Loop trail around the Gardelle, Roumazet and Soucarrane lakes

de fr

In the large glacial cirque of Soulcem, this hike allows you to discover several high-altitude lakes with crystal-clear waters and sumptuous mineral landscapes that make you forget the considerable effort required, both on the way up and down. On the way back, a few horses of the Mérens breed and the magnificent Orris du Carla provide a pleasant end to the day.

Details

n°370599
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 13.55 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 7h 05 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Difficult
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 1,125 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 1,125 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 2,461 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1,617 m
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Photos

Etang de la Gardelle
View from the first pass at an altitude of 2,476 metres
Fourth lake of Lagardelle
First lake at Lagardelle

Description of the walk

Park in the car park at the end of the paved road, near the Orris du Carla.

(S/E) Walk back down the road for about 150 metres to a footbridge over the Ruisseau de Soulcem.

YellowPR® signposts

(1) Cross the footbridge, ignore the path on the right and start the long, steep climb to the Étangs de la Gardelle. The well-marked path crosses several rocky obstacles. The slope is extremely steep and you will need to take breaks to catch your breath and rest your legs. After a final steep climb, you will reach a flat area (large rock with a double yellow arrow on the left and right).

(2) Enjoy the view of the first lake, turn right and follow a second, smaller lake. After a short climb, which is much less strenuous than the previous ones, you will reach the third lake, which is also the largest.

(3) Take the time to admire the site dominated by the north-east face of the Pointe de Roumazet and turn back.

(2) Turn right and climb north-east to quickly reach the fourth lake, which is about 30 metres below you.

(4) Be very careful from this point onwards as the yellow markings are almost non-existent. Head south-east to move away from the lake (the IGN route, which runs closest to the lake, is incorrect). Follow the numerous cairns to climb up a small gully and find a well-marked path higher up that quickly leads to a pass (2,476 m).

(5) Switch to the other side. After crossing a short rocky section (no real difficulty), continue the very steep descent between grassy and stony sections. Where the slope levels out, the path crosses a small stream and joins another well-marked path coming from the left.

White and redGR® markings

(6) Turn right. Leave the trail that leads to Port de Roumazet on your right and in a few minutes you will reach Étang de Roumazet, an ideal spot for a well-deserved picnic.

(7) Continue on theGR®, which heads south and climbs up a valley to reach a large cone of scree consisting of large boulders. Climb up the scree to reach a small pass.

(8) Keep going on the well-marked trail to reach the Étang de la Soucarrane, dominated by the majestic east face of the Pic de la Rouge. Walk along the lake, cross a small rocky passage by climbing down (be careful) and keep going until you reach the outlet.

YellowPR® markings

(9) Leave theGR® trail as it branches off to the right and continue straight ahead on the trail that heads east and joins the Soulcem valley after a very steep descent that is hard on the joints. You will come to an intersection (several paths are possible at the end of the descent, due to numerous herd tracks, but the route is obvious).

GR® White and Red markings

(10) Turn left and follow the wide grassy path, which is almost flat, along the Ruisseau de Soulcem, which winds lazily to your right. You will come to a crossroads marked by a signpost.

(11) Leave the path leading to the Étang de Roumazet on your left and continue straight ahead to the footbridge over the Ruisseau de Soulcem.

(12) Cross the footbridge, turn left onto the wide track and return to the car park where you started (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 1,636 m - Parking - Orris du Carla
  2. 1 : km 0.21 - alt. 1,619 m - Footbridge over the - Vicdessos (rivière) - Affluent de l'Ariège
  3. 2 : km 3.09 - alt. 2,383 m - 1st lake, flat section - Etang de la Gardelle
  4. 3 : km 3.57 - alt. 2,433 m - Large - Etang de la Gardelle
  5. 4 : km 4.42 - alt. 2,409 m - Lower Gardelle Lake
  6. 5 : km 4.86 - alt. 2,461 m - Col
  7. 6 : km 6.16 - alt. 2,115 m - At the GR junction, turn right
  8. 7 : km 6.56 - alt. 2,158 m - Étang de Roumazet
  9. 8 : km 7.31 - alt. 2,271 m - Col
  10. 9 : km 8.15 - alt. 2,295 m - GR/PR junction - Etang de la Soucarrane
  11. 10 : km 9.98 - alt. 1,848 m - Soulcem Valley, junction with the GR
  12. 11 : km 10.66 - alt. 1,827 m - Intersection, directional sign, straight ahead
  13. 12 : km 11.63 - alt. 1,806 m - Footbridge
  14. S/E : km 13.55 - alt. 1,636 m - Parking - Orris du Carla

Notes

Signposting: the signposting, which is sometimes quite old and faded, is present on rocks or on the ground throughout the circuit. However, between (4) and (5), it is almost non-existent and you must follow the numerous easily visible cairns to the pass.

