Les Monts d'Olmes - Moulzoune and Taula circular aerial

Wide open spaces with aerial views of the Monts d'Olmes massif; reminders of an industrial past with old quarries; paths through the forest, then along ridges offering magnificent panoramic views, a small lake, two huts... Simply bliss for a family walk that everyone can enjoy!

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 7.60 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 15 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 380 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 381 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,652 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1,292 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Park in the Moulzoune car park.

(S/E) The path climbs, marked in yellow, along a grassy track through the heart of the beech forest to the small artificial lake of Moulzoune, used for breeding Atlantic salmon (picnic tables).

(1) Continue climbing on the left side of the reservoir. Just follow the markings to discover the plateau of the old Fangas mines, where an old concrete platform supports the rusted remains of old mine cars. The view of the lake is already magnificent.

(2) Turn right, backwards, to pass close to the ruins of the old mine buildings (kitchen, dining hall, dormitories, management buildings) and continue climbing to the small Cabane du Vacher (1592 m).

(3) A final steep climb leads to the ridge, where you can see the Monts d'Olmes resort and Le Fourcat opposite.
The route then continues to the left and, almost immediately, you will see a signpost. Leave the path to the right towards Pic Saint-Barthélemy and head left, along the mountainside, to the stony pass of the old Porteille quarry (1,650 m).

(4) A short detour to the right reveals the old ruined buildings and the steam engine that used to haul ore up the southern slope.
Retrace your steps for a short descent and climb up the steep slope opposite to reach a wide, flat path that was probably used for transporting wagons.
At the pass, descend to a standing stone and, about 100 m further on, climb the slope, off the trail, to discover the Cabane de Taula (1,670 m) on the other side of the mountain and on the ridge.
The view is magnificent, perfect for a well-deserved break.

(5) Continue along the grassy track that opens up from the hut and joins the marked path leading to the foot of Roc de la Gourgue, where it is easy to climb for a magnificent view of the Château de Montségur.

(6) The route turns left and joins a wide track that descends into the forest and, after a few hairpin bends, returns to the Moulzoune car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 1,297 m - Moulzoune car park
  2. 1 : km 0.44 - alt. 1,368 m - Lac de Moulzoune
  3. 2 : km 1.24 - alt. 1,481 m - Flat area of the old Fangas mines
  4. 3 : km 1.98 - alt. 1,571 m - Cabane du Vacher (1,592 m)
  5. 4 : km 2.77 - alt. 1,630 m - Col de l'ancienne carrière de la Porteille
  6. 5 : km 3.9 - alt. 1,650 m - Taula Hut (1,670 m)
  7. 6 : km 4.94 - alt. 1,582 m - Foot of Roc de la Gourgue
  8. S/E : km 7.6 - alt. 1,297 m - Moulzoune car park

Notes

Access:
From Montferrier, climb the D9 towards Montségur before turning right onto the D909 towards the Monts d'Olmes resort. After a few hairpin bends and 4.9 km, turn left onto the Mines track (open to traffic) for 3.2 km, until you reach the Moulzoune car park (1,296 m).

Remember to bring water: there are no refreshments available along the route (neither at the Sept Font fountain nor at the Cabane de Taula).

Good walkers will only need 2 hours (excluding breaks) to complete the circular.

(1) Lac de Moulzoune: Picnic area
(5) Cabane de Taula: please note, there is no water!

Worth a visit

Montségur Castle and Museum.
Waterfall and Sacrificial Stone at La Peyregarde (Montferrier).
The Gorges de La Frau (Fougax and Barrineuf).
Intermittent spring at Fontestorbes (Bélesta).

(2) Mining has weakened the ground to such an extent that in May 2002, a section of the mountain collapsed. Several hundred-tonne boulders rolled down the slope and reached the old quarry pit, destroying one of the old service buildings. The hiking trail has since been diverted.
(4) First mined in 1809, the quarry was taken over in 1895 by the Société des Talcs de Luzenac. A 4 km cable car transported the ore down to the Sainte-Catherine de Montferrier grinding plant. The mine employed up to 800 people at its peak before closing permanently in 1968, by which time 100,000 tonnes of talc had been extracted.

Reviews and comments

4.7 / 5
Based on 16 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.9 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.6 / 5
Route interest
4.6 / 5
Droogy
Droogy

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 06, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Taken on 29 December, despite footprints that were probably left in the days following the snowfall, I didn't encounter anyone at all. It was an easy walk, so I left my snowshoes in the boot of the car, but they would have been useful in some places. I did it without any equipment (no snowshoes or poles), and it was fine except for a few places where the snow was up to my calves. It was a sunny and very rejuvenating day. There was a beautiful view of Pic St Bartelemy, especially from the Taula hut where I had my picnic.

