The Aubert Waterfall from Saint-Girons

A circular from the centre to the Aubert Waterfall via Cap de la Bouiche. Beautiful view of Saint-Girons and the heights above Moulis.

Details

5598482
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 10.99 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 20 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 425 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 427 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 683 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 389 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Parking at the Château des Vicontes in Saint-Girons.

(S/E) Take Rue René Dejean, then turn right onto Rue Villefrance.

(1) Turn left onto Rue Yvette Garrabe and continue to the traffic lights, then continue straight on up Route de Saudech until you reach Rue Regalech on the right.

(2) Follow this road until you come to a large farm on your right. Then follow the path on the left of the building until you reach a crossroads.

(3) Take the second path on the left until you reach the road. At the end, turn left onto Impasse Bentaillou.

(4) You will come out onto Route de Saudech. Follow this road to the right for 750 metres until you reach La Coume, near Magarat.

(5) A sign indicates Cap de la Bouiche via a path to follow in the same direction, which veers right to join a road.

(6) Take this road to the left for 800 m until you reach the end of the large left-hand bend.

(7) At this bend in the road, a sign points to Aubert via a downhill path to the right. Further on, turn right and continue to follow the yellow markings for 900 m.

(8) After the second hairpin bend to the left, a sign indicates the path leading to the waterfall located about 600 m to the left.

(9) Turn back along the same path to the previous fork.

(8) This time, descend towards Aubert, crossing the bridge and turning right to follow the Canal de la Papeterie towards Saint-Girons.

(10) At the fork, take the path on the right and stay as close as possible to the canal.

(11) Climb to the right towards Bentaillou for about 100 metres, then follow the path to the left, which leads back to the Y junction you passed on the way out.

(3) Continue straight ahead along the opposite path until you reach (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 391 m - Car park at - Château des Vicomtes (Saint-Girons)
  2. 1 : km 0.24 - alt. 389 m - Rue Yvette Garrabe
  3. 2 : km 0.6 - alt. 418 m - Rue Regalech
  4. 3 : km 1.12 - alt. 415 m - Crossroads of the circular
  5. 4 : km 1.5 - alt. 455 m - Saudech road on the right
  6. 5 : km 2.26 - alt. 493 m - Head towards Cap de la Bouiche opposite.
  7. 6 : km 3.45 - alt. 639 m - Road on the left
  8. 7 : km 4.15 - alt. 683 m - Head towards Aubert on the right.
  9. 8 : km 5.29 - alt. 449 m - Fork towards the waterfall
  10. 9 : km 6.02 - alt. 574 m - Cascade d’Aubert
  11. 10 : km 7.53 - alt. 429 m - Fork - Lez (rivière) - Affluent du Salat
  12. 11 : km 9.37 - alt. 404 m - Ascent on the right
  13. S/E : km 10.99 - alt. 391 m - Château des Vicomtes car park - Le Salat

Notes

This hike is mostly shaded except around Cap de la Bouiche.
The climb up to Cap de la Bouiche is long but gradual, and the reward is the view from there and then of the rocks of the waterfall.
The descent after Cap de la Bouiche is rocky and may require the use of walking sticks for some people.
Please note: The path leading to the waterfall is passable except for the final section, which is very slippery and requires the use of your hands for support. Walking sticks are highly recommended for this section.
The route along the canal is not very scenic but shortens the return journey.
There is (apparently) an alternative route via a path upstream from (8) leading to La Chicane (avoid the path that is not well maintained).

Worth a visit

For those who wish, it is possible to book a canyoning course organised by qualified instructors, particularly in May and June. Zip lines (including one 200 m long), rope bridges, numerous footbridges, abseiling, via ferrata, climbing and steep trails await you.

Reviews and comments

3.8 / 5
Based on 18 reviews

Reliability of the description
3.7 / 5
Ease of following the route
3.4 / 5
Route interest
4.4 / 5
User 11082460

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 22, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Beautiful hike, but poor signage, as many trees have fallen across the trail following the bad weather in May
The last few kilometres are cut off due to a large photovoltaic construction site, which is not signposted. Luckily I had my GPS
Best regards, Patrick

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linetiny
linetiny

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 28, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Nice hike, well shaded! A few tricky sections in terms of navigation, as mentioned by others, particularly the presence of fences in some places that cannot be crossed. The path to the waterfall is not marked either, but the location on the map helped us find it. At this time of year, the waterfall is reduced to a small trickle. Thank you for suggesting this hike

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lagardais
lagardais

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : May 26, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A treat, perfect weather, no encounters. One downside in the middle of the hike because the trail is a bit unclear and there are fences.
To reach the waterfall, one last effort is required.
We recommend this outing.

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Giorgina28
Giorgina28

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : May 07, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A magnificent waterfall, but the signage to get there is "non-existent"... It's a real shame, because it's an exceptional site with extraordinary springtime scenery... everything is magnificent except for the lack of signage to get there. Even with the help of Visorando, it was difficult to find this site... but no regrets... we found it: "Aubert Waterfall"!!!

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Coco31
Coco31

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 26, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely, enjoyable hike...
A lovely waterfall, offering a bit of cool relief on a sweltering day!

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chris31340
chris31340

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : May 08, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely, easy hike that is not very difficult and not very busy.

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chespeel
chespeel

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 08, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant hike along a well-marked trail to the fork in the path at the waterfall. There is a small sign on a tree and the trail is a bit slippery at the end of the path at the foot of the waterfall.

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Marie-therese arsuffi
Marie-therese arsuffi

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 04, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Beautiful waterfall for a pleasant route
the last few metres to reach the waterfall are a little difficult

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Roroboubou
Roroboubou

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 09, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Everything has already been said... inaccuracies, street or road names, signs... just a few minor corrections would be enough to put everything in order. And for us to enjoy it. Thank you, however, to the author who suggested this hike.

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fmo
fmo

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 14, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Nice walk, just a few inaccuracies regarding street names at certain junctions, but a glance at the IGN map provided and everything falls into place.

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mimi31
mimi31

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 14, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

The GPX track is incorrect; the trail has been diverted at several junctions due to the crossing of several private properties. The route needs to be updated.

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patou09
patou09

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 03, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A nice little hike, arriving at the waterfall that you have to search for a bit. We are from Ariège and didn't know it existed.

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jeanlouisN
jeanlouisN
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 13, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

From the point (8), we lost our bearings due to a lack of network coverage.
We went to the waterfall (easily spotted), which is exceptionally dry due to the heatwave.
Then, returning to point 8, we descended to Aubert, crossed the bridge, turned right, walked along the canal for 100 metres and then (as suggested) crossed a bridge on the right and took a path that branches off to the left and climbs up to Tuc de Gleize (557 metres). Along the way, we regained GPS guidance. From there, we took a path on the right that brought us back to point (6), then followed the path we had taken in the morning to return to St Girons.
Note: the path that is supposed to take us to La Chicane is very overgrown, so it is rarely used.

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jsubra31
jsubra31

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

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

To follow the hike, you must use GPS guidance.

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chanperoy
chanperoy

Overall rating : 2 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 20, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

We got lost three times during this hike because the directions are very vague. The signs indicating the route to follow do not exist.
It is still a very pleasant, easy hike. But the waterfall was dry!

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