Gouffre and Ru d'Enfer

de fr

A shady walk that takes in a splendid canyon and wonderful waterfalls.

Details

n°7024
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 7.46 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 55 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 627 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 619 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,598 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1,127 m
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Photos

Small bridge
Cascade d'Enfer
Chasm of hell
One hell of a waterfall

Description of the walk

Park in the Gorges de Bourdolés car park.
(S/E) Head towards the cascade d'enfer (you can go to the end of the road to see it and then retrace your steps).

(1) Before the end of the road, take a path on the right towards the Gouffre d'Enfer (route no. 43). Cross the Ruisseau d'Enfer on a bridge and begin a series of switchbacks to reach a crossroads of paths.

(2) Take the path on the right towards the Gouffre d'Enfer.
Climb up to the promontory for a superb view of the Gouffre d'Enfer (a tricky climb, but made easier by the handrail on the way down).
Continue uphill, crossing the stream again on the upper bridge. Reach the Mine de Crabioule crossroads. Continue straight on, leaving the track on your right. Arrive at the Ru d'Enfer, cross it to get a view of the Gorges du Ru d'Enfer (go to the middle of the ru on stones to get the best view of these gorges).

(3) Return to the Gouffre d'Enfer crossroads.

(2) Turn right towards Prairie de l'Artigue (path no. 42). Be careful as the signs in this direction are not very visible. Reach the meadow just after the footbridge over the Houradade stream.

(4) Turn left onto path no. 40 towards the Vallée du Lys. Begin a series of steep switchbacks to arrive opposite the Cascade du Coeur.

(5) Continue downhill along this path back to the start car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 1,132 m - Gorges - parking des gorges de bourdolés
  2. 1 : km 0.28 - alt. 1,151 m - End of the road
  3. 2 : km 1.46 - alt. 1,357 m - Gouffre d'Enfer crossroads
  4. 3 : km 3.04 - alt. 1,598 m - Ru d'Enfer
  5. 4 : km 5.71 - alt. 1,405 m - Prairie d'Artigue
  6. 5 : km 6.58 - alt. 1,226 m - Cascade du Coeur
  7. S/E : km 7.46 - alt. 1,131 m - Gorges de Bourdolés car park - Lis (cours d'eau) - Affluent de la Pique

Notes

It is important to have good shoes for this route (no trainers). If the weather is fine, take a snack and eat at the Ru d'Enfer, with the sound of the water in a superb setting. I recommend taking hiking poles.

Worth a visit

At the end of the walk, you can refresh yourself or eat at the inn next to the car park.
On the way back in the car, stop off at the village of Oo for a visit (pretty village with flowers).

Reviews and comments

4.7 / 5
Based on 112 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.7 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.7 / 5
Route interest
4.8 / 5
bardoumagniez
bardoumagniez

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 03, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A long, looped hike with gentle twists and turns, truly magnificent with ideal weather! Waterfalls everywhere, the impressive Ru d'Enfer canyon, pleasant forest crossings, and breathtaking scenery from the car park onwards!

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Monticole
Monticole

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 30, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike with a superb 360° view of the Pyrenees at the end. Sunny weather, blue skies and moderate temperatures made it easy to cross the splendid summer pastures. It was a real pleasure to discover Aneto and Maladeta. Many thanks.

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dom87
dom87

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 12, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A magnificent family hike, one of the most beautiful in the area. It's superb all the way up, and the stream is unusual, something you don't see everywhere. Don't miss this hike if you're in the area. Moderate but steady elevation gain. It took us 1.5 hours to climb up to the stream at ages 62 and 63. We took the time to take a few photos and videos.

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Julien31
Julien31

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 15, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Nice hike, mainly in the woods, beautiful scenery, but very crowded, so inevitably there were idiots shouting...

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Adeline3134
Adeline3134

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 14, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A gentle hike with some magnificent waterfalls! Really impressive. A lovely forest walk overall. But the trail is almost completely in the shade: very practical in summer, but less so if you want to make the most of the last warm autumn days. And there's no view of the mountains; the whole walk is in woodland (with a very quick passage through a meadow).
Hiking boots are essential, as you cross streams and some parts of the path are quite wet.

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Jack 31800
Jack 31800

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 26, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A beautiful tour in fine weather.

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Pycay
Pycay

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 29, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Lovely walk, most of it in the forest, much appreciated on a very hot day.
Lovely view of the Gouffre d'Enfer from a promontory, and the Ru and its gorges are a great place for a picnic by the water.
Can be done as a family with children who are a bit fit and have good shoes.
A little too crowded in summer, but still a must-do in the Luchon area.

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Cathy_m16
Cathy_m16

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 18, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A breathtaking hike from waterfall to waterfall. I loved it. Even my 13-year-old son really enjoyed it. However, my watch gave me a time of 10km instead of 7km, but we still did it in 3.5 hours.

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P LARRIEU
P LARRIEU

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 09, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very pleasant walk with magnificent waterfalls. As far as possible, it's best to set off early in the summer to avoid the crowds.
We did the loop in the opposite direction to the one you indicate, which enabled us to cover the entire difference in altitude in the beech and black pine forest.

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JP3166
JP3166

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 13, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

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Kricri
Kricri

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 05, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

This is a magnificent walk, with a shady route that's ideal in the summer heat. There are some magnificent waterfalls and, for the more adventurous, 2 pools where you can swim. Between the photos, the picnic and the "we're not at the coins" mode, it took me just over 5 hours.
I was a little worried about the return loop, as the route was above the red line, but it recovered on its own after the fork to the refuge.

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dodine
dodine

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 12, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very nice walk, with plenty of shade.
A popular route in summer.
Breathtaking abyss and Ru.

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Laplante cedric
Laplante cedric

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 07, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Superb hike
The most beautiful I've ever done breathtaking waterfalls the splendid chasm for the lunch break
I really enjoyed it 👍👍

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Vava31
Vava31

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 13, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

This loop is accessible, varied and very enjoyable. It alternates between uphill, flat and downhill sections, allowing you to appreciate the effort required and to vary the demands made on you. Most of the route is in the forest in the shade.
We didn't see many people, but that was certainly due to the gloomy weather.
The views are splendid, the chasm impressive and the Ru magnificent.
The route is easy to follow.
You could take advantage of the coolness of the Ru d'enfer for a picnic.
An easy hike, ideal for discovering the beauty of the Luchonnais.
Do it again and again.

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Fred Pessac
Fred Pessac

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 28, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A pleasant, easy walk under the cover of trees, which is appreciated on hot days. The chasm and its waterfall are impressive.

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