Lacs de Frémamorte

Lacs de Frémamorte is a cluster of high-altitude lakes in the commune of Valdeblore, deep inside Mercantour National Park in the Alpes-Maritimes. Sitting above 2,300 metres, right below the ridge that marks the border with Italy, this group of lakes forms one of the more remote corners of the massif — quieter than the neighbouring Lac Nègre or Lac de Graveirette, though the three are often linked together on the same loop hike.

What exactly are the Lacs de Frémamorte?

Despite the singular-sounding name, Frémamorte is not one lake but an entire chain of them, spread across a rocky glacial cirque. On the French side, several lakes step down one below the other like natural retention basins; across the border, on Italian ground, another string of lakes fills a deep, stark mineral valley. The whole group sits right beside the Col de Frémamorte, a border pass at roughly 2,600 metres, and just above it rises the Cime de Frémamorte, a peak reaching about 2,730 metres.

How do you get there?

The usual starting point is the car park at Salèse, in the Haute-Vésubie valley, from where a steady, well-graded path climbs through larch and spruce forest. Depending on the route chosen — a shorter loop to the lakes or a longer traverse over the pass and border ridge — the hike covers roughly 13 to 16 kilometres round trip with 550 to 950 metres of elevation gain. Given the altitude, the area is really only accessible from summer into early autumn; outside that window snow covers the ground, and the pass itself becomes a destination for winter snowshoe outings.

What will you see along the way?

Beyond the lakes themselves, whose colour shifts from deep turquoise to near-navy depending on the light, the trail crosses slopes where rhododendrons bloom in summer, and near the old military barracks at the col it is common to spot chamois grazing the rocky ground. The view from Col de Frémamorte is one of the widest in this part of Mercantour: French valleys unfold on one side, the Italian peaks of the Argentera massif on the other.

Where does the name come from?

Frémamorte comes from "femme morte," meaning "dead woman," and refers to a local legend about the wife of the lord of Saint-Dalmas-de-Valdeblore. She is said to have fled toward her native Piedmont to escape mistreatment, but died at the pass — and the name stuck, eventually attaching itself to the whole chain of lakes and the peak above.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many lakes make up the Lacs de Frémamorte? It's a chain of several lakes stepped through a rocky cirque on both sides of the French-Italian border, some in France and some just across the line in Italy.

How high up are the lakes? They start above 2,300 metres, with the nearby Col de Frémamorte reaching around 2,600 metres.

Where's the best place to start the hike? The car park at Salèse, in the Haute-Vésubie valley, is the most common starting point for loops that take in both the lakes and the pass.

Is Lacs de Frémamorte the same place as Lac Nègre? No — it's a separate group of lakes in the same Valdeblore and Mercantour National Park area. Lac Nègre and Lac de Graveirette lie nearby and are often combined on the same route, but they are distinct lakes in a different spot.