The Caroux balcony

Halfway up the Caroux Plateau.
Please note: this hike is for fairly experienced walkers, but offers spectacular views.

Details

2387130
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 13.21 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 6h 45 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Very difficult

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 1,054 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 1,059 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,066 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 530 m

Photos

Description of the walk

From Le Poujol-sur-Orb (on the D908), take the D180 towards Combes, Col de Madale, Rosis, Col des Avels, then turn left at the Auberge des Avels and the Lodge de La Fage. Park in the car park on the left at the barrier preventing access to La Fage by car.

(S/E) From the La Fage car park, go through the barrier and down the small road, cross the private hamlet where passage is permitted (accommodation and drinks available for purchase during the tourist season), then continue on the Gorges de Colombières trail. Once you have passed the old troglodyte dwellings on the right, continue for a few hundred metres and turn right onto the Bastion trail.

(1) Climb up the slope through the undergrowth (blue markings) until you reach the foot of the Bastion. Then follow the various ledges on the left until you reach the Baume de Roucayrol (stone shelter) and, a few metres further on, the pass of the same name.

(2) Take the slightly hidden track (blue markings) that remains level (not the one that descends).
You will almost immediately reach the Roque Rouge ledge, one of the most spectacular parts of the hike.
Very exposed but not dangerous, the view is magnificent. Once you have crossed the ledge, descend through the undergrowth to the Caylus huts.

(3) Take the Piste des Biterrois towards the Col de Bartouyre (red and yellow markings forthe GRP® Haut-Languedoc and Vignobles). Walk through the woods and then climb up to the surprising Portail des Cades, a stone gate that marks the Saint-Martin ridge.

(4) Continue along the Piste des Biterrois orGRP® (markings are sometimes a little sparse, so stay alert as there are also blue dots that sometimes mix with the red and yellow ones, but both lead to the same place, first through the undergrowth, then up the rocky outcrop leading to the Saut de l'Âne, another remarkable spot with its slender rocks.

(5) Continue down the via ferrata (a few steps) then, after a fairly long walk through the undergrowth, climb up one last rocky outcrop to reach (before reaching the Col de Bartouyre) the Carrefour Saint Martin, the junction between the Piste des Biterrois orGRP® and the Sentier des Gardes.
A large cairn and clearly visible signs indicate the way.

(6) Climb up to the right on the Sentier des Gardes, which is poorly marked, follow the cairns towards the Refuge de Font Salesse and climb up numerous switchbacks to the plateau, then continue through the woods to the refuge.

(7) Take theGR®7trail to the right for about 50 metres and follow an unmarked path to the left-north-east. Do not continue towards the orientation table.
Then return to La Fage by crossing the plateau diagonally (red and whiteGR®7markings), then go up the small road on the left to the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 802 m - Car park access to La Fage
  2. 1 : km 2.62 - alt. 530 m - Bastion trail fork
  3. 2 : km 4.1 - alt. 784 m - Col de la Baume de Roucayrol
  4. 3 : km 4.73 - alt. 692 m - Baraques de Caylus
  5. 4 : km 5.62 - alt. 815 m - Portail des Cades
  6. 5 : km 6.06 - alt. 727 m - Saut de l'Âne
  7. 6 : km 7.23 - alt. 697 m - Crossroads between the Piste des Biterrois and the Sentier des Gardes
  8. 7 : km 8.82 - alt. 1,045 m - Refuge de Font Salesse
  9. S/E : km 13.21 - alt. 802 m - Car park access to La Fage

Notes

Mountain hiking equipment, water

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

4.4 / 5
Based on 9 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.2 / 5
Ease of following the route
4 / 5
Route interest
5 / 5
lemarcheur65
lemarcheur65 ★
• Edited:

Hello Pupy
Thank you for your comment.
The hike was made very difficult in order to highlight a warning that indicates, among other things

technical and exposed sections.

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Pupy
Pupy

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 16, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

This hike is worth its weight in gold, but you have to earn it. Take your time and allow an extra two hours, as the trail is poorly marked and uneven. Between points 2 and 3, there are a few tricky sections where you really can't afford to slip up (you're 750 metres above sea level). Two passages in particular seem too dangerous to cross in rainy or windy weather, so be careful. It's also best not to take a dog with you; there are a few staples to cross and quite a few very steep climbs where you have to use your hands constantly. This hike requires constant concentration and is for experienced and fit hikers. Summer does not seem to be the right time of year. Avoid December; we finished with headlamps. However, it will appeal to anyone who completes it.
One of our best memories.

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mawashi60
mawashi60
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 29, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike, very physically demanding, with several sections where you have to use your hands to climb up or down numerous rocks. It's more like 17 km than 13, and the route is difficult to follow among the trees and rockfalls across the poorly marked path between points two and six. With careful attention, cairns, sometimes barely visible markings and GPS, you can eventually find your way, but you'll find yourself hesitating about which direction to take at least a dozen times.

