One of the Lanzo Valleys less known features, evidence of the great habitat variety they offer, is the presence of almost a hundred lakes, spread on the three main valleys. Large or small, with clear or murky waters, alpine lakes are a permanent feature of the Lanzo Valleys mountain landscape.

Famous and popular due to its easy accessibility, the scenic Monastero Lake is nestled among pastures and rhododendrons.

In the Val Grande we must recall the many lakes of the high Vassola lateral valley, in a wild and austere environment, among pastures and sheep rocks. The Gran Lago, the biggest natural lake of the Lanzo Valleys, is, among others, in the nearby Unghiasse valley. Other small lakes mitigate the high mountain landscape in the next Vercellina and Sagnasse lateral valleys. Other lakes are found on the opposite slope, along the GTA trail, in the Trione valley.

At the Val d’Ala head are the Vasuero, Ru and Mercurin lakes, nestled in a rocky and wild environment, on the Uja di Mondrone slopes, the Verdi, Paschiet and Afframont lakes in the Paschiet lateral valley.  In the Vallonetto small valley you will find the pretty Lago Casias and the faraway, iced almost the year around, Laghi Bianchi, isolated and not very popular. The Lago della Rossa is a classical hike starting from Rifugio Gastandi: it is a wide artificial lake between Val d’Ala and Val di Viù.

Nearby these two valleys watershed, on a plateau, there are the Lusignetto, Viana and the very beautiful Ovarda lakes.

A small lake is in the basin at the base of the Civrari summits in Val di Viù. The pretty Peraciaval lakes are in the Arnas lateral valley, nearby the Rifugio Cibrario. The small and remote Falin lake is in the valley climbing from Usseglio to the artificial Malciaussia basin. Uphill from Lago di Malciaussia, the Lago Nero, rich in legends, is, as far as size is concerned, second to Unghiasse Gran Lago only. In the small Turlo valley the are the very small Turlo lakes. The Autaret lakes, nearly always iced, are almost on the borderline with France.

This is a simple overview of how many and which lakes you may find in the Lanzo Valleys. The best thing to do is, as usual, go hiking and discover them personally.