Petit tour en famille aux mares de Craquenot
Discover the Mares de Craquenot on a shaded family walk. This round-trip route takes you through former gravel pits. The area is now designated a Sensitive Natural Area and is home to a remarkable array of wildlife.
Once a bathing spot and later a landfill site, the area is now protected due to the exceptional richness of its natural habitats.
Over a distance of just a few hundred metres, you’ll pass through a mosaic of landscapes comprising ponds, dry grasslands and woodland, each home to remarkable flora and fauna.
Ponds provide a vital habitat for several rare and protected species, such as the crested newt and the natterjack toad, as well as for heritage plants such as marsh germander.
The dry grasslands, situated on gravelly, well-drained soil, are fragrant with thyme and wild thyme – plants that are essential to the very rare wild thyme blue butterfly, an iconic species of unspoilt natural habitats.
The site is also recognised as an excellent spot for observing dragonflies. No fewer than 40 species have been recorded there, representing more than half of the species found in the Isère department.
Meanwhile, in the old poplar trees of the neighbouring woodlands, several species of woodpecker find an ideal habitat in which to forage and nest.
Route details
Opening
All year round daily.
Informations to download
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Latitude : 45.806066
Longitude : 5.361483
Height : 253
38390 Charette
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Information updated on 15/07/2026
by Office du Tourisme Les Balcons du Dauphiné
