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(S/E) Depart from Place du Foirail in Argelès. Head west on Route d'Aubisque (D918), which climbs slightly. Take the hairpin bend to the right onto Rue Peytier Hossard until you reach Place Clemenceau.
(1) Go around the square on the right and take Chemin des Acacias opposite. At the next crossroads, take Rue du Balandrau on the left, which quickly enters the woods and becomes a stone and dirt track. Follow the fence of the animal park and continue uphill on this path until you reach a crossroads with four paths.
(2) Follow the leftmost path, which climbs into the woods for 500 metres.
(3) At the next junction, turn right onto the path signposted for the viewpoint.
(4) Superb view of the Gave de Pau valley. Descend by the same path to the previous crossroads (3) and continue on the tarmac road (Chemin du Balandrau) towards the village of Gez.
(5) At the entrance to the village, just after a 90° right-hand bend, turn left onto the small Cazalis path between two stone walls. At the end of this path, turn right onto Rue de l'Église, then 150 m further on, join Rue du Bayet (D102) on the right.
Cross the bridge over the Bayet and then turn left, leaving the road on your left that leads to Trébessères. Continue straight ahead on the paved road, which after 50 metres becomes a small path that climbs gently into the woods.
(6) Cross the Route du Bergons and take the path opposite. Follow the signs clearly marked Mont de Gez (yellow, then red and white markings). Pass under the high-voltage power line, following the path (at this point, the IGN map is not accurate!). After about 1 km, after the hamlet of Sarrat, the path widens.
(7) Leave the path on your right and take the one that climbs up along a meadow on the left. This wide forest path turns at a right angle 250m higher up, and you then cross a superb plantation of neatly aligned fir trees. Follow the main path and the numerous signs (yellow markings) as you climb towards Mont de Gez.
(8) Leave the forest by turning right onto the path marked by a metal signpost (yellow markings) and cross a fern-covered area dotted with the famous erratic boulders towards the summit, 500m higher. Mont de Gez rises to 1,097m, offering a 360° panorama of the Pyrenees!
(9) Although steep, the descent is easy if you head south (follow the signs for Argelès) along the edge of the forest, then after 150m turn right, still along the edge of the forest, following the clearly visible path. Continue straight ahead at the next junction with another path.
(10) 300m further down, take the hairpin bend on the left and continue through the forest, always following the signs for Argelès. Note that 600m further down, the IGN map showing a path on the right no longer exists. Continue straight downhill to the next junction, where the hamlet of Les Gerbes is clearly signposted.
(11) Turn right towards Les Gerbes and cross the hamlet heading south-east, leaving the paths on either side until you reach Chemin Trabesses.
(12) Cross the tarmac road and take the path that starts along a fence, descending slightly to the left (clearly visible sign for Argelès). Continue along this path through the woods until the next junction. Turn right and continue for about 250 metres until the next junction.
(13) Turn left. You will now be overlooking the Val d'Azun road (D918). Pass under a first high-voltage power line, then a second, and continue along the Sentier du Procureur until you reach the junction with the Route de Gez (D102), at the entrance to Argelès. Cross the Route de Gez and take the Chemin d'Arras opposite (clearly marked), which will take you back to Place Clemenceau.
(1) Go around it on the right, heading south, passing in front of the pretty wash house. Go down to the left towards the Route d'Aubisque and return to the starting point, on the Place du Foirail (S/E).
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