Lake Ibardin from Ganixgazte Baita

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Lake Ibardin with a detour that has become mandatory since crossing the dam is no longer permitted.
We therefore descend along the left bank of the stream to complete a true circular loop.

Details

n°3881270
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 7.04 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 40 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 223 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 219 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 300 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 81 m
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Photos

Primroses
Cows roam freely.
Waterfall
View of the mountains

Description of the walk

To get to the starting point, take the D4 from Urrugne towards Ascain.
Turn right towards the Mendi Azpian campsite, but do not go to the campsite. Continue along this road to the starting point, where there are six or seven parking spaces on the side of the road opposite a block of houses.

(S/E) Go through the cattle grid and take the track that climbs southwards. The track winds its way to a fork in the road where you can see the lake and its dam.

(1) Continue straight ahead towards the south-east until you reach the next crossroads.

(2) Turn right onto the path that descends towards the lake and follow this path along the shore to the western end of the lake.

(3) Leave the wide track on the right and continue along the lake shore.

(4) Ignore the paths that descend to the shore and towards the dam and continue north.

(5) Take the path on the right that runs alongside the Arrola Stream (Arrolako Erreka in Basque).

(6) Turn right as you approach the buildings to return to the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 81 m - Car park on the right along the road.
  2. 1 : km 1.92 - alt. 272 m - Crossroads in sight of the - Barrage du lac d'ibardin
  3. 2 : km 2.48 - alt. 298 m - Large crossroads of carriageways
  4. 3 : km 4.17 - alt. 264 m - The western end of the - Lac Xoldokogaina (256m)
  5. 4 : km 4.83 - alt. 266 m - Path opposite - Lac Xoldokogaina (256m)
  6. 5 : km 5.18 - alt. 233 m - Path on the right
  7. 6 : km 6.46 - alt. 156 m - Path on the right
  8. S/E : km 7.04 - alt. 81 m - Return to the car park.

Notes

There are no water sources along the route.
The lake is a water reserve for the municipalities, so fishing and swimming are not permitted.

Reviews and comments

4.6 / 5
Based on 12 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.8 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.9 / 5
Route interest
4.2 / 5
guiton13
guiton13

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 31, 2025
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, easy to follow and with beautiful scenery.

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Hervé Bignon
Hervé Bignon

Hello,

You are free to walk past a sign indicating a prohibition and ignore it, but I would not recommend this attitude to hikers.

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delaitre annie
delaitre annie

we set off on a hike from the motorhome car park at the bottom of Las Ventas
this route is beautiful and easy enough for a family. Cows and pottoks along the way

was the dam closed because we are going there next Wednesday?

i went there two weeks ago and it wasn't closed. We just had to close the gate behind us after we passed through

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Hervé Bignon
Hervé Bignon

Hello Annie,

The question no longer arises, the dam is no longer an option, crossing is prohibited.

Best regards,

Hervé

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delaitre annie
delaitre annie

we set off on a hike from the motorhome car park at the bottom of Las Ventas
this route is beautiful and easy enough for a family. Cows and pottoks along the way

was the dam closed because we are going there next Wednesday?

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hilaire.vachon
hilaire.vachon
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

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

Beautiful scenery: the lake, the Rhune mountain, the ocean. Our short hike began with an encounter with pottoks, four adults who waited patiently for the little foal to regain its strength before setting off again.

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User 19437012

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 14, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

We did this walk with two children (aged six and a half and five). The descent was quite difficult with the children (in addition to the fatigue at the end of the hike), as the path was narrow and very stony
A very pleasant route. Surprisingly, we came across quite a few people walking around the lake, but in the opposite direction!

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Valfonie
Valfonie

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 24, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

From the start to point 3, the trail is very busy (on the day I did it) with all kinds of walkers, runners and mountain bikers. After point 3, there are fewer people.
Be careful on the rocky descent, which is quite steep in places from point 4 onwards.
Very few places to rest or take a break.
Some nice views at times.

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teimahu
teimahu

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 25, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A really lovely route, pleasant forest path, fairly shaded.
The artificial lake is cute, but it's not that easy to get to the shore, with only a few accessible spots.
We had a great time as a family, and my children aged 6 and 7 had no trouble completing the walk.
We didn't follow the exact route and took a path through the forest that runs closer to the lake to avoid the wide forest track, which can be a bit monotonous.

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delaitre annie
delaitre annie

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 26, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We set off on a hike from the motorhome car park at the bottom of Las Ventas.
This route is beautiful and easy enough for families. Cows and pottoks along the way.

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PascalAscain
PascalAscain

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 31, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Under a beautiful blue sky, a very pleasant walk.
The route is easy to follow and, once you reach the lake, the scenery is very pleasant.
There are a few betisoak (stone pillars) along the way and intriguing markers around the lake.
The view of the sea was unobstructed, allowing for beautiful panoramic views of the lake and sea.

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CAMBERMI
CAMBERMI

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 10, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : Yes

Pleasant walk

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Liya
Liya

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 24, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant route with views of the mountains and the lake. You can even see the ocean on the way back. No car park. You have to park on the grass at the side of the road and there is limited space. It's uphill at the start until you reach the lake.

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aqualux13
aqualux13

I never said you had to cross the dam. I just pointed out that it is still possible and that many hikers do not hesitate to do so.
Similarly, I never mentioned that the ban was optional.

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Hervé Bignon
Hervé Bignon

I admit that crossing the dam when there is a sign saying that it is not allowed does not seem to me to be civic-minded.

Everyone is free to behave as they wish, but we should not accept comments suggesting that the ban is optional.

I do not encourage people to do so.

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