The Refuge du Chioula from the Col du Chioula

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Easy short hike for families from the Col du Chioula to the Refuge du Chioula.
Return through the pleasant, shaded forest.

Details

n°13437373
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 5.73 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 05 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 162 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 162 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,609 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1,447 m
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Photos

Return to the refuge
Second fork
Ax Valley
First fork

Description of the walk

Park in the Col du Chioula car park (D 613).

(S/E) From the car park, take the track that climbs to the left of the restaurant. After about 900 m, you will come to a fork.

(1) Continue on the main track to the right (south-east). Much further on, you will reach the Carrefour du Pla de la Garde, at an altitude of 1601 metres.

(2) Take the track completely on the left to reach the Refuge du Chioula.

(3) From the refuge, continue along the marked path heading west. Pass under the power lines. Continue for another 400 m to reach a fork in the path.

(4) Then take the path on the left, heading south-west. Further down, you will come to the fork you encountered on the way up.

(1) Turn right onto the track to quickly reach the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 1,447 m - Parking - Col du Chioula (1432m)
  2. 1 : km 0.56 - alt. 1,496 m - Crossroads of the circular
  3. 2 : km 2.57 - alt. 1,601 m - Pla de la Garde crossroads
  4. 3 : km 2.94 - alt. 1,606 m - refuge du Chioula
  5. 4 : km 3.7 - alt. 1,540 m - Intersection
  6. S/E : km 5.73 - alt. 1,447 m - Col du Chioula car park

Notes

The Refuge du Chioula is open in summer and winter. Accommodation available upon reservation. Food also available, hot and cold drinks.

Worth a visit

Reviews and comments

4.5 / 5
Based on 10 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.7 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.6 / 5
Route interest
4.3 / 5
SAD32
SAD32

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 29, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A lovely walk that anyone can do. No issues reported by individuals.

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Yannick0712
Yannick0712
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 22, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant hike with no major difficulties, except for the beginning of the trail, which climbs a little for a while. But it's entirely doable.

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User 11059384

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 21, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant walk that took about 1 hour and 35 minutes without pushing the pace. Perfect after a meal, with several beautiful views. Thank you!

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SIMO PONS
SIMO PONS

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 11, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

To do

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User 8855641

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 25, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A short, easy outing. Unfortunately, the weather turned cloudy

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Pascale Noé
Pascale Noé

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 03, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Accurate and sufficient description, which enabled us to complete the chosen route without any problems. It was very interesting.

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kikoff1
kikoff1

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 08, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Short, easy hike. The ascent is on a 4x4 forest road. The descent is through the woods. In summer, it is not necessary to follow the winding cross-country ski trail; you can cut straight across the 4 or 5 bends.
The restaurant at the car park (La Marmotte) is a great reward at the end of the hike.

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Danielle Michaut
Danielle Michaut

Overall rating : 5 / 5

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

Cape Carmil Route
A very pleasant and varied route.
Magnificent 360-degree panorama of the Ariège Pyrenees.
The only difficulty: having to cross a herd of cows and bulls...
not very reassuring!

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rdecremps
rdecremps

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 09, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

For the return journey from the refuge, the route was more difficult to find. Given that the ferns had grown well, and that
we didn't want to go down to Prades.

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jp11
jp11

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 06, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Super easy hike on the cross-country ski trails, which can be extended by other sections of the trail if you have a map of the resort.

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