Circular loop around Mont Calem

This hike at the foot of Pic du Gar allows you to discover the small villages of Comminges surrounding "Lou Calem" (the bald mountain): Moncaup, Arguenos, Cazaunous.

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 10.28 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 5h 10 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 787 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 789 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,259 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 559 m
  • ⚐ Country: France
  • ⚐
    Area: Pyrenees
  • ⚐ District: Moncaup (31160)
  • ⚑
    Start/End: N 42.978006° / E 0.705592°
  • ❏
    IGN map(s): Ref. 1847OT, 1947OT
  • Hour-by-hour weather

Photos

Description of the walk

Park in the square in front of the church in the village of Moncaup. There is a drinking water tap available in the square.

(S/E) Go to Rue du Col de Hô and follow it to the left.

(1) At the end of the street, take the path opposite, which climbs gently up the northern flank of Mont Caubet.

(2) At the intersection, take the wide track on the left which climbs gently to the summit of Calem, called Plan de Calem (866 m). There is a picnic table with a view of the village of Arguenos.

(3) After going around Calem, take the path on the right marked "Pic du Gar" (yellow markings). This path climbs steeply to Bardachine (1247 m).

(4) This is where the path leading up to Pic du Gar starts: ignore it and head downhill to the right towards Col du Hô along a wide track.

(5) Just after Pontet, leave the track and take a small path on the right which descends steeply at the start, marked by a cairn. Continue straight on to Col de Hô.

(6) The arrival at the pass is marked by several large hunters' watchtowers. Pass the first two watchtowers to find a small steep path on the right, which descends between two other watchtowers into the woods.

(7) Be careful, the path is less well marked at this point: keep to the highest path on the left (avoid the path further to the right, which descends steeply). Continue to follow the yellow markings straight ahead, sometimes passing through slightly tall grass, until you reach the D618 road at a bend.

(8) Go past the bend and find a small path on the right, just after a low stone wall. This path descends to the village of Moncaup. Head to the church square (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 561 m
  2. 1 : km 0.21 - alt. 586 m - Exit the village.
  3. 2 : km 1.04 - alt. 669 m - Track junction
  4. 3 : km 3.47 - alt. 851 m - Map of Calem
  5. 4 : km 5.76 - alt. 1,245 m - Mont Bardachine
  6. 5 : km 6.36 - alt. 1,205 m - Passage du Pontet
  7. 6 : km 7.9 - alt. 936 m - Col de Hô
  8. 7 : km 8.04 - alt. 900 m - Landmark
  9. 8 : km 9.82 - alt. 628 m - Route D618
  10. S/E : km 10.28 - alt. 559 m

Notes

Drinking water available at the church square in Moncaup.
Be careful during hunting season, especially at Col de Hô.

Worth a visit

Viewpoint over Calem and the surrounding villages.
Viewpoint over Pic du Cagire and other peaks in the Pyrenees.
Moncaup: you can visit the wash house and the two sarcophagi.

Reviews and comments

4.3 / 5
Based on 7 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.9 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.1 / 5
Route interest
4 / 5
Pignada
Pignada

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 08, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : Yes

An easy walk that we did as a "digestive". I would recommend replacing the climb via the uninteresting track with the climb through the pine forest, which is much nicer (but steeper). It starts from Rue de Calem in Moncaup. The view over the valley is very pretty. However, the path above Pla de Calem has been destroyed by forestry machinery all the way to Bardachine. The descent is fine, except that I "won" a tick in the grass. A nice walk to do with the family

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User 26107676

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 09, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very pleasant route of moderate difficulty. Highly recommended.

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Alex_Duchien
Alex_Duchien

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 22, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

Be careful at the end of the route, as there is a lot of tall grass. At this time of year, with the rains, there are a lot of ticks. We were bitten three times and brought back four ticks on our clothes...
Otherwise, it's a nice walk through the woods, but there are no views.

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BARRABES
BARRABES

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 17, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A beautiful hike in good weather with a little snow at Bardachine. From Plan de Calem, the climb is long with an elevation gain of 420 metres. After the Col de Hô, the GPS makes it easy to find the start of the trail back to Moncaup and to follow the path at point 7 (no problem with the GPS). We met seven hikers at the Col de Hô. I recommend this beautiful hike.

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chespeel
chespeel
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

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

A lovely hike with beautiful views. The climb after Mont Calem is challenging but not impossible; just go at your own pace. Varied landscapes. The elevation gain on the map is incorrect; my GPS showed 776 m. I completed the hike in 3 hours and 50 minutes without rushing.

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tegon
tegon

Good evening,
Personally, I don't see any problems with how it works, in terms of the routes and:
from my experience with Visorando hikes, it seems to me that sometimes the explanations are a little too brief. It's important to have an IGN map and to read it correctly in order to find your way around the landscape, as well as a GPS to be sure of your position.
However, I'm not sure I understand the question.
Download the hike, complete it and then save your report.

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PITIN
PITIN
• Edited:

I'm having trouble understanding how Visorando works.
Is there a simple user guide?

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hgilbert
hgilbert

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 23, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Only 700 m elevation gain (not 900 as indicated on the Topo). See the comments already posted by others (tegon in particular).

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tegon
tegon

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 18, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Lovely views of the village of Moncaup during the climb to Plan de Calem.
During this climb, three deer approached me a few metres away, no doubt chased by the sound of gunshots, and there were some pleasant surprises and scares when we met (according to a wood pigeon hunter at the Col du Hô, this animal population is common).
The climb from Pla de Calem to Bardachine is quite steep but can normally be done at your own pace.
For me, the most typical part is from the end of this climb to the Pontet pass, with a distant view of the Garonne valley.
Today is Saint Luke's Day, which marks the start of the wood pigeon hunting season (or so I'm told), so there are several hunters setting up their sites at the Col de Hô.
I didn't see the villages of St Pé d'Ardet and Antichan-de-Frontignes (probably because the vegetation was in the way).
Then, at point 7, I did have a little trouble finding the highest path on the left, especially as there are no longer any traces on the ground. This point would benefit from a good yellow marker or a large cairn (especially as I didn't see any yellow markers directly before or after). Note: the yellow markers from the pass to point 7 are faded or non-existent (so be careful).
Otherwise, it's a beautiful walk to do in late autumn with its colours and even later.
I met two hikers.

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