Gavarnie to the Espuguettes Refuge

Park in the local authority car park on the right on the outskirts of the village (or, before 9.30 am in high season, in the village itself, in one of the private car parks).

(S) Walk through the village, passing the Maison du Parc on your left. Continue to the first Fork in the road.

(1) Leave the road heading towards the unmissable Cirque, which lies due south, and continue straight on, slightly uphill, towards the Plateau de Bellevue.
Pass the church and the cemetery on your right and continue uphill.
Leave the village behind and begin the hike proper.
Take this pleasant, little-used path on the left bank higher up, heading due south.
Below on the left, you can see the CRS Montagne station and the Pont Brioule, over which the stream of walkers passes along the classic route.
From time to time, a signpost indicates “Plateau Bellevue”.
Gradually, the vegetation becomes denser. Reach the Ruisseau des Entortes.

(2) Begin the ascent along the stream. A first series of short switchbacks, followed a little later by a second, takes you up the 170m climb. You’ll reach the Plateau de Bellevue, a beautiful mountain pasture of grass and rocks where herds graze from June to October.

(3) At the junction below the Cabane de Pouey Aspé, take the path on the left. Ignore the path on the right, which leads towards the Port de Boucharo and Spain.
Leave the plateau via a clearly visible path heading south-west and begin a fairly rapid descent to the splendid Gave des Tourettes.

(4) Before crossing, you can turn right just before the bridge and climb about fifty metres to see the waterfall, which has a substantial flow.
Return to the Planette footbridge and cross the torrent. Immediately afterwards, look for a well-marked but barely visible path, starting off to the right and climbing steeply towards the south-east (do not head due east towards the Bois du Bourlic and La Prade, nor along the lower slope of the Bosquet Long, but rather towards the higher ground and the Cirque). The first fifty metres are tricky to navigate through the vegetation and small rocks that need to be climbed over.
Continue along this narrow path, still heading towards the Cirque, keeping an eye on a lower path below and also the one at the bottom of the valley.
You’ll reach the centre of the Cirque without any trouble, crossing the path leading up to the Échelle des Sarradets.

(5) Continue through the cirque to reach the foot of the Grande Cascade.

(6) Return via one of the main paths to the Hôtellerie du Cirque.

(7) To the right of the Hôtellerie, take the Espuguettes path, which heads north-east. Walk to the Cabane du Bédérou.

(8) Carry on until you reach the Gavarnie-Espuguettes path.
Turn right up the slope and follow the tracks along the wide path towards the refuge, which is clearly visible from a distance. Reaching it marks the end of today’s stage (E).

(S/E) Both car parks charge a fee of €5 per day (as of 2019). From around the end of October, the car parks are free of charge.
This description relates to a hike undertaken in summer.

In both summer and winter, check the mountain weather forecast and, in winter in particular, the snow and avalanche bulletin from Météo-France for the Haute-Bigorre massif in the Hautes-Pyrénées. A call to the Haute-Montagne Gendarmerie unit can also reassure you about current conditions.
For your information, another Visorando route, La Hourquette d’Alans, covers part of the route on snowshoes in snowy conditions.

Estimated time
Allow 3½ hours, including breaks and a picnic, when hiking solo; add half an hour when hiking in a group. This is a fairly generous estimate.

Difficulty
The hike is classified as Difficult (summer) due to the unmarked sections. It is a challenging route, off the beaten track, where you need to keep your cool.

Water points
(S) In the village of Gavarnie.
In the Cirque, in the Gave itself, though there is no guarantee the water is safe to drink.
(7) During the high season, supplies are also available at the Hôtellerie du Cirque.
(E) And except in the depths of winter, there is an outdoor tap with drinking water at the Refuge des Espuguettes.
Don’t forget to allow for around 1.5 litres per person in summer from Gavarnie to the Refuge des Espuguettes.

Shelters
(E) The Refuge des Espuguettes is open all year round. In winter, it is unstaffed and has 8 beds available.
See the refuge’s website.
The staff are really friendly and the coffee (€1) is the cheapest in the whole of the Pyrenees.
(7) In the event of very bad weather, the walls of the Hôtellerie du Cirque and its outbuildings can provide shelter from the wind and driving rain.

Equipment
In summer, bring the usual equipment for a mid-mountain hike (hiking boots, walking poles, suitable clothing, rainwear, water, food, survival blanket, knife, compass, map, whistle).
In autumn and spring, add gloves and a hat.

Trail traffic
In summer, the route is relatively busy. However, from autumn onwards, even at weekends, it is common not to come across anyone. So be sure to let your friends and family know which route you are taking and your planned times.

Mobile phone or radio communications
Mobile phone coverage is poor from Gavarnie to Les Espuguettes. There is mobile coverage (though not necessarily from all operators) at Les Espuguettes.

Along the route
There are numerous vantage points for taking photos of the surrounding wonders, for example:
(Between 2 and 3) On the right, overlooking the plateau, the Pic de la Pahule (2,217m); opposite, a view of the Cirque. Enjoy exceptional views of the Cirque, the foothills of the Piméné, the Gave Valley and the Prairie de la Courade below.
(8) Cabane de Bédérou: also known as the Chalet-Refuge de Pailla, not to be confused with the Cabane de Pailla.
(E) Refuge des Espuguettes: it is flanked in the background, to the north-east, by the Pic de Pimené (2,801 m) and to the right, to the south-east, by the Pics du Petit-Astazou (3,012 m) and the Grand-Astazou (3,071 m), as well as the Pic Rouge de Pailla (2,780 m).

Nearby
- The village of Gavarnie and its church
See theGavarnie Tourist Office website.

Alternative route for the ascent
Take the track at the bottom of the valley to save half an hour.