Lake Montriond is stunningly beautiful. Drive past on the road from Morzine to Les Lindarets (the ‘goat village’) on a sunny day and the glimpses of the still turquoise water against the dramatic mountain backdrop are enough to virtually stop you in your tracks.
It’s impossible to pass by and not want to stop to take a closer look, a walk around it or, on a hot day, an extremely inviting swim.
Our week in nearby Les Gets was gloriously hot and sunny and, on a day when it got too hot to contemplate walking or biking in the mountains, we decided – along with most other nearby holidaymakers it seemed – to head for Montriond and spend the day relaxing by the lake and hiring kayaks and stand-up paddle boards.
Parking at Lake Montriond on a busy day is difficult – the free lakeside car park quickly fills up early in the morning, leaving only roadside parking which could leave you with a long walk from the car on a really busy day, so get there early if you can.
The lake has a flat, circular path you can walk all the way around, which leads to numerous spots to sit, sunbathe or swim from, but most people sit themselves on the big grassy area near the car park, which is close to a restaurant, a little mini lake that’s been sectioned off for children with shallow water – and the Lake Montriond paddle board hire and kayak hire shop.
We could easily spend the whole day just sat here by the lake, never getting bored of the stunning natural beauty of the surroundings.
On a hot day like this one, the lake is perfect for swimming. Cool and refreshing, dead flat and calm – although it gets very deep very quickly from the shore so perhaps not ideal for very young children or un-confident swimmers. Although, as mentioned, the shallow mini lake is ideal for those.
We bought our lunch in the lakeside restaurant (choosing their take-away option) and booked some stand-up paddle boards and kayaks to hire for an hour.
Be aware at busy times you have to pre-book these quite a way in advance. We had to wait about 3-hours from booking until our allocated time slot.
When the time came we kitted up with the supplied lifejackets and headed out on to the lake on our paddle boards and kayaks.
You have total freedom to explore the entire lake, as long as you’re back within an hour.
You can escape to the peace of the far end of the lake where virtually no-one was, or stay around the busier end nearer the hire shop.
We had a brilliant time splashing around, swapping between the kayak and the paddle boards, the children racing and playing together on them while we took photos (useful to have a waterproof bag to keep your camera / phone in if you’re using a kayak. You probably wouldn’t want to bring a camera or phone on the paddle board though).
The hour on the paddle boards was over too soon – we could easily have spent two or more out there.
If you have your own stand-up paddle board or kayak and you’re coming to Morzine or Les Gets on holiday, bring them with you – Lake Montriond on a sunny summer day is absolutely perfect for them!
- Find Lake Montriond on Google Maps here