This hike is for experienced walkers who are in good physical shape. The slopes are extremely steep, both uphill and downhill, and the elevation gain is sudden and sustained from the start (the elevation diagram is very revealing). Don't hesitate to take the necessary breaks.

The paths are well marked but narrow and difficult, particularly on the descent. High-top hiking boots that provide good ankle support are essential.

Worth a visit

There are many hikes possible in the Soulcem glacial cirque:
- The Pic de la Soucarrane or Pic de la Rouge (2,902 m).
- The Étang de Médécourbe.
- The Étangs du Picot and Étang Fourcat lakes on a two-day circuit:
https://www.visorando.com/randonnee-tour (the three lakes)...

Mérens horses: during the season, you will encounter these magnificent black horses, the true princes of Ariège, in the meadows of the Vicdessos Valley, particularly in Soulcem.
https://www.ariege.com/decouvrir-ariege/

Orris: these stone shelters, characteristic of the Ariège, bear witness to the vitality of pastoral activity in the last century. There are many of them on the route described, sometimes difficult to distinguish as they blend into the landscape. Once back at the car park, take the time to visit the Orris du Carla, which are in excellent condition (information panels).
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orri

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 25 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.6 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.5 / 5
Route interest
4.9 / 5
Dante31190
Dante31190
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : May 28, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Very beautiful hike with all these lovely ponds. But be careful, the signposts are not very visible.

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jefman
jefman

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 23, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Superb hike.
The explanations in the guidebook are excellent, especially at point 4. The guidebook clearly states that you should leave the path and follow the cairns into a valley. The "obvious" path leads to a very exposed spot.
Crossing the streams can be a bit tricky when it has rained heavily.

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CG2513
CG2513

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 25, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Completed as described over two days with two experienced teenagers. It's very tough, but well worth the effort. The Gardelle ponds are still frozen. There are some steep climbs in the snow. The Soucarrane pond is thawing and offering us some magnificent colours. It's tough but worth it. With the snow covering the markings and misleading tracks left by other people, the description and GPX track are very useful.

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henridaniel
henridaniel

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 23, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Very beautiful route. No particular difficulties.

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Lyricm
Lyricm
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 24, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We did this loop in the opposite direction to avoid starting our two-day trip with the really tough climb up to the La Gardelle ponds (long, lots of high steps, with few switchbacks).
So we went straight to the bottom of the valley to climb up to the Médécourbe pond, from where we started the climb to the Port de Bouet pass...
Be careful: from the lake, there are no markings, no cairns, and no path leading up from the lake. You actually have to take the Médécourbe stream valley a little before the lake and follow it until you find a trail, a few cairns and yellow markers. The climb is tough. We camped shortly after reaching the summit: there is no shortage of grassy areas, but you often have to share them with mosquitoes!
Before reaching the Port de Bouet, there is a short, slightly technical and exposed section with a handrail: I am prone to vertigo, so the cable was very welcome!
From the Port de Bouet pass, we followed the GR, passing the Soucarrane and Roumazet lakes before turning north-west a little further on and a little lower down, continuing on the GR (do not take the path that climbs towards the pass of the same name just after the Roumazet lake). Once again, there is a long climb with a pleasant gradient!
Once you reach the pass at 2,476 metres, you have to descend to the various ponds of La Gardelle, followed by a very long and difficult descent to the car park. I say difficult because this path does not zigzag very often, preferring to follow a straight line down the slope, forcing you to take deep steps, which is torture for my knees... that said, my knees often hurt!
The lakes were full, the streams and torrents were full, water was flowing everywhere: we never lacked anything to drink and refresh ourselves!
The flora is lush, and we were lucky enough to have three chamois, including a young one, visit us for breakfast, just 20 metres away! They didn't stay long, wondering what we were doing there.
In short, a very beautiful and relatively challenging trip!
Total elevation gain: 2,257 metres
difference between starting point and maximum altitude: 900m
duration: pffff.... when you love something, you don't count the hours! More seriously, we walk at a leisurely pace, stopping often to take photos, and above all, what matters to us is the joy of camping at altitude !
We set off from the car park at around 11 a.m., stopped for a snack at 1.30 p.m., and set up camp at 6.30 p.m. We left the next day at 8.30 a.m. and arrived back at the car at 4 p.m... just to show you that we took our time!:

