From Saint-Lary to the Col de Portet d'Aspet

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A beautiful outing between Ariège and Haute-Garonne, tackling the Col de Portet d'Aspet

Details

n°43881759
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 11.22 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 50 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 557 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 549 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,069 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 672 m
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Description of the walk

Park in the car park on the left at the entrance to the village of Saint-Lary, coming from the east.

(S/E) From the car park, follow the road a few metres to the left, towards the village centre, and take theGR®®78, marked in red and white, to the right at the Church of Saint-Hilaire. Climb steeply until you reach a junction.

(1) Continue to the left. Further on, pass a few barns and reach the Col de la Hourque.

(2) Take the road on the left and, a few hundred metres further on, pass through the hamlet of Escarchein until you reach the end of the road.

(3) Turn right at the junction signpost indicating the direction of Portet d’Aspet. After passing a few barns along the route, enter the village. Join the main D618 road, ignoring the route to Saint-Lary which branches off to the left (this route will be taken after climbing the pass).

(4) Follow the main road to the right for about 200 m, until you reach a side road branching off to the left towards the Chapelle de Pomès, and take this uphill road to the chapel.

(5) Pass the chapel and keep to the right on theGR®®78, ignoring the sign on the left indicating the route to the Col de Portet d’Aspet. First steep climb to the crossroads. Cross this road by taking theGR®® opposite. Second steep climb to the next crossroads.
Take the path opposite again. Pass a house and reach the Col de Portet d’Aspet.

(6) Return to the junction with the Route de Pomès on theGR®®78, then follow the main road in the opposite direction to the outward journey until you reach the junction signposted for Saint-Lary.

(4) Leave theGR®®78and turn right towards Saint-Lary. Cross a stream. Ignore the paths on the right. Further on, you’ll reach a crossroads.

(7) Take the path on the right. Further on, you’ll reach a road at a bend.

(8) Follow the path opposite, pass an oratory and rejoin the road once more. Cut across the road to take the path descending opposite (note: there is a discrepancy between the map and the terrain in this section). Continue until you rejoin the road. Walk down this lane to the D618 and return to the car park to finish this pleasant inter-departmental hike (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 672 m - Saint-Lary car park
  2. 1 : km 0.53 - alt. 817 m - Junction
  3. 2 : km 1.43 - alt. 906 m - Col de la Hourque (903 m)
  4. 3 : km 2.75 - alt. 863 m - End of the road, Escarchein exit
  5. 4 : km 4.62 - alt. 851 m - Junction of the out-and-back route, after the - Fontaine des Coulomès (Portet-d'Aspet)
  6. 5 : km 5.16 - alt. 914 m - Chapelle de Pomès (Portet-d'Aspet)
  7. 6 : km 6.09 - alt. 1,069 m - Col de Portet d'Aspet
  8. 7 : km 9.28 - alt. 870 m - Crossroads
  9. 8 : km 10.62 - alt. 765 m - Road
  10. S/E : km 11.22 - alt. 673 m - Saint-Lary car park

Notes

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 5 reviews
Reliability of the description
5 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.8 / 5
Route interest
4.2 / 5
Jaff
Jaff

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 13, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely hike through the forest in autumn colours, we only came across two other hikers. Between Portet d'Aspet and the Portet d'Aspet pass, you can do a circular route instead of a return trip; the other route is an easy path, marked on the IGN map.

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User 15500949

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 14, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Steep from the start; luckily we had started the hike well in advance to warm up our legs

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jmx31
jmx31

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 03, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

A lovely shaded walk, best done in summer.
An easy route, but be careful at point 7 – we had a nasty surprise with a very aggressive Husky that made us turn back. (Probably a dog from the barn).

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tegon
tegon

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 27, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

It’s a beautiful route, worthy of pilgrims heading to Santiago de Compostela, with a distinct religious atmosphere. Wide paths and spring sunshine. The two villages we passed through are remarkable for their architecture, and you can really feel the weight of history.
However, I hadn’t read the comments from a previous hiker, so when I arrived at the village of Portet d’Aspet, I followed the yellow markings towards Saint Lary.
Further on, at the second crossroads, there was a path leading downhill and another further to the right, which I took; this path climbed and headed south. When in doubt, I switched on my GPS and realised I was on the dotted purple route heading towards Barés and Anos (yellow markings). So I turned back to the last junction and turned right (also yellow markings). Conclusion: a magnificent route to do, and follow the track you’ve recorded.
Alternatively, you can always head back via Anos, though it’s a longer route.

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P.O Express
P.O Express
• Edited:

Hello and thank you for your comment...
Indeed, before point 7, there is a discrepancy between the map and the actual terrain...
The red line is the route I took during this hike.

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Roroboubou
Roroboubou

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 18, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very good, in a pleasant setting. A minor issue just before point 7. The layout was a bit confusing, especially as the red route marker didn’t follow the existing path. It was an ambiguous situation, but we sorted it out using a compass.
This in no way detracts from the quality of this suggested walk.
Thank you.

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