Goillet lake

A stone's throw from Monte Cervino, which dominates it from a height of 4478 meters and its unmistakable almost pyramidal shape, is this small artificial lake with breathtaking colours.

The lake, located at a height of about 2520 meters above sea level, offers an incredible spectacle for the eyes and the spirit in summer: surrounded by very high granite peaks, dominated by perennial white snow, the blue of the lake is amplified thanks to the very light colored stone bottom, a very clean seabed, free of silt or sand.

The turquoise of Goillet lake it is therefore brilliant and crystalline, and both the peaks that surround it and the white clouds in the clear sky of the Valle d'Aosta are vainly reflected in it.

Origins of Lake Goillet

The Goillet Lake, whose name comes from the word goille which in the ancient Aosta Valley dialect indicates a small lake or a puddle of water, is an artificial basin that contains about 12 million cubic meters of water, whose formation dates back to the immediate post-war period. In fact, built between 1939 and 1946, the dam that encloses it, 48,60 meters high and 368 meters long, was erected with a monumental work to say the least, in order to regulate the hydroelectric energy available.

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Today, the water of the lake produces hydroelectric energy as it did then, but it is also used for the programmed snowmaking of the surrounding slopes, the Pista Ventina in particular, which due to global warming no longer receive the same amount of snow that they used to receive. in the past decades.

The dam was built thanks to the use of the railway that arrived in the Goillet lake area from above Les Perrères, now in disuse: the tracks however have remained as a historical memory, and recall how the materials for the construction of this massive man-made barrier.

How to reach Lake Goillet

Starting from Plan Maison, reachable by cable car or cable car, you can take a beautiful path that leads to Lake Goillet.

Plan Maison is located in the municipality of Valtournenche, in Valle d'Aosta, in the Breuil basin, at an altitude of 2561 meters above sea level. In winter it is a very popular place for ski and snowboard lovers, being within the Matterhorn Ski Paradise ski area.

In summer however, it offers sensational panoramas and lends itself as a starting point for numerous paths. The path that starts from Plan Maison and reaches Lake Goillet is an excursion-type path, accessible from July to September, about one kilometer and two hundred meters long, with an uphill gradient of only 29 meters: a simple path, suitable for large and children, which takes an average of between thirty and sixty minutes, and offers spectacular views and encounters with grazing cows, marmots and ibex.

It starts from the cable car station and goes up a few minutes until you reach a bar, at this point you take itinerary number 18, to the right of the bar, which leads up to a rocky escarpment just in front of the dam that gives rise to the lake . Continuing uphill to the Cime Bianche lift, just turn right to find yourself at the foot of the dam, or right to reach the shore of the lake itself.

What to do at Lake Goillet

The watchword at Lake Goillet is to fully appreciate nature. From the path that leads to this splendid aquifer, we meet animals, plants and flowers of rare beauty, and the majestic peak of the Matterhorn keeps us company all the time. Once you reach the lake, it's time to take off your shoes and relax on the front lawn, take spectacular photos with the Matterhorn in the background or the imposing dam, sunbathe and bird watch.

Lying on the edge of the lake we observe the surrounding peaks: in addition to the imposing Matterhorn, we can see the peaks of Dent d'Hérens (4171 m.), Punta Margherita (3905 m.), Les Jumeaux (3875 m.), Punta Budden (m. 3630), of the Tour du Créton (m. 3579), of the Cresta di Fürggen (m. 3492), of the Corno del Teodulo (m. 3472), of the Testa Grigia (m. 3480), and of the Gobba di Rollin (d. 3899).