The Col de Barèges

A lovely family hike starting from the Pont de la Gaubie on the road to the Col du Tourmalet, past Barèges.

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 14.07 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 6h 45 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 957 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 956 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 2,466 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1,541 m

Photos

Description of the walk

From Barèges, take the Route du Tourmalet which, a few kilometres further on, leads to the old pass road towards the Pont de la Gaubie, where you can park in the small car park near the Botanical Garden or in the Tournaboup car park, 1,000 m further down.

(S/E) From there, look out for and follow theGR®10trail on the right (marked in white and red), which joins a track further up.

(1) Follow this track as it climbs gently. 45 minutes later, you’ll reach a junction (signposted) where the Aygues Cluses stream and the Eths Coubous stream meet, their waters joining to flow down into the valley towards Barèges.

(2) Turn left towards Aygues Cluses onto the track, which starts with a gentle slope running alongside the stream. Further up, you’ll come to a large, funnel-shaped scree slope which you must climb and go round at the top; a gate blocks the access (close it behind you once you’ve passed through).

(3) You reach a small plateau; the path runs along its left side, but some people cross straight across. At the end, there is a scree slope to cross, leading to another flat area.

You can follow the marked path or head straight on, crossing more rocks, and you’ll reach the so-called ‘Pégue’ ledge, a very steep 50-metre stretch.
After a well-deserved short break, follow the very well-marked path through a small forest overlooking the Aygues Cluses stream, which you reach at a junction.

(4) Stay on the marked path, cross the ford and climb a short, easy slope; the path continues straight on and you arrive at the Cabane d’Aygue Cluses.

(5) Continue on to Lac de Couyela Gran.

(6) A few metres away is a yellow-marked path which you take to climb up to the Col de Barèges; a tedious and gruelling climb straight up the slope, but the view from the summit makes you forget the fatigue.

(7) The return journey follows the same route, back to the Pont de la Gaubie car park (S/E)

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 1,541 m - Pont de la Gaubie car park
  2. 1 : km 0.56 - alt. 1,643 m - Track
  3. 2 : km 1.6 - alt. 1,749 m - Junction – turn left
  4. 3 : km 2.55 - alt. 1,894 m - Small plateau
  5. 4 : km 3.7 - alt. 1,955 m - Crossroads by the stream
  6. 5 : km 5.34 - alt. 2,142 m - Cabane d'Aygues Cluses (2150m)
  7. 6 : km 5.58 - alt. 2,154 m - Lac de Coueyla Gran
  8. 7 : km 7.02 - alt. 2,466 m - Col de Barèges (2469m)
  9. S/E : km 14.07 - alt. 1,541 m - Pont de la Gaubie car park

Notes

Halfway along the route is the Cabane de la Pégue, a small, basic shelter for two people.
Before the climb to the pass, the Cabane d'Aygues Cluses can accommodate 4 to 6 people.
Wood and water are available nearby.
Hiking equipment.

Worth a visit

See the botanical garden next to the car park.
Other hikes starting from the same point:
- La Hourquette d'Aubert,
- La Hourquette de Mounicot,
- The Col de Madaméte,
- The Col de Tracens.

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 4 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.5 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.8 / 5
Route interest
5 / 5
Dominique giraudot
Dominique giraudot

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 01, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The maps are very detailed and allow you to follow variations or extensions of the route. The switchback behind the pass really makes you want to go for it

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henri57
henri57 ★

Hello,

Thank you for your feedback.

Finding the route up to the pass from the Aygue Cluse hut. As I didn’t have a compass and the weather was cloudy, the direct ascent up the hill wasn’t easy to find. Furthermore, the Col de Barèges isn’t visible. The lesson is that I’ll always carry a compass with me.

Also, I’d recommend downloading the free Visorando GPS app; it can be very useful in foggy conditions.

See you soon

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tourdelossau
tourdelossau

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 21, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

The main difficulty is finding the route up to the pass from the Aygue Cluse hut. As I didn’t have a compass and the weather was cloudy, the direct ascent up the small hill wasn’t easy to spot. What’s more, the Col de Barèges wasn’t visible.
The lesson is that I should always carry a compass with me.
We were due to reach the Bastan refuge. It was the first day of the Neouvielle Lakes Route. As the weather looked threatening, the refuge warden advised us to go via the Col de Barèges.
The rest of the route isn’t straightforward once you reach the Port Bielh shelter at 2,100m to get to the upper lake and the refuge. You have to descend towards the Lacs de Coste Ouillere before climbing back up the valley that leads to the Lacs de Bastanet.
I really appreciate your website. Many thanks. If you’d like some photos, just let me know.
Kind regards
Tourdelossau
-gc

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marineeeeuh
marineeeeuh

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 24, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A lovely hike with beautiful scenery.
We camped by the lake (with a spring nearby) and climbed up to the pass in the morning to watch the sunrise.
I can confirm the car park

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gazok54
gazok54 ★
• Edited:

Thanks, Gourguet.
Let’s wait for the author to see your post so they can update their description and route.

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Gourguet
Gourguet

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 26, 2016
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A magnificent hike. But to think that now you have to park at the Tournaboup car park, a few metres further down – that brings the total ascent to 1,089 metres.

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