Lake Font Viva
In a corner of the Porté valley we find the picturesque lake of Font Viva, which is located at the very base of the mountain range of the same name. This lake, rounded in shape and surrounded by small hills, delights fishermen who come to its surroundings in summer.
Technical Data
Access: Following the N-20 towards the Pimorent pass, we pass the villages of Tor de Querol and Porta. When we get to Porté we have to take a detour to the right with some signs that indicate: Carlit. We continue along the paved track to the car park located just above the dam of the Passet lake.
Start: Passet lake car park.
Difficulty: Very easy.
Maximum altitude: 1,890 m
Elevation gain: 185 m
Total duration: 1.30 h (45 min one way + 45 min return).
Time of year: All year round.
Notes: In winter it is a highly recommended snowshoe route.
Route
We take the path that begins to climb in front of the Passet car park in the direction of lake Lanós. A few meters further on, on the right, we find another less marked path that makes its way through the provence broom bush. We follow it, pass by some green pines and cross a first stream that descends from the Font Viva mountain range. We now continue along a small ridge and cross another stream. As we advance we see the lake Passet on the right, at the bottom of the valley.
Later we go up some small rocky terraces and pass by a shepherds’ stone shelter, which is located on the left side of the road. Finally we go out to a kind of grassy esplanade, where the landscape widens. You have to cross this diagonally inclined plane, in the direction of a small hill that rises at the end of the plane. When we get there, we cross this hill on the left and follow the marked path, which now passes through an area where we find several dry stone walls.
We continue up the path, which is always located under the same slope of the peak of Font Viva. We will still have to overcome a couple of more steps to reach a kind of pass, from which we can already see the Font Viva lake in front of us. From this pass, we see behind all the route we have traveled and also the Pic de Font Freda, which stands out powerfully on the horizon.
A minimum descent will take us in a few minutes to touch the shore of the Font Viva lake, where we see the remains of the old refuge. The path skirts the lake on the left and ends at a green esplanade on the east side of the lake (45 min). It is time to enjoy the enchanting landscape that surrounds us. To the west we see the mountains located in the Pas de la Casa sector, while to the south we clearly see the Colll Roig pass and peaks.
Map and altimetry
