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Coming from Laruns towards the Pourtalet Pass, just outside the hamlet of Gabas, turn right onto the small D231 road towards Bious-Artigues.
The road climbs along the Gave de Bious, bordered on the left by either a wall or a rocky embankment. When the valley widens, you can see the river crossed by a small bridge and a hut on the lower right, and on the upper left, overlooking the road, a large car park that is very busy in the summer with cars and a few camper vans.
(S/E) Head up to this car park via the track on the left. There is another smaller car park available on the right-hand side of the road. If your vehicle has sufficient ground clearance, you can even park by the river.
Descend to the riverbank via the track furthest to the right.
(1) Cross the Gave de Bious river via the small bridge and head up to the right of the Cabane de Bious-Oumette. The path up to Lake Aule starts right there, a few metres to the right of the hut. This path leads to the lake without any risk of getting lost: just walk up along the Gave (Arrec d'Aule), sometimes on the right bank, sometimes on the left bank, and you will inevitably reach Lake Aule.
We begin the climb on the left bank (with the river on our left), first through the forest, until we reach the first fork.
(2) Shortly after leaving the forest, you will find a footbridge crossing the river. Take it and continue climbing, this time on the right bank (with the river on your right).
Soon the torrent narrows into a gorge and you will see the Cabane d'Aule ahead on the left.
(3) Leave the path leading to the Cabane d'Aule on your left.
(4) A little further on, cross a small tributary of the Gave (Arrec d'Aule) and climb up the left bank of this small stream.
(5) About 250 m further on, take the left-hand path at the fork, closest to the torrent.
(6) You will soon leave it behind to climb along the right bank of the Gave (Arrec d'Aule), which you can see on your right. The path, which is generally sandy-clayey and well marked, becomes a little less clear as it crosses areas of rocky chaos, but you can't go wrong. On the left, the terrain is much steeper and you can see that the stream you have left behind, which is in fact the outlet of Lac d'Aule, flows at the bottom of a very rugged valley.
(7) When you reach the end of the rocky shore that you follow on the left, Lac d'Aule is very close. Walk around the lake on the right to appreciate all its features, especially the small peat bogs, and easily reach the eastern end of the small secondary basin where the lake's outlet flows out.
(8) Return along the left bank of the lake and take the path you came on in the opposite direction.
(6) To vary the descent a little, you can turn left at the first fork, provided it is visible, which is not guaranteed (the appearance of the paths may change depending on rainfall, especially snowfall).
(5) You will rejoin the route you took on the way up.
(4) At Cabane d'Aule, where the stream flowing out of the lake meets the Gave d'Aule, you can turn left to reach the left bank of the river. The path is well marked here and offers a good alternative to the route taken on the way up.
(2) You will rejoin the path taken on the way up, where you leave the footbridge on your right to begin the last section of the descent through the woods.
(1) You will come back to the Bious Oumette hut and cross the Gave de Bious to return to the car park where you started (S/E).
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Difficult 
Very difficult 
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