From La Cabanasse to Planès

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A beautiful getaway around two villages in Haut Conflent with a good chance of seeing the Yellow Train (Industrial Heritage of the Pyrénées Orientales) and the option of taking it from La Cabanasse or Planès.

Details

n°3164223
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 5.23 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 25 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 1,142 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 1,148 ft
  • ▲
    Highest point: 5,033 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 4,259 ft
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Photos

The hamlet of La Cassanya as seen from the little Yellow Train
Fontpédrousse State Forest
Footbridge over the Têt
Yellow Train on the Gisclard Bridge

Description of the walk

Park at the Train Jaune station in Mont-Louis La Cabanasse

(S/E) From the Mont-Louis La Cabanasse Train Jaune station, head towards the D10a road and turn right onto it.
Pass the cemetery and rejoin theGR®®10at the junction of Avenue Lax and Avenue Gisclard.
Take theGR®® to the left and leave it when it turns right.

(1) Continue straight ahead. Ignore the path branching off to the left and carry on straight ahead to reach a junction before the sewage treatment plant.

(2) Take the yellow-marked path straight ahead towards La Cassagne (Cassanya).
Stay on the main path, ignoring other routes. Cross the Têt to enter the hamlet of La Cassanya.

(3) Walk through the hamlet until you reach a junction.
Head towards Planès on the right.

(4) Cross the Têt and ignore the path leading off to the left, following the path to Planès on the right.
You will come to a junction where the Gare Train Jaune station in Planès is on the left.

(5) Continue straight ahead and cross the bridge. Keep following the yellow-marked path to reach Planès.
Turn right at the junction to join the D32 road.

(6) Turn right and stay on the D32. You will rejoin the red and white markings ofthe GR®®10andGR®®36just before crossing the Rivière de Planès. Follow theGR®® routes whilst staying on the road and leave theGR®®36, which branches off to the left after the hamlet of El Castell.

(7) Continue for 100 m along the road before leaving it, staying on theGR®®10by turning right at the junction.
Stay on theGR®®10all the way to the starting junction.

(1) All you have to do now is take the outbound path on the left in the opposite direction to finish your walk (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 4,957 ft - Departure from the Train Jaune station - Mont-Louis - La Cabanasse
  2. 1 : mi 0.47 - alt. 4,829 ft - Crossroads of the circular loop - Mont-Louis - La Cabanasse
  3. 2 : mi 0.63 - alt. 4,816 ft - Trail junction
  4. 3 : mi 1.76 - alt. 4,573 ft - La Cassagne
  5. 4 : mi 2.11 - alt. 4,259 ft - Footbridge over the Têt
  6. 5 : mi 2.4 - alt. 4,475 ft - Train Jaune station junction
  7. 6 : mi 3.07 - alt. 4,934 ft - Planès, Route D32
  8. 7 : mi 3.45 - alt. 5,007 ft - Hamlet of El Castell
  9. S/E : mi 5.23 - alt. 4,957 ft - Arrival at the Train Jaune station - Mont-Louis - La Cabanasse

Notes

A video preview of this hike is available at the following link: https://youtu.be/5nTXp4SHRnQ

Stopover lodge in Planès (you are on theGR®®10between Planès and La Cabanasse)

You can combine hiking with a ride on the Train Jaune by boarding the train at La Cabanasse heading towards Planès or at Planès heading towards La Cabanasse.

Worth a visit

The village of Saint-Pierre Dels Forcats
The Citadel of Mont-Louis (the highest fortified town in France)
The Yellow Train

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

4.7 / 5
Based on 14 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.7 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.9 / 5
Route interest
4.6 / 5
User 27225863

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 13, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A route that’s very quiet at this time of year and quite nice to do, especially the first part. The signposting is fairly clear, though perhaps a little less so towards the end of stage 6. I was misled by the GR10 route just before the bridge and didn’t take it. I realised my mistake after 10–15 minutes. You therefore need to cross the bridge over the River Planes.

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Vejapi
Vejapi

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 01, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk through the woods along the Têt river, discovering the hamlet of La Cassagne and views of the Gisclard bridge.

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User 8421082

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 23, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very satisfied with the description of this hike

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Thierry31700
Thierry31700

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 06, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We combined this hike with hike 1619122 (trees of Haut-Conflent) to extend it and do it in one day (short, but with beautiful views). We arrived from the other hike at point 4, went to point 1 and then to point 6, the starting point of the other hike. This combination allows you to see the Gisclard bridge from several angles. However, the ferruginous spring is of limited interest as it was flowing very little.

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gigi66
gigi66

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 31, 2024
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant route with an ascent to Planes in the shade. Two options: pass under the Gisclard bridge by turning left after crossing the Têt river, then right to rejoin the route after Planes station. This adds a little to the length of the walk but is well worth it. Then take a detour to see the iron-rich spring just before you reach La Cabanasse (signpost indicates the path to the right)

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bernard coulomb
bernard coulomb

Overall rating : 4.5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 12, 2024
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant circular, especially in its first half, which follows an ancient Roman road descending into a gorge and lined with flowers where you can look out for new species: beautiful eupatorium, winged broom, but also creeping thyme, chickweed and knauts...
The rest of the walk takes place either in the forest or across meadows
No difficulty with GPS and easy paths to follow.

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nicolara
nicolara

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

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

A pleasant walk along both banks of the Têt river. There is shade, coolness and beautiful scenery (views of Mont Louis). Pass under the little yellow train line. Be careful in Planes: we turned too early in the village before the bridge over the stream. You really need to continue on to Castells on its promontory at the exit of Planes. In the village of Planes, if you have time, go up to see the small circular church, it's worth the detour. Otherwise, it took us much less time than advertised.

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AqualiJu
AqualiJu

Overall rating : 4.5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 14, 2022
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Delighted with this hike on the first day of my holiday in this area.
There was a short, rather uninteresting section between (5) and (6), but it was unavoidable. Otherwise, the paths were varied, passing through pastureland or, conversely, through woodland (with very fresh air near the Têt river)

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danielfr40
danielfr40

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

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

A pleasant walk, partly in the shade
Beautiful view of the valley, the bridge and the mountains in the distance. The only thing missing was the yellow train, but we left too early and slept in until 10 a.m
We climbed back up under cover but along the stream and finally came out into the open onto the fields and village
Very beautiful
Thank you for this route

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vincent lb
vincent lb

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 02, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant and easy walk. The first part is magnificent, with the hamlet of La Cassagne, crossing the Têt river, the Gisclard viaduct, etc. The second part, after Planès, is more ordinary.

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CyrilRando34
CyrilRando34

Overall rating : 5 / 5

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

A beautiful walk that takes you to the small, secluded village of Planès, offering varied landscapes (undergrowth, hills, rural valleys, etc.) and a few welcome surprises (view of the Gisclard bridge, crossing the Têt river, etc.).
At the end of the walk, you can prolong the pleasure with a visit to Saint Pierre dels Forcats.

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mcgouaze
mcgouaze

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 21, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

An easy, pleasant and very shaded hike, which is appreciated in summer, the Gisclard Bridge is a remarkable structure where the yellow train passes every 20 minutes.

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Berpin
Berpin

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 15, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

An easy and pleasant walk, especially if you add the circular route to the Gisclard bridge!

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Jean-Bernard
Jean-Bernard

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 29, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We missed the start and went under the railway bridge (we should have just read the guidebook!), so we came up with another, longer hike that we will post online, called "From La Cabanasse to Planes via the Balcons de la Têt". It's a great hike with cep mushrooms to boot!

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