Lac de l'Oule - Col d'Estoudou - Lac d'Oredon circular

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A hike for experienced walkers, but a feast for the eyes: Lake L'Oule, the Col d'Estoudou and its superb panorama of the Néouvielle and the lakes of Oredon and Cap de Long. This is one of the most magical places in the Pyrenees.
You are entering the Néouvielle National Nature Reserve, which is protected by regulations. Please respect them. (see practical information).

Details

n°1308768
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 9.92 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 45 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Difficult
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 682 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 682 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 2,253 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1,592 m
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Photos

Before reaching the Col d'Estoudou
Lake Oredon
Col d'Estoudou
Col d'Estoudou

Description of the walk

Road access: From Toulouse or Tarbes (A64), take exit 16 for Lannemezan. Take the D929 towards Arreau until you reach Saint-Lary-Soulan. Continue on the D929 for 9 km. Turn right, still on the D929 (Route des Lacs). Continue for a few kilometres until you reach the second car park on the right. Please note that this location is very busy in summer.

(S/E) Cross the metal pontoon, turn right onto the gravel path and continue along it until you reach the Lac de l'Oule dam.

(1) Leave the wide path that continues to the foot of the dam and turn left onto the path that climbs in the opposite direction. Continue to the top of the dam and continue along the left bank of Lac de l'Oule to the junction with theGR®10.

(2) At the information board, turn left and take the path that follows theGR® and climbs gently at first, then more steeply. Stay on this path until you reach the Col d'Estoudou.

(3) Leave theGR® and turn left towards the ridge to enjoy the view of the valley (be careful not to get too close to the edge of the cliff; remain very cautious). To continue, take the path that descends westwards for 150 metres. Join the path and turn left until you reach the crossroads.
Leave the path on the right that leads to Lake Aumar and take the path on the left that descends. Follow it, but be careful: it is very steep, through the pine forest to the Refuge-Hôtel d'Oredon.

(4) At the refuge-hotel, take the path on the right that descends via wooden steps, starting from the wall, and follow it to the road. Turn left and follow the shore of Lac d'Oredon to the dam.
After crossing it, immediately turn left onto the path that descends. Stay on this path until you reach the road (be careful on the rocky sections). Take the road on the left (be careful) and descend for about 500 metres. You will come to a large stone planted at the side of the road.

(5) Turn left onto the shortcut path at the hairpin bend. Further down, rejoin the road, turn left (be careful, there is a lot of traffic in season) and stay on it until you reach the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 1,619 m - Parking on the D929. Cross the - Neste de Couplan (rivière) - Affluent de la Neste
  2. 1 : km 2.12 - alt. 1,745 m - On the left facing the dam - Lac de l'Oule
  3. 2 : km 3.72 - alt. 1,822 m - Information board on the left
  4. 3 : km 5.36 - alt. 2,253 m - Col d'Estoudou (2260m)
  5. 4 : km 6.9 - alt. 1,868 m - Refuge d'Oredon
  6. 5 : km 8.1 - alt. 1,788 m - Mini megalith on the left
  7. S/E : km 9.92 - alt. 1,619 m - Car park on the D929

Notes

Regulations concerning the Néouvielle National Nature Reserve:
• Dogs are not allowed in the core area of the Pyrenees National Park, even on a leash
• Dog kennels - information available from Aragnouet Town Hall - Tel: 05 62 39 62 63
• No fires, to prevent fires and damage to the ground
• Please be quiet to preserve the peace and quiet of the area
• Bring bin bags with you to take your rubbish back down with you
• No picking or collecting of plants, minerals or fossils is permitted
• Capturing animals is prohibited
• Regulated camping is permitted more than an hour's walk from a road access point, between 7 p.m. and 9 a.m.
• No camping or motorhome parking overnight to preserve the beauty of the sites and prevent pollution
• Hunting and fishing are prohibited

- The automatic elevation profile of the route is not accurate; it is actually around 660m
- Equipment: good shoes (unstable stone paths), walking sticks, hat, water, etc.
- No water source, but there is a refreshment bar on the banks of Lake Oredon on the D117

This route passes through a protected area, which may be subject to special regulations:

Worth a visit

(3) From the Col d'Estoudou, it is possible to climb to the right to the Soum de Monpelat (2,475m)

Option to go to the Aumar and Aubert lakes
You can drive to Lac de Cap de Long (2171m)

Always be cautious and plan ahead when you're outdoors. Visorando and the author of this route cannot be held responsible for any accidents occurring on this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

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Reviews and comments

4.8 / 5
Based on 11 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.7 / 5
Ease of following the route
5 / 5
Route interest
4.6 / 5
Muchos
Muchos
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 11, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Hello everyone,
A lovely hike, I chose it at the last minute and I wasn't disappointed!

