Lac de Gaube via Pont d'Espagne

This pretty mid-mountain lake (1,731 m) on the GR®10 is easy to access and overlooked by peaks over 2,500 m high. It makes for a pleasant hike of a few hours. It is also accessible in winter, under the snow, on foot or with snowshoes. The long walk through the magnificent forest along the Gave de Gaube, on the side of the Gaube coast, makes the discovery of the mountains even more beautiful when you arrive at the first Huats lake with the north face of the Vignemale as a backdrop.

Details

107277
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 5.48 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 20 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 271 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 271 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,729 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1,464 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Park your car at the Plateau des Pountas car park (1,459 m) near the Pont d'Espagne. You are in the heart of the Pyrenees National Park, so cars have not been allowed to drive any higher since the late 1990s.

(S/E) The hike begins after passing under or around the Pountas cable car building.
Take the path to the right of the road and follow the signs for the footbridge trail. At the main footbridge over the Gave de Gaube, you can admire the magnificent stone Pont d'Espagne bridge, which also spans the same river. The trail then runs along the side of the rock for a few dozen metres to reach the esplanade in front of the hotel. This is where the trail joins the GR®51 coming from the Lutour waterfall and Cauterets. Then cross the Pont d'Espagne and take the road that descends to the car park.

(1) On the right, you will soon see signs indicating Lac de Gaube, along with the traditional red and white GR® markings. The GR®10 then climbs through the pine and fir forest on the right bank of the river, with a 200 m elevation gain, and crosses several streams that flow into the river.

(2) At the edge of the forest, at 1,666 m, you can leave the GR®10 and take a short detour to the right to reach a wide, long plateau where the small Lac des Huats is located. The trail skirts this small lake and the marshy areas at an elevation of 1670/1690 m. Then rejoin the classic trail markedGR® andfollow it to the right.

(3) Less than an hour after setting off, you will leave the woods and shortly afterwards reach the shores of the lake at 1731 m.

NB: You can reach the southern end of the lake by following the GR® on the left bank, starting from the point (3) (leaving the lake on your left). Return via the same route.

The descent to the Pont d'Espagne is via the same route as the ascent.

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 1,464 m - Parking at the Plateau des Pountas (1,459 m)
  2. 1 : km 0.41 - alt. 1,490 m - The trail starts in the forest, on the right - Pont d'Espagne.
  3. 2 : km 1.37 - alt. 1,671 m - Detour via Lac des Huats
  4. 3 : km 2.61 - alt. 1,725 m - Lac de Gaube
  5. S/E : km 5.48 - alt. 1,464 m - Parking at the Plateau des Pountas (1,459 m). Close to

Notes

In summer, bring hiking boots and walking sticks.
In winter, depending on the depth of snow, it is possible to walk in hiking boots, but snowshoes are preferable.
The hotels are the best places to take shelter in case of severe weather, but also to cool off! Please note the opening dates of the two hotels.
There is no other shelter along the route.

(3) NB: you can reach the southern end of the lake by following the GR® on the left bank, but you cannot go around it!

Alternatives

  • For those with limited mobility, during the opening season, it is possible to access the lake by chairlift and finish with a 15-minute walk on flat ground.
  • You can make a loop by taking this flat trail and descending below the chairlift (no longer, but less scenic).
  • Or you can take the Paradis trail after the top of the chairlift, but be careful in winter as there is a risk of avalanches!

This route passes through a protected area, which may be subject to special regulations:

Worth a visit

The Pont d'Espagne
Located at 1,496 metres at the confluence of the Gave du Marcadau and Gave de Gaube rivers. A crossing point for trade with Spain, then a tourist destination for the aristocracy from the mid-19th century onwards, it became more popular in the 1960s with the democratisation of holidays. Badly damaged by repeated vehicle traffic, access was closed at the end of the 1990s and a car park was built downstream.
Source: i-trekkings

Walks around the lake

  • Climb to the Pic de Gaube or Cot d'Omi. You can descend via the Pouey Trénous valley.
  • Climb up the Gaube valley to the Oulettes refuge. Continue on the GR®10.
  • Or simply relax on the shores of Lake Gaube!

Hike completed many times, including on 14 March 2015, with over 1.50 m of snow in the forest and 1 m near the lakes. Many hikers on the trail, despite inclement weather.

Continue your hike
You can continue the hike to the Refuge des Oulettes de Gaube via a well-marked trail (GR®10), see here.

Always be cautious and plan ahead when you're outdoors. Visorando and the author of this route cannot be held responsible for any accidents occurring on this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

Reviews and comments

4.8 / 5
Based on 75 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.8 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.8 / 5
Route interest
4.8 / 5
User 18317880

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 13, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A beautiful landscape. The lake was frozen.

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MCTOUL
MCTOUL
• Edited:

Hello Kerfred,
Thank you for your feedback... and your enthusiasm!
Thank you especially for taking the ‘risk’ of spending extra time on the detour via Lac des Huats! It really is stunning, and even more so in winter.
Kind regards

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Kerfred
Kerfred

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 28, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very beautiful hike in winter in the snow.
Crampons are highly recommended.
The short detour to Lake Huats was worth it, even though we had to cross the stream on a large branch.
Magnificent view of the half-frozen Lake Gaube and the surrounding mountains.

