Climbing the Roc du Caroux

Park in the walkers’ car park located before the hamlet of Douch.

Parking on the small square near the communal bread oven and in the narrow lanes is strictly reserved for permanent residents.

(S/E) Set off towards the Col de l’Airole, then turn left about a hundred metres further on, onto the path marked with a GR® (red and white markings) and a PR® (yellow markings). Climb up to the plateau via this path, shaded by a deciduous forest. A steep climb of around 500 m before reaching a crossroads on the Caroux plateau.

(1) Continue straight on, following the dual markings. Walk along a lovely flat path that winds its way between small stumps, streams, peat bogs and heathland, leading to the edge of a forest, where several paths meet.

(2) Carry on straight ahead, veering slightly to the right, following the double markings. Enter the shade of a deciduous forest and cross a log bridge. Emerge from the undergrowth onto a large clearing, with the Font Salesse refuge in sight. You’ll reach it shortly.

(3) After visiting the refuge, turn 90° to the left, continuing to follow the yellow markings, and head for the orientation table.

(4) Enjoy the panoramic view over the Orb Valley and, on clear days, the sea, Mont Canigou and the Pyrenees. Then rejoin the yellow-marked trail, which heads north at a 90° angle to the left of the orientation table. Follow this flat, stony path until you reach a junction of several well-marked tracks, past a large cairn in the middle of the path.

(5) Then take the path turning 90° to the left, heading once again towards the Refuge de Font Salesse.

(3) Walk past the building again and head straight on along a narrow single-track path through the grass. You’ll reach the Plo de la Maurelle, a vast promontory offering sublime panoramic views over the Orb valley and the start of the Héric Gorges. Continue down the steep path marked with dark blue dots until you reach the Rieu Tort stream. Please note that the descent is short but technical and must be tackled calmly and with care, ideally in dry weather (signs warn of risks to knees and ankles).

(6) Cross the Rieu Tort stream, a shaded and idyllic spot perfect for a picnic. Stop following the blue markers and head straight up in front of you, then turn left as you climb up the Rieu Tort valley, with the Roc du Caroux in your sights a few hundred metres away. Make your way across a sloping heathland until you reach the foot of the rocky massif, at the foot of a large beech tree. Make the final 100-metre climb over the rocks to reach the summit, marked by a cairn.

(7) After admiring the view overlooking the Gorges d’Héric, head back down the Rieu Tort valley. Leave the approach path on your right and keep to the left towards Espinouse, rather than towards the Caroux plateau as you did earlier. The path gradually widens into a track which you follow for nearly 500 m until you reach a junction on the left, marked by a small cairn (follow the GPS track carefully; don’t miss the junction).

(8) Head down this track through the rocks (the Lucadou track, usually used by hunters) to quickly reach the Col de l’Airole.

(9) Turn right and, once on the pass’s meadow, take the track to the right for about a hundred metres, then veer left to follow a path that leads directly back to the car park (S/E).

Reminder: comply with the regulatory requirement to park your vehicles only in the car park located at the entrance to the hamlet. Parking on the small square near the bread oven and in the narrow streets is strictly reserved for permanent residents.

Water point in the hamlet of Douch.

Most of the circuit is in full sun => be prepared before you set off.

Network accessible throughout the circuit, at high altitude.

Visit to the hamlet of Douch.

Sainte-Marie de Douch Church.

Héric Gorges.