Top 20 Lakes around Belvédère

On the descent near the tunnel, I found a landslide, by bike it was passable, but by car no.

https://youtu.be/rm1T5izm57A?si=Wjv8z7eOzrlJQNXL A wonderful, shimmering green lake, which the locals also like to swim in. There are certainly a lot of cars parked along the road on weekends. The scenery is fantastic.

Very beautifully situated reservoir, but the water is not inviting for swimming. The dam is definitely worth seeing.

Beautiful alpine lake at just over 2000m with clear waters and a view of Mount Frisson

The refuge is located on the banks of the upper Long lake, in the heart of the rock engravings of the Vallée des Merveilles, surrounded by numerous lakes and peaks: Bégo, Grand Capelet, Cime du Diable... The refuge is located in an open-air museum. This exceptional archaeological site, classified as a historical monument, extends between two valleys around Mont Bégo. There are 40,000 rock engravings dating from -4000 to -2000 BC, which are marks of pastoral occupation. When you cross the Vallée des Merveilles on the GR, you feel an almost mystical and very unusual side.

The BDC is beautiful to reach, it is located in the upper Gesso Valley at the end of the asphalt road.

First time visitors should be warned this is a refuge, not a hotel. As such don’t go expecting anything more than basic facilities. If you want a shower then it will be with cold water taken and filtered directly from the nearby lake. Without exception, we found the staff to be very friendly, as were all the hikers we spoke to. No matter if you arrive alone or with a group, everyone is staying at the refuge for the same reason as you, and this makes starting a conversation with someone you don’t know very easy. The advantages you get from staying in such a refuge is knowing you’ll be given somewhere dry and warm to sleep, plus something hot to eat. When it came close to having dinner everyone helped move all the rectangle tables into one long one, where we all then sat and enjoyed an amazing hot stew with bread. After dinner it was a quick cold shower. After which we relaxed outside for a while before kipping down for the night. Breakfast here was available, as was a packed lunch to take on our onward journey. All of course at extra cost. Like all refuges around the world, there is a limit to the amount of hikers each can accommodate at any one time. Because of this you’ll need to book a place well in advance of your trip. Arriving on the day looking for a place is unlikely to be successful unless a booking goes unfilled, which wouldn’t be noticeable until well after sunset. You can camp outside near the refuge but you’ll need to get permission first.

Excellent panoramic point that allows you to see the entire body of water from above