Lac de Melo — Mountain Reflection

Lac de Melo sits at 1,711 m altitude in the upper Gorges de la Restonica above the mountain town of Corte in Haute-Corse, a glacially-carved cirque lake approximately 350 m long and 120 m wide. The lake is reached by a 2.2 km trail from the road-end parking area in the lower Restonica gorge, gaining roughly 350 m of elevation over a rocky path with fixed chains on the steeper sections. The photographic subject is the reflection: on calm mornings the still surface mirrors the surrounding peaks and cirque walls above, creating a precise horizontal division between rock and water. The peaks reach approximately 2,000 m on the eastern shore and the summit of Punta Muzella (2,260 m) frames the north end of the cirque. The reflection window is narrow: mountain winds typically rise by 09:00–10:00 in summer, rippling the surface and breaking the mirror. Arriving at the lake by 07:30 is generally sufficient from July onwards when the trail is clear of snow; in June the upper trail can retain ice patches until late in the morning, requiring care. Autumn from September to October extends the calm-morning window and adds orange-brown heather to the foreground vegetation, but the return to Corte must account for rapidly shortening days. A wide-angle lens (16–24 mm full-frame equivalent) is standard for the full cirque-and-reflection composition. A 2-stop graduated neutral density filter balances the bright sky against the darker lake surface. Arriving at dawn demands a head torch for the trail ascent, as the road-end parking is reached no earlier than 06:00 from Corte. The trail itself has no fee, though the Restonica gorge road-end car park charges a seasonal fee of approximately €5–7 per vehicle in summer. No drone flights are permitted within the Réserve Naturelle de Haute Corse without PNRC authorisation. There are no facilities at the lake; the nearest toilets are at the trailhead parking area.