💦 Lac des Chavants in Les Houches is a lovely destination for families throughout the year.

[ ⚠ note – please note that 💦 Lac des Chavants is NOT a swimming lake! ]

These days, the lake is referred to as a Base de Loisirs, as there are so many activities available. You can:

• 🌲 there are walking paths through the woods (suitable for buggies and bikes) & a parcours orientation; 
• you can 🎣 fish (with a permit);
• you can have a 🍏 picnic – there are picnic tables and BBQ facilities;
• there is a 🧗‍♂️ a fabulous rock climbing area;
• there is  a playground & climbing net;
• there are 🎾 tennis courts;
• in winter, there is cross-country skiing and 🛷 sledging;

There is even 💦 a little jet d’eau that shoots up from the lake . . . and an old telephone box used now as 📚 a book exchange (you’ll find mainly French and English books).

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Playground

There is a lovely little playground here with a climbing frame, and there is also a spider web climbing net.

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La Guinguette

There is a ☕️ lovely café called La Guinguette, right by the water’s edge. It is well-equipped for children, with high-chairs and some toys available. It is 🗓 open from the end of May to the end of September, 11h to 21h (shut on Mondays), and in ☀️ summertime, you will often find 🎵 concerts and special events happening here. In ❄️ winter it is open from December until April, ⏰ 11h to 19h, every day.

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Picnic tables and BBQs

There are at least 🍏 a dozen picnic tables dotted around 💦 Lac des Chavants, and I even spotted one in the forest on my walk . . . you’ll find some in the sun, some in the shade and some sol y sombra, depending on the time of day! There are also a couple of BBQ sites, and plenty of green grass to put your picnic blanket!

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Climbing at Lac des Chavants

There are 🧗‍♀️ 10 climbing routes on this slab of rock, ranging from 3 to 6A. The access is FREE and the site is 🗓 open from April until December. It is a superb spot to climb on ☀️ hot summer’s days, as the rock remains in the shade in the morning.

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Fishing at Lac des Chavants

From 🗓 mid-June to mid-September, you can 🎣 fish at Lac des Chavants, every day (except Monday) from 9h to 12h and from 14h to 19h / licence required.

💦 Lac des Chavants is also the perfect place to come to watch the 🦆 ducks (⚠ note: remember that bread is not good for ducks; it fills their tummies quickly, and then they think they are full and yet haven’t got the proper nutrients that they need!) or to look for 🐟 fish and 🐸 tadpoles (season dependent!).

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Walking & Biking

💦 Lac des Chavants is the perfect little loop for small children on foot, or with push-bikes or pedal bikes (just be careful that they stay away from the water’s edge!).

And you can head into 🌲 the forest for a longer walk, to make a cabane or to seek some shade. The 🐎 Chemin des Diligences (the old horse-drawn carriage route, which extended to Martigny) heads towards Servoz, where you can get to the forest and the ruins of the 🏰 old 14th century castle of Saint-Michel easily by bike or on foot. In summer the woods will provide you with some cool relief, with 💦🚵‍♂️ streams running through, and in 🍁 autumn you’ll have the beautiful colours!

I noticed on my last visit that some youngsters had put in place in the woods, 🚵‍♂️ some bumps for VTT bike fun!

There is also a 🌲 sentier botanique that heads up the path behind the climbing rock . . . this short hike is not really advertised anymore, but it is fun to do with children (note: children MUST be accompanied, as beyond the wooden barriers are the climbing rocks, and a sheer drop!), as there are some explanatory pannels and you’ll hike through myrtilles bushes. You’ll eventually come to a covered picnic table, located on a rock, and you’ll notice that this seems to be a popular destination for young adults (be careful, as there are pieces of glass beer bottles). You’ll get super views down over the 💦 Lac des Chavants from up here!

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Orienteering course (Parcours d’Orientation)

There are 18 different points (balises) to find on the 🗺 « Parcours d’Orientation » at 💦 Lac des Chavants. You can pick up a copy of the fiche from your Tourist Office in Les Houches (there are several other orienteering courses in the Chamonix Valley; see here).

website details / pdf copy 

MBFF had a lot of fun doing 🗺 this parcours orientation in autumn – the colours and the light were just wonderful!

[ ⇒ to read about MBFF’s experience on this parcours d’orientation (we LOVED it!), see here ]

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Tennis Courts

There are 🎾 six tennis courts available and you can rent these out by the hour . . . in the summer, there are lessons and stages for children from 4 years.

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Children’s leisure club 

During the school holidays, 🌈 the leisure club at Lac des Chavants accepts children from 18 months to 11 years in the winter, and in the summer from 3 to 5 years. Thanks to the large exterior area, games and workshops take place both indoors and outdoors.  See the Tourist Office for information and forms to fill out to sign-up.

address: Club Enfants des Chavants, allée des Diligences, 74310, Les Houches;

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Wintertime at Lac de Chavants

⛷ ESF Piou Piou ski club sledging – in ❄️ wintertime, the lakeside area becomes home to the ESF Piou Piou club for tiny skiiers;

🛷 sledging area – the sledging is 🗓 open from December to March (depending on snow conditions), and there are two sledging areas available: the Petite Tortue for 2-6 year olds and the Petit Lièvre for 6+ year olds. Children must be accompanied by an adult, and it is recommended that they wear helmets. Ski boots are NOT allowed in this zone.

There is sometimes a softplay structure in winter :

❄️ cross-country skiing & snow-shoeing – depending on ❄️ snow conditions, the cross-country skiing route is 🗓 open from December until March. There are two loops of about 3km, which head around the lake and into the forest;

❄ strolls in the forest – what a super, winter wonderland!

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Activities from Animations de la Vallée de Chamonix

Throughout the year, there are plenty of activites organised around Lac des Chavants: concerts, BBQs, treasure hunts . . .

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Practical Information

🅿 parking: lots of FREE parking on-site (very busy during the winter season as skiers using 🚡 Prarion lift fill it quickly!);

website

address: Lac des Chavants, 148 allée des Dilligences, Les Chavants, 74310, Les Houches