Lac de la Masse

Lac de la Masse is a small high-altitude lake in the municipality of Saint-Martin-de-Belleville, in the Savoie department, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of France. It sits in the Belleville valley, one of the three valleys that make up the famous Les Trois Vallées ski area alongside Val Thorens, Les Menuires and Méribel. This is a spot for travelers who want genuine high-mountain wilderness away from the busiest trails.

Where exactly is Lac de la Masse?

The lake lies at roughly 2,650 metres above sea level, just below the Pointe de la Masse (2,804 m) — the highest point of Saint-Martin-de-Belleville's territory and one of the signature panoramic summits of Les Trois Vallées. The surrounding terrain is classic high-alpine landscape: bare rock, alpine pasture, and several other small lakes within a few hundred metres.

How big is the lake?

Lac de la Masse is genuinely small: about 75 metres long and 35 metres wide, covering just under 2,400 m² (0.236 hectares). It reads more like a mountain tarn than a lake in the everyday sense, and it's precisely that intimate scale and isolation that give it its appeal.

Where does the water come from, and where does it go?

Lac de la Masse is the source of the Torrent du Lou. Downstream, its waters merge with flows from the Grand Lac de Montfiot and Petit Lac de Montfiot before reaching Lac du Lou, a larger and better-known lake in the same valley. The whole system eventually feeds the Doron de Belleville, the main watercourse of the valley.

How do you get to Lac de la Masse?

The Lou valley, where the lake sits, is one of the best-preserved corners of the Belleville valley — free of ski lifts and pistes in summer. The waymarked "Sentier des Lacs" trail network passes nearby, running past Lac du Lou and the Montfiot lakes, but reaching Lac de la Masse itself typically means leaving the main ridge route near Pointe de la Masse and descending off the marked path. This is a route for experienced, well-oriented hikers rather than a casual family walk. Saint-Martin-de-Belleville itself has more than 70 marked hiking trails, so the lake can easily be combined with a longer loop through the surrounding lakes.

What else is worth seeing nearby?

The closest landmark is Pointe de la Masse (2,804 m), reachable directly in summer by gondola from Les Menuires — the ride takes under eight minutes and climbs about 1,000 metres of elevation — leading to a viewing platform with a 360-degree panorama over the Trois Vallées peaks. It's also worth visiting Lac du Lou and the Grand and Petit Lac de Montfiot, which together form a popular lake-hopping loop in the Lou valley.

Frequently asked questions

Can you reach Lac de la Masse without hiking? No. The gondola from Les Menuires takes visitors up to Pointe de la Masse, but the lake itself sits lower down and in a different direction — reaching it requires walking, partly off the marked trail.

Are there ski lifts or pistes here in summer? The Lou valley, where the lake lies, is deliberately kept free of summer ski infrastructure, which is one reason it has retained its wild character.

What other lakes are nearby? Lac du Lou, Grand Lac de Montfiot and Petit Lac de Montfiot all sit close by and are fed by the same stream system as Lac de la Masse.

When is the best time to visit this area? Given the altitude (around 2,650 m), the area is realistically accessible only in summer, once the trails are clear of snow — it's worth checking local conditions before setting out.