Roc Rouge and Rouquières loop

The hike starts in Comus. In the village, park in the car park in the courtyard of the former village school. The route is marked with yellow PR® signs and, on the last section, follows the GR® 367 (white and red signs). A few directional signs for "Roc Rouge/Rouquières" (orange signs) are dotted along the trail.

(S/E) When you leave the car park, take the street on the left and head up towards the top of the village, following the Col du Boum road until you reach the municipal garage.

(1) Take the street on the left at the crossroads and follow the paved road until you reach a track climbing up on the left. At the start of this fork, there is a bench and a signpost.

(2) Leave the paved road and take the track on the left that climbs north-west. Pass a kennel, then an apiary on your right.

(3) Climb up a path until you reach a large pasture. Continue on the path indicated by the signpost.

(4) Follow the path as it curves to the right, quickly following a steep slope. This climb leads to a more open grassy area. This is the junction of the two loops forming a figure of eight.

(5) From this point, you can abandon the climb to Sarrat de Rouquières and turn right towards Roc Rouge, thus completing the first of the two loops where there are directional signs.
Otherwise,continue left towards the second loop. Follow a less steep slope to reach Sarrat de Rouquières, where you can enjoy a magnificent view of the Gorges de la Frau, the Trimouns talc quarry and the Montagne de Tabe.

(6) Take the path on the right to reach the junction with the outward route.

(5) Follow the path on the left to the summit of Roc Rouge (Le Poumairol). On the way, you can admire the viewpoint over Comus.

(7) Return to the trail and descend to the right on a fairly steep slope to reach the Col du Boum.

(8) From the pass, return to Comus by following the Cathar trail on the right, GR® 367 marked in white and red. This trail first follows the paved road before branching off to the right onto a trail. At the end of this trail, cross the paved road and continue on the other side until you reach the village.

(1) Turn left at the municipal garage and descend to the old school square (S/E).

From the Col de la Gargante

Take the track going up opposite the forest house, which is signposted. This track leads, via a slope that is quite steep at the start, although gentler than on the north face, to the junction (5) of the two loops. From this point, you can reach the Sarrat de Rouquières via the second loop or the Col du Boum via the Roc Rouge. At the Col du Boum, you can reach the Col de la Gargante by taking the "Tour du Boum" trail signposted by signs. To do this, descend via a track to the Pla du Boum and the signpost, then join the Col de la Gargante by taking the trail on the left.

Roc Rouge is a local name that does not appear on IGN maps, which use the name "Le Poumairol".

The difficulty of this medium-altitude hike lies mainly in the steep slopes between points (4) and (5) and the descent beyond point (7) to point (8).

There are no water sources along the route.

The Col de la Gargante, which can be the starting point for the hike or can be reached from point (5), has a picnic area, but the forest house is closed to hikers.

The signposting and maintenance of this loop are provided by the Caminaïres de Comus association, affiliated with the FFRandonnée.

The highest point of the Sarrat de Rouquières offers an exceptional view of the Gorges de la Frau, the Trimouns talc quarry and the Montagne de Tabe (Pic du Soularac).

The Belvédère du Roc Rouge offers views of Comus and the surrounding villages.

From the Col de la Gargante, you can take one of the two tracks marked on the left of the forest house, leading to a viewpoint about 1 km away for the highest one and to the Pas de l'Ours for the second (GR® 367, cathar trail) overlooking the Gorges de la Frau and offering a splendid panorama of the Château de Montségur and the Montagne de Tabe.

Beyond the Col de la Gargante lies the Plaine-Comus national forest, mainly spruce forest, criss-crossed by a vast network of forest tracks and the Cathar trail (GR® 367). Several picnic areas have been set up at the Col de la Garagante, Lancise and the Gardes refuge, which can be reached via the GR® 367 beyond the Pas de l'Ours.