Key facts

Distance: 8.3 km
Ascent: +284 m
Descent: −259 m
Estimated time: 2 hr 25; hiking ; trail running : 1 hr 05
Difficulty: Very easy; official rating
Route: Loop; back to the start

Profile and gradient

under 10%
10 to 20%
over 20%

Surface and path types

Surface: Paved 16%
Dirt & gravel 84%
Path types: Trail 35%
Track 49%
Road 16%

Description

1. From the car park, take the Joubelle trail (in the forest). Follow it for about an hour. If you want to go to the Joubelle cabin, follow the indications on the right "cabane de Joubelle." If you want to go directly to Saint-Apollinaire lake, take the steeply descending path on your left to Saint-Apollinaire lake. 2. The starting point for the Saint-Apollinaire lake trail is just before the one for the Joubelle cabin. If you have reached the Joubelle cabin, you’ve gone too far. From the lake, follow the GR 50 (red and white markings), which partially follows the paved road, then leaves it via a path on the left (300 meters after the lower parking lot). 3. Follow this path (Chemin des Faysses) along the mountainside until you rejoin the paved road below the station at the farm and place called "Forest du Bayle." From there, climb back to the resort on the road (800m).

Difficulty

Official rating: very easy, by Parc national des Écrins.

Getting there

Start: Station de Réallon, Réallon, Réallon (05).

Sources

Track: Parc national des Écrins, Licence Ouverte 2.0, Licence Ouverte 2.0 (Etalab) (destination.ecrins-parcnational.fr/trek/995601-Lac-de-Saint-Apollinaire). Time estimated by GPX Path with the Mac app rule, breaks not included.
Surface and path types: © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL, extract of 28 October 2026, matched to the track every 10 m (openstreetmap.org/copyright)
Official elevation gain: 284 m, Parc national des Écrins

Saint-Apollinaire lake