Lac Lérié, Mountain lake on the Emparis plateau, La Grave, France

Lac Lérié is a high mountain lake located at 2,450 meters (8,040 feet) elevation in the Oisans massif, cradled between rocky peaks and steep slopes. The water sits within a landscape of alpine meadows and rock formations that define the rugged character of this altitude zone.

The lake formed during glacial periods when moving ice carved valleys and hollows into the landscape of the Oisans massif. These geological processes created the basin that now holds water at this altitude.

The lake sits on the Emparis plateau, summer pasture land above La Grave, and the walk to it is a popular day hike from the village. Its still surface works as a mirror: the Meije, the Râteau and the Girose glacier are reflected in the water, a view noted in the 1974 Reader's Digest guide to France's natural sites.

Access to the lake is via marked hiking trails starting from La Grave, with the walk taking several hours depending on your starting point. Visitors should bring proper equipment for rapidly changing mountain weather and sturdy footwear for steep sections.

South of the lake, a 1,200-metre cliff drops above the right bank of the Romanche. From there the view takes in La Meije, Le Râteau and the Girose glacier, all mirrored in the still water of this lake-mirror.