Lacs des Miares

Date of your route : Sep 08, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Beautiful hike in the second half after the ski slopes

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

A beautiful route but quite tiring. A few people until the Sarrouyes lakes, then no one else. Classified as difficult but nothing more, as there are no technical difficulties.

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Date of your route : Aug 04, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

The start under the ski lifts isn't great, but it's necessary to reach a very beautiful valley.
The final climb between the Sarrouyes and Miares lakes is a little tougher, but it's fine if you take it easy. The Miares lakes are set in stunning surroundings that make you want to explore every nook and cranny. Don't hesitate to do so.
It gets busy in July and August because a chairlift from Val l'Ouron allows families to skip the first climb and go straight to the Sarrouyes lakes.
Don't hesitate to go! 👍

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Date of your route : Aug 04, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike in a very wild environment

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Date of your route : Aug 27, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

I agree with the previous comment, there are no technical difficulties, you just need a bit of stamina.
I'm 72 years old and I did it without any problems. There are two good climbs, at the start and at the finish, so "very difficult" is too strong for me. There is still a significant elevation gain, so it's not for beginners either.
Superb hike

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Date of your route : Aug 14, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

There were two of us on this hike on Saturday, 10 August 2024. The weather was fine and warm. A swim in one of the Miares lakes was very welcome.
We would like to correct the difficulty rating for this hike, which is listed as very difficult.
As experienced hikers, we consider this hike to be "fairly difficult"; there are no technical difficulties, just endurance.

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

The start is quite steep until you reach the blueberry chairlift and, as most hikers say, not very interesting. Then it gets better as you descend into the valley and climb back up to Lake Sarouyes, and the view is magnificent throughout this section. We had to make a detour to the riverbed to get around a Patou who had spotted us. The difficulty then increases again from Lake Sarouyes to the Miares lakes, which we reached in 2 hours and 50 minutes. It's worth it, but it's really difficult if you're a beginner. Be prepared to work hard.
I recommend setting off early to avoid the heat on the way up and the crowds on the way back. We started at 7 a.m. There was no one else on the way up except cows, marmots, sheep and the famous Patou. On the way back, however, there was a procession of hikers setting off from the blueberry chairlift. It was nice, we chatted a bit, but the area lost some of its charm. There were also lots of young children sulking or even crying. Don't bring them if they don't like hiking in the mountains, even if you're told it's easy, as you'll ruin the walk for yourself.
The return trip is a bit technical between the Miares and Sarouyes lakes, then really hard on the joints between the blueberry chairlift and the Azet pass.
In the end, we covered 12 km instead of the 11.57 km advertised on the website, with a total elevation gain of 1,150 m.
I'm glad I did it, but I wouldn't do it again right away 😂.
My profile: 43 years old, in good general physical condition but nothing special, and I've just quit smoking.
I did the hike with my (very) athletic 15-year-old son, who didn't struggle on the way there but had a hard time finishing the last kilometre on the way back

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Date of your route : Aug 13, 2023
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, I highly recommend it! We shortened the hike by taking the blueberry chairlift. The climb to Lake Sarrouyes took us 1 hour and 20 minutes, so we continued on to Lake Miares (another hour for me as a beginner). The climb up to Lake Sarrouyes was very busy with quite a few families. There were far fewer people on the way to Lake Miares. I can confirm that the climb up to Lake Miares is physically demanding but not technically difficult.
The path is well marked, which was useful in a few places to help us find our way.

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Date of your route : Jul 31, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Frequented up to Lake Sarrouyes
Nice walk
You really should reclassify the level of this hike. There are no difficult sections, the hardest part for me being the very steep climb at the start.
And people who exclude very difficult hikes from their search will miss out on this one.
Thank you for this route, it was useful for finding the start of the path to Miares and then to the hut where cairns are few and far between

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Date of your route : Jun 17, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

a lovely route that is somewhat physically demanding but not at all technical, with beautiful views and pretty lakes

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Date of your route : Jun 06, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : Yes

Pleasant hike, especially after the trail
The trail is well marked until the first lake.
Then in principle too, but I got lost, I should have checked the trail more often
Lake Sarrouyes is average
The Miares lakes are better when half covered with snow/ice. They are wonderful if you climb a little to see them from above.
So it's worth climbing up to the Col d'Estos, which isn't any more difficult and offers magnificent views.
You can climb to the Pic d'Estos for an impressive view.
There are bits of trail and ridge passages, without too much difficulty, the difficulty being choosing the right one. I chickened out 30 metres from the top, but the view was already amazing
Thank you for the route

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Date of your route : Jun 06, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : Yes

Pleasant hike, especially after the trail
The trail is well marked until the first lake.
Then in principle too, but I got lost, I should have checked the trail more often
Lake Sarrouyes is average
The Miares lakes are better when half covered with snow/ice. They are wonderful if you climb a little to see them from above.
Thank you for the route

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Date of your route : May 28, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The start is monotonous and quite difficult (climb up wide tracks to reach the top of Val Louron resort).
After that, it gets much better, following the stream, beautiful scenery, marmot habitats on some flat areas (stay on the path, as their habitat is really close by in a pile of rocks). Two hours to Lake Sarrouyes.
Then there is a fairly steep climb (1 hour) to reach the Miares lakes. But it is still beautiful and wild. There are lots of snowfields, but it is often possible to go around them or cross them where they are flat and safe (doable without crampons on 28 May). At the top, you come out onto a plateau where you can wander among these small lakes, still well covered with snow and almost invisible. Superb views and absolute calm. (No other hikers after Sarrouyes, except for a well-known mountain biker who had climbed even higher up the ridges to descend into the snow).
Note: there is no shade on this entire hike (except for a tree at the top of the resort!)

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Date of your route : Jun 24, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A beautiful hike, done on 24 June with a few clouds... The climb up to the Myrtilles chairlift was quite tough and not very interesting... unnamed pass and descent into the beautiful valley, short climb to Lake Sarrouyes with marmots and a more challenging climb from Lake Sarrouyes to Lake Miares, which was still a little frozen! 5½ hours without counting breaks. I did the climb from Lake Sarrouyes to Lake Miares in sport mode!
The route is quite busy up to Lake Sarrouyes, but after that there are fewer people (I was alone).

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Date of your route : May 14, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

By going as far as Lake Sarrouyes (without continuing on to Les Miares), this hike is rated as moderate (rather than difficult).
The climb up the Col d'Azet to the top of the chairlifts (closed in spring, but Les Myrtilles is open in summer) is not very picturesque, but it's the price you pay to enjoy the snow-covered landscape in this wild valley, especially as it had snowed a little during the night. We saw marmots regularly. A pretty lake, still partially frozen.

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