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Olivierdu31
Olivierdu31
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 15, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Hello,
I did the loop in reverse, starting from Soulcem - Etang de Roumazet and Etang de Lagardelle (I didn't go via Etang de la Soucaranne).
All the guidebooks I read (except one) said to do the loop in the opposite direction, so it's up to you.for my part, I wanted to avoid the 900m elevation gain right from the start in Soulcem. I can confirm that the elevation gain is much better distributed in the opposite direction, without taking any longer, as I reached the fourth Lagardelle lake in about three hours For the return trip, allow 1 hour 45 minutes from the first Lagardelle lake to reach the Soulcem car park. Given the elevation gain, the descent is quite steep but not difficult.
If you do the loop in this direction, be careful not to miss the path that branches off to the right before you reach the Roumazet pond (about 200 metres before), the fork is marked by a clearly visible cairn, then you will see a yellow mark 20 metres further on a rock, after which the path is very well marked. When you reach the fourth Lagardelle lake (the largest), there is a beautiful viewpoint if you climb up to the promontory on the right (about a 10-minute walk). From the top, you can see the four lakes and the Canalbonne lake. Be careful, as the trail turns right about 20 metres before you reach the lake to climb up a small grassy ridge. Do not take the trail that runs along the right side of the lake, as it ends about 20 metres before you reach the lake. 20m to the right before reaching the lake to climb up a small grassy ridge. Do not take the path that runs along the lake on the right as it ends approx. 150m further on, and you will then have to climb a very steep grassy slope (no path) to reach the promontory, which is what I did by mistake. A pleasant little hike in fine weather, accessible to all, but beware, it climbs a little, although it is not difficult apart from the elevation gain.

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Romain Toulouse
Romain Toulouse

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 27, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Thank you very much for the ride!
I started the hike at 9 a.m. and returned to the starting point at 3 p.m., taking a 30-minute break to eat and a few short stops here and there to take photos and rest. The first climb up to the Gardelle ponds was quite tough and took me about two hours. I had a little trouble finding the pass to get to the Roumazet pond, but as indicated, you have to follow the cairns (I got lost twice, but you can quickly see that it can't be the right way). After that, the markings are easy to follow. There aren't many people at the start of the trail, but there are a few more once you join the GR.

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PAPITOU
PAPITOU

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 13, 2014
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful circular hike with a good elevation gain, superb wild scenery with magnificent lakes and a few snowfields to cross at this time of year. Recommended for experienced walkers.

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rando_1418
rando_1418

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 27, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hello and thank you for this hike.
We followed the Etangs de La Gardelle route and then returned via Roumazet.
On 27 May, the stream was flowing strongly (at 9:00 a.m.), making it difficult to cross (I put one foot in the water and it went into my shoe, which has a medium-length upper). If I had been alone, I would have turned back. Two female hikers didn't cross it. They tried to climb up without crossing it (with it on their right), but a little higher up it became too difficult, especially with a little snow, so they came back down.
Then, after the steep climb, there is a flat section at the bottom of a valley, then we had to climb up a very steep slope with hard snow. Without mountain boots with good stone protection, we wouldn't have been able to dig steps. Some hikers passed by with light shoes without a shaft, but they admitted they were taking a risk.
All this to point out two difficulties: we were surprised by the extent of the snowfields. The hike in the other direction (Roumazet first, then Gardelle) would have been much more difficult because of the descent on the snowfields.
In conclusion, check for snowfields before setting off and take crampons if necessary. As for the stream to cross, consider wearing gaiters at this time of year.
But the scenery is superb, especially the view from the pass after the La Gardelle lakes.

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Tenzig11250
Tenzig11250

Hello, it was an early morning hike

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minifemur
minifemur

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 10, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

beautiful lake cocktails

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Tenzig11250
Tenzig11250

Hello, one of my favourite hikes! Enjoy your hikes, everyone!

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Karine F
Karine F

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 23, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

I went hiking with my 17-year-old daughter in perfect weather. The sky was cloudless and there was a slight breeze to keep us cool. The hike was beautiful and well marked, so it was easy to follow. Be careful after the pass when descending to the Soucarrane pond not to miss the fork on the right.
I had entered the GPX track into my watch, which was very helpful.
The plain on the way back is simply magnificent.
The hike is classified as difficult, and it is, but the effort is well worth it.

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Andoni L
Andoni L

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 21, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A superb hike, especially at this time of year with the peaks still snow-capped (and some snow on the trails), some of the lakes still frozen, and numerous small streams. It had been a long time since I had enjoyed a hike so much!

We did the hike over two days, camping out to make the most of each lake and not rush (you do need to wrap up well at night at this time of year). This also allows you to enjoy the plain on the second day before arriving back at the car park.

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Tenzig11250
Tenzig11250

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 29, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Hello, we actually went up to Port de Boué, had a picnic at the Lavant ponds, and went down to Médécourbe to finish off with this route. Thank you.

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