Pic Roumendarès

A hike that isn’t too long but involves a fairly steep climb, very close to Oloron-Saint-Marie, with a magnificent panorama at the summit as a reward.
Suitable for all seasons (the ascent is north-facing and mainly through woodland, so it can even be considered in summer). In snowy conditions, take care (see below).

Details

21019491
Creation:
Last update:
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 3.11 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 55 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Difficult

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 2,887 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 2,874 ft

  • ▲
    Highest point: 5,367 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 2,480 ft

Photos

Description of the walk

Access from Escot via the Col de Marie-Blanque road; 7 km after the start of this road (having passed the Barescou campsite), turn right onto the forest track. Follow this track very slowly and park at the end (about 1 km). The car park is at an altitude of approximately 740 m.

(S/E) Follow the small path that starts just at the end of the car park (signposted) and heads into the woodland. It winds upwards, fairly gentle at first and steeper further on. Blue markings are sometimes visible. Generally speaking, the path is clear all the way.

After climbing about 80 m, you’ll cross a forestry track; then, after climbing a further 200 m or so, you’ll come to a rocky outcrop, which you should follow until you reach the edge of the forest.

At around 1,200 metres (450 m above the starting point), you’ll emerge from the forest beneath the rocky outcrop and cross a large, gently sloping scree slope (easy, with the path still clearly marked). On the other side of this crossing, the path dives back into the woodland over a rocky ledge.

The slope then levels off and you reach a marshy hollow (1,340 m), with a spring fitted with drinking troughs. A small shepherd’s hut is visible above the spring. The path continues (still through the undergrowth, heading south-west).

(1) Emerging from the forest once more, you come out into a grassy, suspended valley running east-west, which you simply follow to the right (due west). Cairns mark a fairly continuous path here and there. Walk alongside low walls from the ruins of dry-stone huts.

(2) As the slope steepens (1,450 m), cairns appear in two directions: either to continue climbing the slope ahead, or to head left into the undergrowth. It is best to follow the path that winds its way up the slope; the return route will be on the other side. The steep climb covers a vertical ascent of about 100 m, after which you find yourself on a broad grassy ridge/slope to be climbed to the right (northwards, very easy) up to the summit (1,646 m).

(3) From the summit, there is a sweeping view over the Aspe valley, the Barétous and even the peaks above Gourette and Artouste. Do not go any further (steep slopes).

Descend the easy grassy ridge (or slope) (southwards), ignoring the path you followed on the ascent, until you reach the Col d’Andurte (1,532 m).

(4) From the Col d’Andurte, a clearly visible path descends into the valley on the left, passing briefly through the undergrowth before rejoining the ascent route.

(2) Head down the grassy valley to the right, heading east, and continue in the opposite direction to the ascent along the same route to the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 2,480 ft - End of forest road – car park
  2. 1 : mi 1.1 - alt. 4,596 ft - Exit from the forest
  3. 2 : mi 1.22 - alt. 4,711 ft - Cairn-marked path
  4. 3 : mi 1.53 - alt. 5,367 ft - Pic Roumendarès (1646m)
  5. 4 : mi 1.75 - alt. 5,016 ft - Col d'Andurte (1532m)
  6. S/E : mi 3.11 - alt. 2,493 ft - End of forest road – car park

Notes

  • Spring below the Andurte hut (marked on the map). Water quality uncertain...
  • Possible shelter in the event of severe weather in the Andurte shepherds’ hut (please respect this facility, which is a working tool for shepherds: please leave it very clean.
  • If snow persists at the end of the route, do not take the steep ascent but follow the descent route and bring snowshoes. If cornices have formed on the ridge: never walk near their edge!

Reviews and comments

4.2 / 5
Based on 5 reviews

Reliability of the description
3.8 / 5
Ease of following the route
4 / 5
Route interest
4.8 / 5
bobca
bobca

Brilliant! It makes me want to go back. Thanks for leaving a comment.

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MICHEL.SOL
MICHEL.SOL

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 10, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The access track has been repaired. There are no longer any obstacles on the path either. However, it’s still an uphill climb, and the reward is at the top when the weather is fine.

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bobca
bobca

Thank you for this feedback on the walk.
A quick note on the rating: you’ve rated the reliability of the description as ‘average’, but in fact it’s the lack of signposting in the upper section that’s the issue – further down there’s no cause for concern. To improve it, I’d need to go back and provide more landmarks for the upper section (trees, rocks, etc.). One day...
Another great thing about this walk is that it’s doable in winter (unless there’s a lot of snow, obviously).

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Eva33
Eva33

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 19, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

An absolutely stunning hike, with a 360-degree view from the peak!! Very, very quiet; we only came across one person who was familiar with the area. The hike certainly lives up to its ‘difficult’ rating, as it climbs non-stop and is always quite steep.
Be careful, though: the access to the car park is a forest track with lots of potholes, stones, etc… AND the path is very, very slippery and difficult to navigate in places; right at the start of the hike, a tree has fallen across the path and is blocking access with its branches. We cut a few of them away by hand, but we had to go round it a bit at the start. Finally, at the end, you have to figure out how to get to the top as there are no markings and practically no path.

Despite this, the hike is definitely worth it!! There’s plenty to see all along the way. And the end is, I’ll say it again, absolutely MAGNIFICENT

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bthalamas
bthalamas

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 24, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : Not used / Not applicable
Very busy route : No

An accurate description of the terrain, although there are two tree trunks lying across the path. Very easy to get around.
The appeal of the route cannot be assessed as the walk took place in drizzle and fog.!!
To be done again.

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bobca
bobca

And thank you for the review and the kind message.

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bobca
bobca

That’s true, but the summit is over 1,400 metres above sea level and faces west, so the heat is usually more moderate.

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xiberotarra
xiberotarra

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 06, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk – quite steep, but reaching the summit makes you forget all about the effort. Best avoided in very hot weather; most of the route is through woodland, but the final stretch in the open is steep. Well worth doing again.

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bobca
bobca

That’s kind of you!

It’s true, the signposting is very sparse on this route and you need a bit of a nose for it to end up in exactly the right spot. At the same time, there aren’t any major hazards and the area is very quiet. Such a beautiful mountain so close to the lowlands and all to yourself – what more could you ask for?

The bottom line: using a GPS combined with the Visorando app really makes all the difference! I’d even recommend having both maps (OpenStreetMap and IGN) because the OpenStreetMap map shows almost no terrain detail.

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MisterX64000
MisterX64000

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 07, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hello,
Stunning views from the peak. It certainly takes some effort to get there (a 950m climb up a steep, constant slope; it took us 2½ hours yesterday).
It’s difficult to find the path after the spring as the trail is poorly marked (no tracks or yellow markings) and there are few cairns. Remember to download the (relatively reliable) GPS track and the OSM Trails map before setting off.
THANKS to the organiser.

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