The first part to Lac de l'Oule is very accessible but quite busy.
The second part on the GR is difficult, climbing up to the Col de l'Estoudou (it's almost like a staircase over 1,600 metres) and very quiet.
The descent to Lac d'Orédon is quite tricky but easy to follow. I also lost the trail at one point, which led me to the car park above the lake hut, but it was no big deal.
The descent to the car park, following the trail, is also easy. You follow part of the road, then some paths and then more road (there are blue paint markings on these paths, which you can follow instead of walking on the tarmac...).

As for the car park at the start/finish point, you do have to pay, but it's €7 for 24 hours, not just for 5 hours. So you have plenty of time to do your circular route.

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Jukam
Jukam
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 10, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike that is well worth the detour. The first climb to the lake is fairly easy, but the second climb from the lake to the pass is very physically demanding. Once you reach the pass, the view is breathtaking. A few details: Stay focused as soon as you leave the pass to reach Lake Oredon, because we
missed the turn-off to the lake
and ended up almost at Lake Omar. For the last section from the Oregon refuge, the final path on the left to reach the car is just before the small bridge after the dyke, and blue markings are visible as soon as you reach the stone section.

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Britanicus100
Britanicus100
• Edited:

Thank you, Buccia, your journey is very good.

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BUCCIA
BUCCIA

Well done, great video.

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Britanicus100
Britanicus100
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 22, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant hike entirely on easy trails.
I made a 4K video with the names of the peaks, which describes the atmosphere and shows the route and the points of interest along this beautiful trail.
In particular, you will see the panoramic view from two lookout points on the Col d'Estoudou, one of which is indicated in my colleague's guidebook.
It's here. https://youtu.be/NP5C74fQZAY?si=KrvdhsKQ...

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RAND19
RAND19

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 03, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A pleasant hike that we started from the OREDON chalet, reaching the starting car park, then Lake Oule, and returning to the chalet via the Col d'Estoudou.

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Mountolive
Mountolive

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 05, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike, quite physically demanding when taking the GR 10 to reach the Col d'Estoudou, but which has the advantage of taking us away from the world in summer, which revolves solely around the dam and Lake Oule. The descent is quite long and technical, and some may need to take it slowly.

There are some beautiful views along the way, such as the one from the pass over Lake Oredon and Lake Aumal.

Thank you for this hike.

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schpougnette
schpougnette

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 19, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A superb hike with no major difficulties (in dry weather). There is a short climb to the pass, which can be done very leisurely, but the descent is a little more technical (requiring concentration to protect your ankles :-) ). However, the views are magnificent and well worth the detour!

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JLC30
JLC30

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 25, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike, easy until you reach the stunning Lake Oule, then physically challenging as indicated for the ascent and descent of the Col d'Estoudou, but without any particular danger. After Lake Orédon, the descent along the road is of moderate interest.
If you arrive early, you can find free parking spaces (before the pay car park).
Thank you for this hike.

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Derox
Derox

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 03, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Hello,

The hike and its description are superb and accurate.

I can confirm the price of the car park, which I also do not approve of.

However, it is possible to continue a little further along the road to reach another car park on the hiking route, which is free. At that point, you will need to walk down to the paid car park to start the hike as described in the information sheet.

Thank you very much for this route.

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jeanmariebrusq
jeanmariebrusq

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 12, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Nice hike. We pushed on to Cap de Long Lake (+2½ hours round trip), which wasn't particularly interesting; the area around the lake is very ugly, but everyone has their own tastes...

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AlexandrePDS
AlexandrePDS

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 24, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A word of warning: I think this is very recent, but the car park at the start of the hike is now pay-and-display, very expensive and monitored by municipal employees (€7.60 for 5 hours). I understand the logic behind it and don't want to discourage it, but I find the price really prohibitive. However, Visorando has nothing to do with it!

As for the hike itself, the route is clear and well marked. The first third is very busy and of moderate interest until you reach the lake.
The middle third, with a steep incline, is physically quite demanding but short, and the superb panorama once you reach the highest point of the hike is a magnificent reward, with a 270-degree panoramic view that is a feast for the eyes.
The last third, consisting of a descent through the woods, is really pleasant and wild. Only the last two kilometres are disappointing as they are close to or on the road. Unfortunately, the valley does not offer an alternative route at this point!

The view at the highest point alone makes this hike a must, and the route is crystal clear. I highly recommend it.

The hiking time is slightly overestimated; we completed it in about 3 hours and 40 minutes of actual walking.

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zigmuche
zigmuche

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 04, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

very beautiful hike...

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