Casteil - Mariailles Refuge

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First stage of the Three Days on Canigou.
This climb to the Mariailles Refuge allows you to discover a magnificent water supply channel.

This walk is part of a multi-day hike: Three days at Canigou

Details

n°368149
Creation:
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 6.95 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 35 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate
  • ⚐
    Back to start: No
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 912 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 22 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,694 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 787 m
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Photos

View upon arrival at the refuge
Mariailles refuge
Col de Jou
Departure from Casteil

Description of the walk

(S) Depart from the car park in front of the campsite. Walk 20 metres down towards the road. Turn right and then immediately left, crossing the Ruisseau dels Asmoursadours stream. Head south on Rue du Canigou. Stay on the road overlooking the village. Turn right, heading due west. At the crossroads near the chapel, go straight ahead. Leave the path leading up to Saint-Martin du Canigou on your left. At the fork, continue straight ahead and leave the road leading up to Col de Jou on your left.

(1) Fork in the road. Turn left towards the animal park via Rue du Cady. Go around the animal park. Cross the Cady but do not cross the Ruisseau del Coll de Jou. Stay on the right bank of this stream and continue climbing along this wide stony path. Cross the Ravin de Trabes stream and continue climbing. At this point, the Col de Jou road is on your left.

(2) Crossroads between road and path. Go straight ahead, crossing the road. Continue climbing along the path, cross the Ruisseau del Coll de Jou and reach the Col de Jou (1125m).

(3) Crossroads of tracks and paths. Turn left and climb up a wide path. Pass to the left of a large underground cistern and follow the red and white markings ofthe GR®10andGR®36towards Coll de Creu.

(4) Go over the pass, pass under the first car park (1295m) and continue climbing. Pass the altitude 1380m and reach Col du Cheval Mort (1454m).

(5) Fork in the road: go straight ahead. Leave a path on your right that leads to the track above. Follow this magnificent water channel for 150m until you reach a fork in the road. Cross the channel and turn right uphill, pass the bridge at 1520m and continue climbing. Cross the Ravin du Rande, pass the Canal del Sahuc and continue on the path, under the track, which again follows another magnificent water channel. Continue to follow the red and white markings ofthe GR®10andGR®36until you reach the track.

(6) Fork in the road. Take the track on the left and continue to the Mariailles refuge (1700m) (E).

Waypoints

  1. S : km 0 - alt. 804 m - Car park in front of Casteil campsite
  2. 1 : km 0.6 - alt. 790 m - Turn left at the fork towards the - Cady (rivière)
  3. 2 : km 1.95 - alt. 940 m - Crossroads between road and path. Go straight ahead.
  4. 3 : km 2.92 - alt. 1,124 m - Crossroads of tracks and paths, on the left. - Col de Jou 1125m (Coll de Jou)
  5. 4 : km 3.44 - alt. 1,214 m - Coll de Creu (1200m)
  6. 5 : km 4.64 - alt. 1,456 m - Fork in the road, go straight ahead. - Col du Cheval Mort (Coll del Cavall Mort)
  7. 6 : km 6.79 - alt. 1,694 m - Fork in the road, take the left track.
  8. E : km 6.95 - alt. 1,690 m - refuge de Mariailles

Notes

This route is part of a three-day hike.

You need to go to Vernet-les-Bains (D27). Continue to the entrance to Casteil (D116), then turn left onto Boulevard de la Cascade, then left again onto Rue Bagnatory, towards the Domaine de Saint Martin campsite. Before crossing the Amoursadours stream (altitude 774 m), climb up to the car park on the left, where the three-day hike begins(S).

This is a hike in a medium to high mountain area. So, as you would expect, you will need: rain gear, water, snacks, route map, description, map, GPS, camera, good walking shoes and possibly a walking stick.
Additional equipment for multi-day hikes is described in the summary of the three days.

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

Worth a visit

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 10 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.9 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.9 / 5
Route interest
4.7 / 5
lisegauvry33@gmail. com
lisegauvry33@gmail. com

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 25, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike, very exotic, almost always in the shade.

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GuyômX
GuyômX

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 06, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A beautiful climb, mostly shaded. The GR trail takes a detour at one point, along a pleasant little irrigation canal. Remember to book the refuge in high season!

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antau
antau

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 04, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Very beautiful hike. Much of it is in the forest, which is nice when it's hot. It's very pleasant to follow the water pipes: it reminds me of Madeira... The refuge is nice.

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Pont
Pont

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 02, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Hello,
We did not take this route from the village of Casteil but from the Col de Jou pass, located 4 km above the village. This trail is the GR10, which is very well marked. It is often shaded and therefore very pleasant. It took us 1.5 hours to reach the Marialles refuge, with an elevation gain of approximately 610 m.

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marc.ferret
marc.ferret

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 01, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very beautiful hike along a small canal. It's very pleasant. A warm welcome at the refuge. The caretaker lent me some shoes to finish my hike because I had broken mine! Well done and thank you.

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ruizpatrick
ruizpatrick
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 04, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Mountain bike ride, part two, starting from the Col de Jou, very steep with an average gradient of over 11% over the last 6 kilometres.

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Marie-therese arsuffi
Marie-therese arsuffi

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 13, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Please note that the distance is only for a one-way trip to the refuge. For a round trip, the distance is 13.88 km.

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Jeannot M 66
Jeannot M 66
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 09, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A great hike, then you have to continue to Canigou and do a circular loop, sleeping at Cortalets, returning via the Barbet ridges, two days and then rest.
Don't give up.
Jeannor

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dardeno
dardeno

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 10, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

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The GPS track and description are the property of this route's author. Please do not copy them without permission.