Country:
District:
By car, from Barèges, follow the Tourmalet road (D918) and park in the large car park at Tournabou. For information: The old minor road leading up to the Tourmalet (via the Pont de la Gaubie) has been converted into the Laurent Fignon cycle path.
(S/E) From the Tournabou car park, look for the red and white markings ofthe GR®®10, heading due south. This will take you to the Pont de la Gaubie. Continue southwards along a track suitable for vehicles until it ends at a junction. Signpost: to the left, the Vallon d’Aygues Cluses; to the right, the Vallon des Coubous, with a 300-metre climb to reach the lake. You can see part of the hairpin bends of the ascent from the signpost.
(1) Turn right onto aPR®® (yellow markings). The first part of the path climbs gently to a footbridge. Immediately afterwards, right from the start, the gradient becomes steeper, crossed twice by a small, slow-flowing stream. Halfway up, you reach a small flat section and a small rise which you go round. On the second section, the switchbacks become shorter but the climb steeper. After the final hairpin bend, the path levels out considerably. A hundred metres further on, you pass above an Électricité de France substation. A few metres further on, you reach Lac Dets Coubous.
(2) From there, you must cross the dam. At the other end, the path veers right, climbing a small rise and continuing along the slope above on a gentle incline, until the spillway of Lac Dera Younco or La Jonquère. After about 200 m, at the foot of a small hill, you reach a fork.
(3) Follow the yellow-marked path which heads uphill to your left. Shortly afterwards, you will look out over Lac Blanc for a brief moment. Further on, after crossing a small scree slope, you will reach the spillway of Lac de Tracens.
(4) Leave the marked trail. Go round the lake on the right, higher up, until you reach a junction (alt. 2,254 m).
(5) You can reach Lac Nére below on the right.
Turn left. Follow the markings again and, via a series of gentle slopes, reach a few steep hairpin bends leading to another junction below the pass.
(6) Leave the ascent to Pic de Madaméte on your right.
Off the marked trail, continue climbing to the left to the Col de Tracens, where the view is superb.
(7) The descent from the pass on the Madaméte side is simply marked with cairns, leading to Lac de Madaméte and thus rejoining theGR®®10.
(8) From there, the return journey is straightforward, following the red and white markings ofthe GR®®10to the left (you’ll often meet other hikers here).
(9) Pass close to the new manned Aygues-Cluses refuge. Continue north-west on theGR®®10to reach the original junction.
(1) Then turn right onto the track, still on theGR®®10, and follow the reverse route of the outward journey to reach the car park (S/E).
Visorando member
Difficult 
Extremely difficult 
