Crupillouse Lakes

Description

A long hike, with bends and crossings, which goes up following the waterfalls to the string of lakes in their mineral setting. "Happy is the hiker at the beginning of the season who will have the privilege of discovering the lakes still covered in snow with just a turquoise ring of thawing ice.. All that there is left to do is find a slab of well-polished and well exposed gneiss to sit on in order to search the landscape for Ibex.” Marc Corail, Mountain ranger in Champsaur From the car park cross. Baumes hamlet to the start of the track (information board). After 5 minutes, turn left off the track and go towards Valestrèche valley. After a few bends, reach the big crossing the scree slope. Then, rocky inclines lead to the Pas de l'Ours. A succession of bends across the scree slope then large crossings take you to the old jas de Crupillouse (shelter under the rocks) then the Crupillouse lower cirque. After the last grasslands, a series of bends and a large diagonal enabling you to reach the threshold of the lower lake that you will only discover at the last minute. There, motivated by tiredness, it would be tempting to abandon the ascent. Continue for 10 more minutes to reach the base of the second lake (or the shoulder that separates them) to fully benefit from the whole view of the cirque and the panorama across Champoléon.

Difficulty

Official rating: difficult, by Parc national des Écrins.

Before you go

• It is recommended to leave at the break of day. The Southern slope becomes sunny very quickly; you soon miss the freshness of the early morning. On the other hand, in summer the lakes are often covered with clouds from the beginning of the afternoon. On the way back, in the case of big storm it is sometimes difficult to cross the torrents.

Getting there

Start: Les Baumes, Champoléon (05).

Sources

• Track: Parc national des Écrins, Licence Ouverte 2.0, Licence Ouverte 2.0 (Etalab) (destination.ecrins-parcnational.fr/trek/904197-Les-lacs-de-Crupillouse). Time estimated by GPX Path with the Mac app rule, breaks not included.
• Official elevation gain: 1,380 m, Parc national des Écrins