Lac de Charpal, Artificial reservoir in Lozère, France

Lac de Charpal is an artificial reservoir in Lozère situated at 1326 meters elevation in the Margeride region. The water is surrounded by coniferous forests and wetland vegetation that create the surrounding landscape.

This reservoir was built between World War I and World War II to secure water supply for the region. A railway line constructed in 1923 transported construction materials for the dam.

The lake's name comes from the hamlet of Charpal, chosen in the 1920s as an uninhabited site for a munitions depot. Today it is France's largest no-kill pike fishing lake, and the surrounding forest is mostly pines and spruces. The GR 43 long-distance path crosses part of the former railway embankment.

A marked 8.7 km loop circles the lake, laid out by the communauté de communes de la Haute Vallée d'Olt. Long stretches of it run on wooden boardwalks (caillebotis) that carry walkers across the peat bogs for several hundred metres at a time. Part of the former railway trackbed is now followed by the GR 43 long-distance path. Camping is prohibited around the lake.

Lac de Charpal is France's largest no-kill pike fishing lake. Anglers come specifically for this rule, which returns every pike caught to the water. The lake is fed by the Colagne and supplies drinking water to Mende and neighbouring communes.