Good morning Mont Blanc! It was seven o’clock in the morning when I took this picture before heading out to Les Praz de Chamonix then catch the first telecabin to La Flégère.
“I’m changing rooms tonight, gonna have a different view. Hopefully better
“
Lac Blanc is one of the most popular trails in the Chamonix-Mont-Blanc area. To avoid the crowd, I hiked this trail during midweek, arriving at the Téléphérique de La Flégère cable car station right when it opened. I also followed the advice from 10advantures.com by taking the lift all the way to the top of L’Index and started from there. By doing that, I pretty much had the first half of the hike (and the scenery) all to myself.
The trail was stoney, not so comfortable to the feet. But the view was well worth it, with the Mont Blanc Massif to the right.
Other than some step ladders and handrails in certain sections to help secure the footing, the trail was fairly easy and non-technical.
Simply follow the cairns and the red/yellow markers.
It was supposed to be a sunny day, but up in the mountain the temperature was cool and breezy.
Shortly after passing the signpost for the Aiguilles Rouges Natural Reserve, the trail converged with the more popular route from La Flégère and the crowd level increased.
After a steep climb I arrived at the lake.
And it looked like this 😦
What happened to the sun and the view???
There’s a Refuge by the lake with a restaurant and bathroom stop – more about that later.
With the clouds, Lac Supérieur did not look much “superior”
than Lac Inférieur
I picked a spot by Lac Inférieur to have my lunch – a Croix de Savoie and a delicious Quiche Lorraine from Aux Petits Gourmands.
By the time I finished with it and turned around, the mountains revealed themselves to Lac Supérieur.
Slowly by slowly, the sun shone through.
It was AMAZING the transformation!
Note:
It is absolutely forbidden to bath or swim in the lake.
How to get there?
From Chamonix take either Bus #1 or #2, or the Mont-Blanc Express train to Les Praz-de-Chamonix. Bus schedule can be found here. Use google map for train schedule.
From Les Praz-de-Chamonix, take the La Flégère-L’Index lift to either La Flégère (telecabin) or L’Index (chair lift).
How long?
From La Flégère, it takes approximately 1 hour 45 minutes. (one-way)
From L’Index, it takes approximately 1 hour 15 minutes. (one-way)
Although it took me almost two hours, as I stopped to enjoy the view and take photos.
Trail Detail – Round trip
From La Flégère (according to chamonix.com)
Distance 7km ≈ 4.4mi Elevation Gain/Loss 500m ≈ 1,640ft
Starting Point Altitude 1877m ≈ 6158ft Highest Point Altitude 2351m ≈ 7717ft
Estimated Time 3 hours
From L’Index (according to 10adventures.com)
Distance 6km ≈ 3.7mi Elevation Gain/Loss 269m ≈ 883ft
Estimated Time 2.5 hours
Food and restroom available by the lake.
Bonus Material 😛
Lac Blanc was the first and conditional hike we did during our Tour du Mont Blanc trek years ago. Here are some photos from that hike. I remembered it was rainy and cold that day.
We warmed up ourselves at the Refuge with soup, pâté en croûte and a delicious tarte aux myrtilles, which I was able to “replicate” at home.
We also encountered a couple of ibexes on the trail
which I did not in this particular section this time around. More on that in the next post.
Coming up next: Hiking in the French Alps: Lacs des Chéserys
Travel-Gourmand.com 
Wow! Wonderful photos! I would love to visit someday!
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Thanks Susanne. I hope you do.
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So very beautiful! I love this. Thank you for sharing.
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You are welcome Nico. Thanks for stopping by.
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Stunning photos and I loved the 360 videos. Thank you for taking me to Mont Blanc
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Thanks Karen.
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Beautiful mountains, a great hike. So wonderful to be in nature.
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What a shame that the weather turned cloudy during the hike: obstructed views of the mountains aren’t fun at all! All the same, it looked to be a satisfying workout, and the reward of tarte aux myrtilles in the end made it all the more worth it!
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Right? I was thinking what a luck! Fortunately the sun came out later. Phew. That tart was amazing.
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Beautiful spot. There’s something magical about mountains.
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There is! Thanks Dave.
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Absolutely beautiful photos! The color of the water is just stunning.
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Thanks Diana!
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Spectacular scenery (even before the sun came out) and glad to hear your early morning effort was rewarded with fewer people around. The blue/green lake color reminds me of Lake Louise in Canada’s Banff (which is much easier to get to than your adventurous trek).
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Beautiful mountains and lake!
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Wonderful photos!!
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Thanks Bon Repos Gites. I love your blog, full of legends and history in Brittany!
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You are most welcome… and thank you! 😉 🙂
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Ahhh Lac Blanc 😍 Gorgeous photos. This spot will always hold a special place in my heart, as it was our last day on the TMB and also my birthday. Couldn’t have asked for a better view for my birthday Coke at the refuge. Wish they’d had some of that tarte aux myrtilles though!!
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Very special indeed. Birthday Coke?
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Just a can of Coke 🙂 For me, few things beat an ice cold Coke on a hot day hiking!
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I concur 🙂
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Although the Mont Blanc beer is quite good. I like the blond.
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Mont Blanc has been a dream for a long time ~ and last week met with a guy we do business with who lives in the Chamonix region, and so it is nice to see the beauty of Lac Blanc and Chamonix with your video and photos. A perfect way to spend time…
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Thanks Randall. Chamonix Mont-Blanc is my favourite area of the alps. So much to do there. Hope you get to visit someday.
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