take the D1091 towards Villar d'Arène. Turn right onto the D207. At the crossing, turn right towards the Alpe mountain refuge. Cross the bridge and take the track to the right that leads to the car park 1 km away.
Parking recommended : Car park at the bottom of La Gravière, Arsine .
Bus route Grenoble - Briançon, via le col du Lautaret (ligne express régionale : LER 35).