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Once in Bagnères de Luchon, pass in front of the thermal baths and follow the D125 to the Hospice de France. Once there, park your car in the well-equipped car park.
(S/E) Leave the car park and walk a few metres uphill to the Hospice de France and look south to enjoy the magnificent landscape. The trail starts in front of the building, descends, crosses the Pesson stream, climbs back up and joins a wide dirt track.
(1). This leads gently downhill to the Penjat bridge over the Port de Vénasque stream.
(2) Cross it. Leave the Chemin de l'Impératrice on your right and turn left. The path is well marked and signposted Port de Vénasque/Boums du Port. Then simply follow this path, which winds its way up.
(3) Cross the stream again at Culet and climb up to the Cabane de l'Homme, an old shelter whose roof was struck by lightning in the 1950s.
(4) Continue to the Refuge de Vénasque, where you can take a well-deserved break after the climb.
(5) Return to the trail, which enters a small stony valley and leads, after a few hairpin bends, to Port de Vénasque.
(6) Descend via the path you have just taken and at the level of the first hairpin bends you passed on the way up.
(7) Look for a trail starting on the left. This trail runs along the base of the north face of Pic de Sauvegarde. The trail is marked by cairns, whose position varies from year to year, so the path can sometimes be difficult to follow. You must therefore be vigilant, aiming for the Col de la Montagnette, which you can see to the north-west, and taking care not to get too close to the Grand Boum, so as not to lose altitude.
(8) Proceed with caution over the rocky terrain; there may be some residual snow depending on the snowfall for the year. You must therefore be careful. Make sure you spot the cairns and head for a path, which you can see by looking due north, coming from the Refuge de Vénasque (this path is not shown on the IGN map). Join this path.
(9) Turn left towards the Col de La Montagnette, which you will reach in a few minutes.
(10) At the pass, a well-marked trail descends west towards Lac de La Montagnette (not shown on the IGN map). Leave this trail and take another, less marked trail on the right, which heads north along the base of Pic de Sajust.
(11) Then turn left to reach the valley of the small Lac du Maille.
::11: Take it on the left to descend towards the lake. The path reaches the cliff that holds back the lake.
(13) Follow it into a very steep rocky corridor.
(14) Take great care here, especially on wet ground. The trail is narrow and sometimes difficult to follow. It heads due north.
(15) Turn north-west and you will soon see the Cirque de La Glère below. The difference in altitude is very impressive. As you approach the bottom of the cirque, towards the break in the slope, you can easily see a well-marked path, which you join shortly before entering the forest. The Cabane de la Glère is below on the left.
(16) Follow this path, which widens and becomes the Chemin de l'Impératrice. It leads to the Pont de Penjat.
(2) Turn left and retrace your steps to easily return to the Hospice de France car park (S/E).
There's a good adrenaline rush when crossing a fairly technical snowfield, which requires equipment as it is located in one of the steepest areas after the lake.
Visorando Member
Moderate 
Association / Club / Walk leader
Difficult 
