Activities at Serre Ponçon lake

Dive head first into the activities at Lake Serre-Ponçon, between nautical activities, cultural visits, outdoor sports, gastronomy and nature … For your family vacation, your romantic weekend, or your day with friends, there is something for everyone! Swimming, boat or paddle rental, mountain biking, paragliding, wine cellars, hiking and heritage are on the program.

Presentation of the Serre-Ponçon lake

Lake Serre-Ponçon is located at the crossroads of Hautes-Alpes and Alpes de Haute-Provence. A tourist pillar of the Southern Alps, it enjoys massive sunshine, while offering freshness and many activities. It is often said that it is “the sea in the mountains”, since it is possible the same day to go hiking at 2000m altitude and three hours later to sunbathe on a rental boat in the middle of the lake. Lake Serre-Ponçon ranks first in the ranking of the largest artificial lakes in France, and one of the largest land dams in Europe.

A natural setting

The lake is part of unspoiled natural landscapes, made of spectacular mountain ranges such as:

Exceptional water

Its lagoon blue color comes from its tributaries, such as the Ubaye or the Durance, which load the lake water with minerals and sediments, and give it an absolutely memorable turquoise. The scenery is total, you have the impression of being in the coral reef of a paradise island!

Only about fifteen kilometers of shoreline is developed, out of the 90km in total. Nature remains largely in the panorama, made up of mountains and forests. These mountains with steep slopes prevent any construction and offer the Serre-Ponçon lake the assurance of not being concreted in the surroundings.

A historic dam

Following floods and water shortages which impacted local life at the end of the 19th century, the water retention project via the construction of a dam saw the light of day around 1959. The newly formed lake became the largest water reservoir of France, the water reserve of the Provence region, for agriculture and drinking water. Its area covers more than 2800 hectares, it is 20km long and 3km wide.

Visit of Serre-Ponçon lake

The Serre-Ponçon lake is home to several places suitable for a visit:

La chapelle St Michel
Le barrage et la maison de l’eau et des énergies
Le muséoscope du lac
The Center of Architecture and Patrimoine in Savines
Visit the lake by boat
The hanging oak of Bois-Vieux
The lake of St Apollinaire
The cascade de la Pisse
The Giants' pot

Water sports at Serre-Ponçon lake

About ten equipped beaches await you all around the lake, in addition to the creeks and natural and wild places accessible by boat or canoe. The water is pure, and an aquasplash park awaits you for hours of fun in Ubaye Serre-Ponçon.

For the practice of the boat, 13 ports and pontoons offer rings to park them. All licenses are accepted for navigation (offshore, river, coastal). You can launch your own boat or hire a boat to indulge in nautical pleasures. With sufficiently powerful boats you can complete with towed buoys, water skiing or wake boarding. Sightseeing boats are also available at the Embrun lake.

Nautical pleasures also go through lighter boats such as:

From June to September you can rent this equipment in a nautical base. To enhance or spice up your swim, this equipment will encourage you to adventure and explore the lake.

Sports activities Serre-Ponçon

Cultural outings in Serre-Ponçon

Heritage and history

with for example the Abbey of Boscodon, the Place St Pierre in Barcelonnette or the Château des Magnans in Jausiers

Arts and museums

with the Capucins contemporary art center in Embrun or the lake museum

Theaters and cinemas

Théâtre La Passerelle à Gap, les cinémas de Gap et d’Embrun

Enjoy nature in Serre-Ponçon

The parc National des Ecrins

Endless hikes to high-altitude lakes, waterfalls, forests and mountain pastures are part of the activities of the Ecrins National Park, which starts from the foot of the lake to the snow-capped peaks over 3000m.

Hikes

Take a tour of the lake, explore Chanteloube and St Michel, explode your retina at Pic du Morgon or St Apollinaire, attack the Aiguilles de Chabrières, Réallon or Les Orres, walk the trails on the Ubaye side . Choose the difficulty and duration of your hikes in the breathtaking landscapes of the Southern Alps.

Fishing

Fishing is known to be good on Lake Serre-Ponçon! Whitefish, pike, carp and trout inhabit the waters of the lake. Fishing is allowed all year round following the regulations. A no-kill course is offered at the mouth of the Durance. The lake is classified as a passion course by the Hautes Alpes fishing federation.