Lake Bassia from Gèdre-Dessus

Date of your route : Jul 28, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

An exceptional hike in a particularly wild setting. Breathtaking landscapes.
The hike is quite physically demanding and requires the use of GPS as the trail quickly becomes confused with those of grazing animals.
The high-altitude lake of Bassia seems timeless when the first mists appear on its surface in the evening.
In the valley below, you can see marmots, vultures and ibex.
The return trip through the barns and raspberry bushes with a bird's-eye view of the valley is sublime.
Please note that parking at the start is difficult, with very little space to share with the residents of the last houses on the cul-de-sac.

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This hike is to be avoided at all costs!
There is no parking in front of the hiking trail. To get there, you have to drive 2 km on a road where only one vehicle can pass at a time. Good luck passing each other...
Then the first kilometre climbs at an average gradient of over 20%, reaching nearly 30% in places.
The first 3 kilometres of the trail are marked.
After that, there is no path, you have to guess where to go. You have to walk through tall grass and even through thickets.
Without GPS, I was lost...
And apart from a few signs, especially at the start of the route, there are no yellow markings to indicate whether you're on the right track, or maybe I'm blind.
In the end, I turned back after the crossroads marked at 2,100 metres, as there was no sign of a path to continue and it was too difficult to continue into the unknown.

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Hello Gavarnie Valleys
Thank you very much for reporting this.
Hike annotated.

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Hello,

Just a quick note to let you know that the restrictions on hiking in the Campbieilh Valley have been lifted.
Thank you very much.

The Gavarnie Valleys Tourist Office.

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: following the floods of September 2024, the footbridges and riverbanks of the Campbieilh Valley have been damaged. The route is strongly discouraged until further notice. Thank you for your vigilance.
The Gavarnie Valleys Tourist Office

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Date of your route : Aug 18, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A magnificent, little-known route. We only encountered one family during the entire hike; we were alone in the midst of beautiful, lush green nature. We saw cows, marmots, birds of prey and even a magnificent herd of izards. The elevation gain is very steep at the beginning, but it levels off once you leave the pine forest. You can buy cheese directly from the producers at the Campbieil barn. There are a few difficulties in following the route from the Sausset hut to the lake (as the hike is not very popular, the path is not very visible in the grass). When you arrive at the lake, the view is exceptional and you quickly forget the climb. A magnificent hike that we highly recommend.

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Date of your route : Aug 09, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We did this hike at the beginning of August, and even then we hardly saw anyone! The steep walk through the beech forest is perfect for meditation, and our picnic alone by the lake was perfect (the water was too cold for anything other than dipping our feet in, haha). However, the trail was no longer very reliable around point 8 because the yellow markings blended in completely with the moss on the rocks. We took the right direction thanks to the GPS, but we had to walk off the trail... we don't like trampling the vegetation :-/ The return from point 9 (which we did around 1 p.m.) was a bit painful because it was in the blazing sun and there were no trees. Other than that, we recommend it, it was superb!!

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Date of your route : Jul 29, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike with varied landscapes and a good elevation gain that gets your legs going right from the start.
The more adventurous can take a dip in the lake, as the water is very cool 😊
It took us 4 hours at a good walking pace, not including our lunch break and swim in the lake.

Notes: There is quite a lot of tall, slightly prickly grass that scratches your calves. Lightweight canvas trousers are recommended to avoid allergies.

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Date of your route : Sep 28, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

If you enjoy solitude, this is for you. But be careful! Don't tell anyone ;-)
I did this hike on 28 September 2020, just after the first snowfall.
From the village of Gedre-Dessus, barely awake, I set off on a 2km climb through a beech forest. And there, the view of the snow-covered mountain range opens up. The beautiful view of the waterfall makes you want to get closer. But that will have to wait for another time. There was a little snow on the way to the Sausset hut. After that, it got more complicated with an ascent in 30 to 40 cm of snow, maybe even more. It wasn't too difficult, but there were no markings (only GPS) for almost the entire last 3-4 km.
Lunch was eaten at the edge of Lake Bassia with a 360° view of these majestic 3,000-metre peaks. Pic Long, Pic Badet, Pic de Campbieil... Simply magnificent. And alone in the world.
The snow made the hike more difficult. But even without snow, you still need to be a good hiker. Walking poles are essential and there is a significant elevation gain.
I'll do it again, but without the snow. As a rough guide, it took me 7 hours, covering 2 km more (due to a small detour at the start of the route) and including breaks.

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Date of your route : Sep 09, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Superb hike! Quite a climb, but well worth it. No one else on the trail, magnificent scenery, and the descent is very pleasant and fast. Took less time than indicated (5 hours 15 minutes).

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Date of your route : Jun 18, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Hike completed on 1 June 2018, almost no snow left except above the lake. Be careful, the path is not very reliable and difficult to find between stages 6 and 9; we got a little lost.
But it's a really nice hike, quite difficult.

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Date of your route : Jul 22, 2016
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Hike completed on 25 May 2016 with still a lot of snow.
This valley is magnificent, with a good climb at the start of the hike.
The group of barns at Campbieil is really typical, and all that remains is the climb to Bassia Lake (the only lake in the valley) to enjoy a superb landscape with a view of the Campbieil peak.
The start and end of the hike in the beech forest are very pleasant.
I highly recommend this route, even if it is a little long.
Be aware, however, that the small car park at the end of the road only has space for three or four cars at most. It is therefore advisable to set off early, which is always a golden rule in the mountains.

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