This hike has been on my list for a while now. We finally had the perfect opportunity to see this mountain dam and lake up close. When my friend suggested we go to Crans-Montana, we couldn't refuse. And we were lucky to be able to sleep at our friends' place after the long walk of the day.
We left Rolle early in the morning and arrived in Crans-Montana in the morning. The road took us about 2 hours without traffic. The weather was also with us. In spite of a mediocre weather forecast, a great sun without clouds was waiting for us in Crans-Montana.
Biss du Ro
The Biss du Ro seemed to us the best option to get to the lake. Having parked the car at the Plan Mayens in the heights of Crans-Montana, we joined the trail directly from the parking. The Biss du Ro was far from being a monotonous path: following the Biss on all its course, the trail goes along the right side of gigantic cliffs creating dizzy angles on our left. Wooden footbridges are built above the void when the cliff takes over the path blocking its passage. Dogs must be kept on a leash because a fall would be fatal. We also strongly recommend a harness to ensure their safety.
The landscape changed as soon as we reached the Biss du Ro footbridge. It was at this precise moment that I realized that I was in fact suffering from vertigo. When I saw the footbridge, I froze in place, unable to move forward. However, as there was no other alternative, I had to go. It was far from pleasure for me personally, but with Rio in my arms, Antoine in front and our friends behind me, I was able to cross slowly but surely. I strongly recommend carrying small dogs as the bottom of the bridge is not closed.
View on the Lake of Tseuzier
Once on the other side, we could notice that the cliffs on our right were moving away slowly, creating a gorge. Some natural obstacles remained on the road: waterfalls, snow remnants or graphite beds. Taking the time to refuel with fresh water in the mountain streams, we reached the lake in about 1h30 after 9km.
With the cloudless sky, the view was magnificent. We arrived from an overhanging path which allowed us to discover the lake a little more with each step. In the open and in the hollow of the mountain, we were surprised by a wind that the cliffs had protected us from until now. The Gite de Lourantze was unfortunately closed due to the fact that we were in mid-season. We would have probably gone around the lake to share a fruit pie if the gite could have welcomed us.
Two bars of cereal, some croquettes, and a banana later, we started our return by retracing our steps. We were already dreaming of the well-deserved aperitif back in Crans. Personally, I was just thinking about the fact that I was going to have to cross the footbridge again...
With the dogs
This hike is not the most dog-friendly one.
It is important to keep the dogs on a leash all along the Biss du Ro because of its cliffs, narrow paths and suspension bridge. We put a sport harness on each of our dogs to help them during this hike. Moreover, the round trip is 18km in total, with 500 meters of difference in altitude. Our dogs are used to doing these distances, which is not necessarily the case for all dogs. We were careful to take enough water and food for our dogs.
We also made several breaks so that they could recover. For more information about hiking with your loulous, read: Trail running with your dog.
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