From Ax-les-Thermes to the Prat Redoun refuge

Hello Isabelle,
Thanks for the post.
You’re right, you do need to go all the way to the end of the tarmac road if it’s just for a day’s walk; I’d set the starting point at Ax-les-Thermes for the circular route and the return by train to the starting point.
I do remember getting a bit lost as I approached the Pra Redoun hut because there weren’t many cairns and it was very foggy… and there were cows!
That said, the hut is brilliant!
Originally, I’d planned to camp by the Embizon pond and then continue the circular route, but the lack of a marked path through the forest put me off; if you’re not carrying too much, it’s doable; it’s been marked out since, but it’s still quite steep.
Best regards,

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Date of your route : Nov 08, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk, at least from where the tarmac road ends (the road itself isn’t very busy, but it’s a long way to walk). Depending on the season, you can also park your car a little further on from the end of the tarmac; there are two car parks just before the start of the path, and in autumn, when the days are short, I think this is more practical if you want to spend more time in the mountains (the track is good and suitable for cars).
So I went by the additional information stating that it took about 4 hours from point 4 to the refuge; well, I don’t think so, unless you don’t stop to take photos or have a coffee during a break…
I didn’t have a heavy rucksack, but I like to make the most of the mountains, so even though I keep a good pace, I take my time to admire the views… so it took me 5 hours. I also think that after the second hut, the signposting is hard to spot because there are so many cow tracks and very muddy patches to go round, which slow you down. I found the markings easier to spot on the way down (perhaps because the sun wasn’t in my eyes as it was on the way up?)
I reckon rather than spending time looking for the markings, the main thing is to stay fairly close to the stream as a reference point as soon as you lose sight of the markers (every time I lost them, I’d strayed quite a way from the stream)
Given the time of year, I did the round trip in a day, and even though the descent is long, it only takes about two hours, even with stops...

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Date of your route : Jan 19, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A superb snow-covered hike following the Najar stream. Be careful – there’s a lot of ice on the path and 30–40 cm of snow up there; otherwise, nothing out of the ordinary. The Prat Redoun chalet is very well maintained; everything’s there: six beds (no blankets, unlike the hut just before it), quite a few kitchen utensils and firewood. As Wilier said, the start isn’t much fun but it gets your legs going I couldn’t find the various water sources as indicated, but I’d brought what I needed; there’s no water at Prat Redoun either… the pipes must be frozen at this time of year.
I’ll be back this summer – it’s well worth it! Thanks
(and thanks also to the person who left some raspberry jam at Prat – a real treat.)

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Hello Wilier,
I’m really glad you were able to go on the ride in the middle of winter – it must have been lovely; it’s actually meant to be a summer ride, originally.
You’re absolutely right, the start of the walk is on the road, but that’s only for people doing the route from Ax-les-Thermes to Latour-de-Carol; and even then, it’s possible either to arrange a lift or to hitchhike, even though the road isn’t very busy...
For those doing the day hike, you need to leave your car at the end of the tarmac road; the actual hike starts there.
Kind regards, Gypaétus.

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Date of your route : Dec 30, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A lovely walk that follows a beautiful stream; there are no steep gradients
or any dangerous sections. Today we had to be careful as it was cold
and the path was often covered in ice, but it was brilliant.
However, the start of the walk isn’t much fun as you have to walk along the
road, but you can leave your car at the end of the tarmac road.
We’ll come back to do this walk in the summer once the snow has melted – it’s well
it. Thank you.

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