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Nadia89
Nadia89

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 17, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very pleasant route; accessible elevation gain
Forest road in fairly poor condition for 2 km before reaching the car park

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gaestel
gaestel

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 11, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike accessible to all, best enjoyed in good weather with superb views.
Climb up to Roc de la Gourgue to enjoy the best panoramic views.

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Manechene
Manechene

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 04, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Description I would add one caveat to the description of the hike, which is otherwise quite good, and thank the person who shared it.
Point number 5 should be changed in my opinion: towards the ruins of Taulat's hut, you have to turn left 50 metres before the ruins. Sometimes cows camp there. We did this with a friend, and the cows were accompanied by some calves. So there was no question of getting close to them. This meant that, with the description provided, we continued towards the ruins... and lost the trail, of course. We wasted a lot of time looking for the path. But this hike is very beautiful.

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vivi 31
vivi 31

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 18, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

An easy trail, beautiful views and hundreds of flowers in season – this hike is a real delight in fine weather!

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elyougo
elyougo
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 02, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hike done in early March, in the middle of winter, at 5°C and good weather at 1600m.

The top of the hike is quite snowy, so bring walking poles and good waterproof shoes, or even crampons for certain short, very steep sections that are currently snow-covered (if they freeze, as they are located on the north side). There are indeed three areas that are a little daunting with the snow, either because of their steepness or because they run alongside a ravine , we followed the few tracks left by other hikers to find our way in these places.

Although it is undoubtedly safer to do it without snow, it was truly magnificent to discover it this way! No regrets!

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Mickael31
Mickael31

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 23, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful and accessible hike.
The scenery is superb. It took us four hours, including several breaks to admire the scenery and stop for a picnic.
The start of the hike is the most physically demanding part, after which there is a flat section along the ridge before descending.
There was a little snow and ice, so make sure you wear suitable footwear!
The GPS cannot find the Moulzoune car park, so you have to go via Montferrier, then take the D909 and turn left onto the forest road. The car park is at the end. We entered "étang de moulzoune" into Waze and it took us to the car park.

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DmzTlse
DmzTlse
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 26, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Hike completed on 23 August with a magnificent sea of clouds.
Don't hesitate to take a short detour (20 minutes) to Roc de la Gourgue to enjoy the view of Montségur Castle.
The hike took us 3 hours and 10 minutes, including a lunch break and detour to Roc de Gourgue.
Google Maps doesn't know how to get to the pkg by car... but Apple Maps found the route just fine.

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Dante31190
Dante31190

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 16, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The hike lives up to its description. Once you reach the first pass, you have access to the two peaks, Han and Galinat. Very beautiful pond. 😊

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Lisa ka
Lisa ka

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 15, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

We did the hike in overcast weather, so we couldn't enjoy the scenery
But the route is very pleasant and easy, pretty and very green. Lots of cows and goats in herds.
Perfect for a short warm-up and not far from Toulouse.
However, if, like me, your satnav can't find the starting point of the hike, you should note that the Moulzoune car park is at the end of the forest track (in good condition) in the Montferrier forest, which you take on the left a few kilometres after leaving the village on the D909.

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Xadu
Xadu

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 14, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Good description, accurate, very useful

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Patrice09
Patrice09

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 15, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant short walk, with the remains of old quarries. Beautiful views.

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Philippe Garcelon
Philippe Garcelon

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 15, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

I completed this circular snowshoe loop from Pog de Montségur. There were no particular difficulties except for a tricky 200-metre stretch on the southern slope after passing the Taula hut and the old Porteille quarry. This section requires crossing a steep slope where the trail is no longer visible. To be on the safe side, it is best to bypass this section by climbing up to the ridge and then descending as soon as possible (do not follow it for too long as it leads to a dangerous ravine) to rejoin the trail.

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jpa31500
jpa31500

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 06, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A beautiful hike. After passing the cowherd's hut, we made a round trip to Planas (a beautiful viewpoint).
You can also visit the small peaks (1,679 m, 1,698 m, 1,678 m) on the ridge before arriving at the Taula hut.

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FT31
FT31

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 27, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful, easy hike with stunning panoramic views and an interesting and moving insight into the lives of miners. Climb up to Roc de la Gourgue for a breathtaking view of Montségur. The return trip along the forest track is quick and easy, but if you have time, it's worth taking the same route back to enjoy the scenery a second time. Thank you to the author of this hike.

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