Lake Vouglans winds for 35 kilometres through the gorges of the river Ain, and you can pick out its turquoise from a long way off. Behind it stands a considerable piece of engineering: the third largest reservoir in France. Beaches, watersports, viewpoints and a drowned monastery — here is everything you need for a day, or a week, beside the water.

The lake in numbers

• Length: 35 km, up to 900 m wide in places.
• Area: around 1,600 hectares, at about 429 m above sea level.
• Volume held: close to 600 million m³ — the third largest artificial reservoir in France.
• The dam: an arch dam, 103 m high, 427 m along the crest, around 545,000 m³ of concrete.
• In service since: 1968, after seven years of studies and five years of construction.
• Water temperature: 24 to 25 °C at the beaches in high summer.

Why the water is turquoise — and what lies beneath

The colour comes from fine limestone sediment suspended in the water, which scatters the light. It shifts with the light and the season, from deep petrol to bright turquoise.

The lake is younger than it looks. Power demand rose sharply after the war; studies for a large hydroelectric scheme on the Ain began in 1956 and work started in 1963. Around 600 people built it over five years, and an EDF village with a school, shops and a village hall was put up to house them.

The price was high. A whole stretch of valley disappeared: the hamlet of Le Bourget and its 150 or so inhabitants, several isolated farms, the old Pont de la Pyle — and above all the Chartreuse de Vaucluse, a Carthusian monastery founded in 1139. Only its gateway and two eighteenth-century pavilions could be dismantled and rebuilt near the lake. The rest lies at 45 metres down. Local legend has it that on a still day you can make out the outline of a bell tower — a good story for children during the boat trip.

The three beaches

All three are supervised in July and August, and access to the lake and the main car parks is free. Dogs are not allowed on these three supervised beaches.

• La Mercantine (Maisod): the busiest and best equipped, with a sandy bottom and a shallow entry. The reassuring choice with young children.
• Bellecin (near Orgelet): more natural, between sand and shaded lawns, accessible to visitors with reduced mobility, with a first-aid post and drinking water. The sailing club and the lake's sports centre are here too.
• Le Surchauffant (towards Thoirette, near the Pont de la Pyle): the liveliest, with a restaurant, a snack bar, a water-ski club and the jetty for the cruise boat.

The best viewpoints

Belvédère du Regardoir, Moirans-en-Montagne

The most complete view: two belvederes off a large free car park, one with picnic tables and panels on the history of the dam, the other with a telescope. The via ferrata starts here as well.

Belvédère de Coyron

On the lakes road between Maisod and the Pont de la Pyle, reachable directly by car, with an interpretation table. The quick stop when time is short.

Château Richard and the Pont de la Pyle

A short walk from the Pont de la Pyle car park brings you to a viewpoint with a shaded picnic area and the best view of the partly submerged medieval bridge. Its deck only really emerges when the water level drops, usually in late summer and autumn. For photographers it is the appointment of the year.

The dam path from Orgelet

To see the structure itself rather than just the lake, take this easy walk of about an hour and a half from the Orgelet car park. Looking down on 103 metres of concrete gives you the scale in a way no photograph does.

What to do at the lake

On the water

Pedalos, canoes, kayaks and paddleboards are easy to hire at La Mercantine and Bellecin. For water-skiing and jet-skiing, head for Le Surchauffant and the Port du Meix; at the lake's three harbours you can hire a boat with or without a licence and reach the inlets you cannot walk to. The Bellecin sports centre also runs canyoning, caving, climbing, archery and mountain-bike outings.

A cruise on the Louisiane

To see the lake without effort, board the Louisiane at the Port du Meix near the Pont de la Pyle — a boat built to look like a Mississippi paddle steamer. The standard commentated cruise lasts about an hour; there is also a lunch option and, on some Thursdays in summer, a sunset trip. It usually runs from late April to the end of September, daily in July and August, weekends and public holidays the rest of the season. Times and prices change each year, so check before you go.

Fishing

Pike, zander, carp, perch and trout: Vouglans is one of the favourite fishing waters in the Jura. A day or week permit is required, and one zone at the north end of the lake is reserved for anglers.

Walking and cycling

The full circuit of the lake is about 80 kilometres and is usually spread over several days, on foot or by mountain bike. For a day out, the shorter loops work better: the Sentier des belvédères at Moirans-en-Montagne, roughly two hours return and manageable by anyone; the Bellecin loop, about three hours with a few technical passages above the cliffs; and the dam path from Orgelet, about an hour and a half and easy. Stronger walkers can take on the Surchauffant cliff route, around twelve kilometres.

The Regardoir via ferrata

One of the finest climbing routes in the area starts at the Belvédère du Regardoir: ladders, overhangs, a monkey bridge and an impressive 90-metre suspended footbridge, for around 350 metres of climbing in total — with the lake below and air under your feet.

Two villages next door

To the south, Orgelet is a former fortified medieval town, pleasant to walk around and the starting point for several paths down to the lake. To the north, Moirans-en-Montagne guards its title as the toy capital of France, a craft born in the nineteenth century out of woodworking. Its Musée du Jouet, with several thousand pieces, is the best idea going for a rainy day with children.

Practical advice

• When to come: high season runs from mid-June to the end of August — supervised beaches, watersports open, water at its highest. Spring and autumn are far quieter, and the Pont de la Pyle shows more of itself.
• Getting there: the lake lies between Orgelet to the south and Moirans-en-Montagne to the north. Count about 40 km and an hour from Lons-le-Saunier, an hour and a quarter from Besançon via Champagnole, an hour and a half from Lyon and two hours from Geneva. A car is effectively essential: the sites are scattered around the shore and public transport is thin outside summer.
• The dam itself cannot be visited for safety reasons; you admire it from the viewpoints and paths around it.
• Open fires are banned all around the lake; only the barbecue areas laid out by the communes may be used.
• Water shoes are useful on the rockier stretches.

Where to stay

Our gîtes are around Orgelet, on the southern shore — the beaches and viewpoints are all a few minutes away. Our gîte with private spa and sauna and our studio in Orgelet are in the village itself; our group gîte takes a larger party, and our studio in the toy capital is at Moirans-en-Montagne, right by the Regardoir and the toy museum.

For the other outings nearby, see our guides to the Hérisson waterfalls, to hiking in the Jura and, with children, to family days out that actually work.

Questions before booking? The easiest way to reach us is by email: write to us in English and we will reply in English.

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