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MCTOUL
MCTOUL

Hello to all Visor users,
I sent pyrene79 a private message asking him to remove his comment from 14/09, which is irrelevant here.
As he has not done so, I am copying my message to him here.

"Hello pyrene79,
I have just read your review of my hike.
I am (also?) a mountaineer and I share your opinion.
But it has no place here. You are not on a social network giving your opinion, you are on a hike review page, which an author took the trouble to write and publish. It's work. This page is not for expressing your feelings (even if they are legitimate).
What's more, your ratings unfairly lower the average rating.
Would you kindly delete this review and repost it on a social media group of your choice?
Kind regards. Marc

His response, which was quick to arrive, was that he does not understand why one cannot express the reality of things. And he did not remove his review.
I regret this.

I encourage all hikers, whether beginners or experienced, to explore the mountains! Because it is through exploration that we learn to love and respect them more and more.
So try out the hikes recommended by other Visorando authors and continue to enjoy this one, it's magnificent.
It's well worth it!

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pyrene79
pyrene79
• Edited:

Climb to Lake Gaube and beyond, done very often and in all seasons.
But the worst seasons are summer and the end of the year if there isn't enough snow for skiing. People, tourists, etc. flock to this magnificent site without any respect, doing whatever they want, being noisy, confusing the mountains with the beach. In short, it becomes total anarchy during these two periods.
And on top of that, many complain about paying for parking at Pountas (€8/day in 2025), yet it is the only solution to prevent illegal parking.I am part of the generation that knew parking all the way to the Clot refuge! So imagine if we could still park there.
At the Auberge du Lac, the prices are high, that's for sure. Before complaining, carry a crate of cans or other foodstuffs, a gas bottle in your bag, and you'll understand the prices! And you also have to carry down the large amount of rubbish that too many people leave behind!
So, yes, the site is magnificent, but for how much longer?
My wish is that the regulations will be tightened up, as in the Néouvielle massif, with a ban on swimming or "sailing" on the lake. Some people have even brought inflatable paddleboards! Yes, really!
This will be the only solution to limit the impact on this site and save it from a slow death. Like many places in the Pyrenees.

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User 18629031

Overall rating : 5 / 5

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

Very accessible hike

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User 8988565

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 19, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Climb via the marked path from the Pont d'Espagne bridge
It was steep, but the rock steps made it easier to climb
foggy that day, so we couldn't really appreciate the splendour of the lake
You can descend by chairlift + cabins (€12 in cash) or by the ski trail at this time of year

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User 26695589

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 25, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Easy and quick hike. The trail is beautiful, as is the lake.
The two big drawbacks:
- it's a tourist site, so the path is very busy and once you reach the top, there are people everywhere
- the car park at the Pont d'Espagne bridge is paid (€8), and if you don't want to pay, you have to park further down in the valley and add the climb to the duration of the hike

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Philippe 2M
Philippe 2M

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 14, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

This site allows walkers of all abilities to reach the lake: either by car to the Pont d'Espagne car park, then take the chairlift and you're there in 20 minutes. Or set off from La Raillère and follow the waterfall trail to reach the foot of the slopes and continue to Lake Gaube. Either way, it's a real feast for the eyes!

It's one of the most beautiful places in the Pyrenees, so it's inevitably very busy.

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philippe.renault
philippe.renault
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 28, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A perfect hike, well described. We did it by coming back down the loop via the trail under the chairlift. For those with limited mobility, during the opening season it is possible to access the lake via the chairlift and finish with a 15-minute walk on flat ground.

Access via the GR is not particularly difficult and the view on arrival is magical. You can walk around the lake to get to the other side but not all the way around.

A real gem!

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BroxWalker
BroxWalker

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

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

An easy hike, even if the start is a little steep on concrete paving.
The arrival at the lake is splendid, although on the day of the hike (late August) it was very busy (swimming, overcrowded, lots of dogs), even though it is a nature reserve that some people mistake for the French Riviera.
Despite signs giving instructions to follow, the ease of access means that there are far too many people who do not try to limit their impact on this beautiful natural area, which is at risk of losing its charm.

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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

Simply wonderful to do as a family or to inspire someone to take up hiking 👍👍

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MCTOUL
MCTOUL

Thank you to all the Visorando users who have tried out my route and left a review.
Your average rating is 4.8, which proves the popularity of this route described on the Visorando app!
Reliability of the description 4.8 / 5
Ease of following the route 4.8 / 5
Interest of the hiking route 4.8 / 5

See you soon on other hikes and on Visorando!
Best regards

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LILI CHEFTAINE
LILI CHEFTAINE

Overall rating : 5 / 5

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

We stopped at Lac de Gaube. If you wish, or if, like us, you plan to do several hikes in a few days, only do the outward journey in the morning to avoid the crowds and use the chairlift on the way back.

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Fortblanc
Fortblanc

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

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

Thank you, Visorando. An excellent application that allows us to plan our outings well and closely monitor our progress.

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