Étang de Léon, Freshwater lake in Léon, France

Étang de Léon is a freshwater lake covering about 340 hectares in the Landes region, surrounded by forests on all sides. The water connects to the Atlantic Ocean through a channel called Courant d'Huchet.

The lake lies between Léon and Vielle-Saint-Girons and receives the waters of La Palue and its tributaries, draining into the Courant d'Huchet. Most Landes wetlands disappeared after the drainage works carried out under Napoleon III under the law of 19 June 1857, which makes the surviving ones ecologically important. The water body was classified as a natural site by ministerial decree on 13 June 1968, and its banks were classified by a Conseil d'État decree on 23 June 1980 because of urban pressure.

The lake drains into the Courant d'Huchet, a small coastal river that reaches the Atlantic. Its western part, together with that river, was classified as a special protection zone in February 1988 and joined the Natura 2000 network. The lake lies partly within the national nature reserve of the Courant d'Huchet.

Supervised swimming areas open from July to August with parking and picnic facilities nearby. Walking paths with smooth surfaces make it easy for people with limited mobility to move around.

The lake lies partly within the Courant d'Huchet national nature reserve, and its western part was classified as a special protection zone in February 1988 together with the Huchet stream, joining the Natura 2000 network. The water body itself was classified as a natural site by ministerial decree on 13 June 1968, and the shores followed by a Conseil d'État decree of 23 June 1980.