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Stéphane-34
Stéphane-34

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 09, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A magnificent hike! You need to be in good physical condition because there are lots of successive ascents and descents, but it's really worth it! Thank you for this beautiful trail, which is fairly easy to follow. The setting is varied and enchanting (forest, waterfalls, breathtaking views, etc.).

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Nadège12
Nadège12

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 11, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

VERY BEAUTIFUL hike!!!
Unfortunately for us, there was an error at point 2
We followed the red dots, big mistake!!!
This forced us to find another route to get to point 7.
Despite a different route, the scenery remained very beautiful.

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Thiburs31
Thiburs31

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 24, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant hike, which seems to be relatively quiet in February. We had to climb over tree trunks several times. No real difficulties and fairly easy to follow the markings. We only lost the trail before reaching the refuge, but it was easy to find the path again afterwards. The first 60% of the route takes up 90% of the time.

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Jbdu34
Jbdu34

Good evening.
I would like to share my thoughts on this hike in a magnificent setting that I did on 5 January.
I just regret that it is described as difficult. It should really be marked as very difficult, given the many physically demanding sections. And the information should clearly state that it is not suitable for dogs. I had to go around a major obstacle to be able to finish it.
Best wishes to you all.

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Marnhutte
Marnhutte
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 19, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Superb route with beautiful views of the valley

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Jean-Louis Cros
Jean-Louis Cros

Thank you for your comment 🙂

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Youri_31
Youri_31
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 25, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

I had had my eye on it for quite some time, thanks to a few commentators who hinted at a nice trip, even though it was a little over two hours from Toulouse... My expectations were met in terms of both the majestic scenery and the physical aspect (nearly 7.5 hours with breaks).
I was greeted by two chamois at the start of the gorges, which quickly scampered off, showing me the way. Then it was time to stretch my legs and follow the GPS (in my case) as far as possible. I did stray a little, but nothing serious.

If it helps:
_ consider the hike as an 18 km walk with a GPS (TwoNav Anima model... reliable and proven on many hikes), the elevation gain is OK, as is the duration
_ despite the markings and cairns, some passages in the undergrowth are not easy to read; the torrential rains that have recently fallen on the region, aided by the local wildlife, have damaged the ground, so keep your eyes open
_ with good physical condition and good shoes (I also really appreciated the walking poles)
_ Avoid in summer (or take plenty of water and set off early in the morning).
_ preferably in the suggested direction, as the last few kilometres allow you to almost rest.

Happy hiking to all, and thank you to the trail's creator and to all those who, by maintaining the cairns and markings, allow us to enter into the intimacy of this beautiful and rich natural environment.

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eaglefoot
eaglefoot
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 17, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A magnificent hike! We spent the night in our van near the starting point and were visited by a group of mouflons! The start of the hike through the Colombières Gorges is superb! You can swim in season, and don't miss a visit to the troglodyte dwellings. After that, the route is varied and magnificent (the Cades gate, the Lande peat bog!). One small downside: it's a bit long (7 hours of walking and 21 kilometres for us), especially the section from the Font Salesse refuge, which is a forest trail.
We didn't find any particularly tricky and/or vertiginous sections.
As for my assessment of the reliability of the description, it's worth noting that I use a smartphone with Locus + IGN map background, so I didn't need to refer to the text very much.
Don't miss a visit to the farm just before the mill: there are signs inviting you to go in and introduce yourself. A very friendly couple who are full of information about their entirely self-sufficient farm, which they built themselves, will be waiting for you there!

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Jean-Louis Cros
Jean-Louis Cros

Thank you for this review of my Le Balcon du Caroux hike proposal. I'm glad you enjoyed it, and I must admit that when I started it this summer, I didn't realise it would be so long. On top of that, it was extremely hot, and I regretted not planning to camp out. So you were the one who had the right idea... 😊
Best regards
Jean-Louis Cros

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donny15
donny15

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 29, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A two-day hike starting from quite a distance away, with a tent for camping. Given the number of kilometres, I thought it would be easy, but with my bag, which was far too heavy at 17 kg, and the extremely rugged terrain, I must admit that I was glad to split it into two. Especially since, at the end of September, you have to stop urgently at 7 p.m. to set up camp as it gets dark.
There were many parts that I found dangerous, particularly along the cliffs, where once again the heavy rucksack certainly affected my balance...
If, like me, you want to bivouac, be aware that there are very few suitable places to do so. It's mostly large rocks everywhere, you go up, you go down, you do a bit of mini-climbing in places (I mean, it's very steep going up and down, real mountaineers will laugh at me).
In any case, the scenery is truly magnificent and for that alone, it's worth the detour.
The GPS watch came in handy. In the end, you find your way with the markings, sometimes blue, sometimes yellow-red, sometimes red, and the cairns, but it's reassuring to have the GPX track on the watch. For this last weekend in September, it was 26°C, which was hot enough given the elevation and, once again, the heavy bag. In the middle of August, the rock must really heat up the atmosphere.
In any case, it's a beautiful region and thank you very much for this nature getaway suggestion.

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