Circular of Cascades de la Piche from Prayols

de fr

Circular starting from the hamlet of Prayols through the woods. Provides access to the three beautiful Cascades de la Piche waterfalls, as well as an orientation table describing the valley to the east that leads to Lavelanet. Beautiful view of Roquefixade and Mont Fourcat.

Details

n°87646428
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 4.48 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 30 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 1,621 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 1,604 ft
  • ▲
    Highest point: 3,009 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1,401 ft
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Photos

La Piche waterfall
Waterfall 2
Waterfall 1

Description of the walk

You can park in the car park next to the town hall, on the right as you arrive from the RN20.

(S/E) Go up Avenue des Guerrilleros Espagnols on the right towards the church. Take the first street on the left, then turn left onto the street that goes up alongside the Ruisseau du Rade stream.

(1) At the end of the village, leave the road and take the path on the left. Cross a road and take the steep path that goes straight up.

Join the road and follow it to the right for about ten metres, then take the path that climbs to the left. Cross the road again.

(2) Continue climbing until you reach a fork.

(3) Turn left and join the road that leads to the orientation table.

(4) Enjoy the scenery, then rejoin the road and leave it to the left after 100 metres. Turn right towards the waterfalls.

(5) Return to the road, follow it to the right and, at the hairpin bend to the right, leave it and take the path that heads straight west.

(6) At the first waterfall, continue and keep to the right as you descend.

(7) Go and see the second waterfall on the right and retrace your steps to rejoin the path heading west.

(8) At Cascade de la Piche, cross the Ruisseau de Coume Belle via the wooden bridge and take the path heading northeast to Les Fages.

(9) Descend via the road on the right, which leads to the Citadelle neighbourhood.

(10) At the end of the second bend, leave the road and descend the path on the right, rejoin the road for 100 metres, then take a path that descends to the left.

(11) Return to the road and follow it to the village. Return to the car park (S/E) via the same route you took on the way up.

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 1,401 ft - Prayols Town Hall car park
  2. 1 : mi 0.22 - alt. 1,493 ft - Fork
  3. 2 : mi 0.63 - alt. 2,060 ft - Forest road
  4. 3 : mi 0.98 - alt. 2,411 ft - Fork
  5. 4 : mi 1.38 - alt. 2,546 ft - Orientation table
  6. 5 : mi 1.94 - alt. 2,989 ft - Forest road
  7. 6 : mi 2.2 - alt. 2,890 ft - Waterfall 1
  8. 7 : mi 2.4 - alt. 2,628 ft - Waterfall 2
  9. 8 : mi 2.47 - alt. 2,552 ft - Waterfall 3 - Cascade de la Piche (Prayols)
  10. 9 : mi 2.97 - alt. 2,320 ft - Les Fages
  11. 10 : mi 3.75 - alt. 1,867 ft - Fork
  12. 11 : mi 3.99 - alt. 1,667 ft - Route
  13. S/E : mi 4.48 - alt. 1,404 ft - Prayols Town Hall car park

Notes

The ascent and descent routes can be followed by taking the forest roads, but we have opted for the paths, which are sometimes steeper but more direct and more enjoyable.

Worth a visit

(4) Orientation table with beautiful view to the east.

(6) (7) (8) Waterfalls several dozen metres high.

Reviews and comments

4.7 / 5
Based on 5 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.8 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.8 / 5
Route interest
4.6 / 5
User 14687493

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 29, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A shaded and very refreshing walk. The start is a bit of a challenge.
It might be nicer to do the circular loop in the opposite direction.

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Coline8688
Coline8688
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 14, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

I went on this walk yesterday, when it was very hot. Fortunately, the woodland provides shade for almost the entire route. However, it was humid and the very start of the walk is a steep climb, so I was quite out of breath. In my opinion, walking poles are recommended for this walk. The section with the waterfalls is more pleasant, although it’s quite slippery, so you need to be careful.
I didn’t like the final section, which involves walking along the road back down to Prayols: it was very hot and it wasn’t as scenic as the rest of the route.
If I were to do it again, I think I’d park at the bottom of the waterfall trail to see the waterfalls, then head up towards the information board and retrace my steps back down.
It’s a lovely walk, but it’s still quite challenging. The directions on Visorando are very brief, and I sometimes had to enter the coordinates into Google Maps to check. The easiest option is simply to follow the yellow markings.

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rando_1418
rando_1418

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 19, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk,
The first part was very shady; we worked up quite a sweat in the stifling humidity of the undergrowth, but it was cooler there.
There was water in the waterfalls, despite the heatwave and the drought.
The final stretch is a bit along the road; it might be worth doing a return trip rather than a circular route.
Thanks to the trail marker

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adelebt
adelebt

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 04, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A really lovely walk; the waterfalls are stunning and the path is pleasant and easy to follow. It can be done in half a day; it took us 3 hours and 15 minutes, including a lunch break.
Not many parking spaces.

Be careful, however, if you have a dog. Mine was attacked for no reason after marker 11 by a local resident’s dog. The mayor has been informed.

Machine-translated

Patou des Pyrénées
Patou des Pyrénées
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 20, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant hike almost entirely through woodland (no doubt very pleasant in summer), don't miss the viewpoint at the orientation table, as it will be the only one. Prayols is a village where water has historically been very present, with its numerous wash houses, fountains and streams.

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