The Balcons de la Têt and the Yellow Train

Date of your route : Sep 29, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hello,
The hike is very beautiful, but there is a lack of precision before reaching point 3:
Before reaching the small wooden bridge, there is a yellow cross marking the prohibition or the wrong path in yellow markings; however, you have to go through there.
I think this should be clarified on the route map, otherwise it could be confusing.
Excellent route.
Thank you for sharing this hike.
Kind regards.

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Thank you for your kind comments

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Date of your route : Aug 03, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

the hike is easy if you follow the app carefully, although there are some variations with slightly tricky sections. The route through the forest is magnificent and offers an exceptional view of the Gisclard bridge, where you can admire the engineering genius of its builders.
The descent to St Thomas is tough on the knees and in direct sunlight. Reaching the station is easy. The total time indicated is for experienced walkers. It took me longer, but I am 77 years old and my knees are wobbly...

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Date of your route : Jul 13, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Most of the hike takes place in the undergrowth, which can be pleasant in hot weather.
It does not present any major difficulties and the signposting is generally good
Combine with a return trip on the Train Jaune to Fontpédrouse station.

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

Enjoy your hike!

Like everyone else, we missed point 3 and turned back, but as we had read the comments carefully, it didn't add much to our journey.

There's nothing in Fontpedrouse, so if you have to wait for the train, which doesn't run very often, make sure you bring something to drink. We were hoping to find a bar to have an ice cream and a drink, but no, there was nothing...

The views from the Gisclard bridge aren't great, too much vegetation.

Suitable for families with no worries.

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Date of your route : Aug 03, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

The hike is mainly through forest, which is great for shade during a heatwave, but means limited visibility except for the lovely views when you arrive in Fontpédrouse.

The slopes are gentle, a little steeper on the descent to Fontpédrouse but nothing too difficult.

Some junctions are missing from the otherwise very detailed description.
In particular, at the hairpin bend before point 3 and its wooden bridge, you leave the yellow markings that go left towards Farga la Cassanya and can join between 3 and 4 to take the shorter path on your right with a yellow cross.

On the return trip, I chose to come back via Planès, along a balcony path that branches off from yours halfway, then back via the GR.
It is a little more exposed, but the distance and elevation gain are not significantly different.

Thank you for this route and the descriptions.

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Date of your route : Jan 02, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

An easy hike with very few people. I didn't take the train; I was dropped off at La Cabanasse and picked up at Fontpédrouse. The route is well marked, except for the small wooden bridge, which is marked with a yellow cross, leading us to continue in the other direction, where there is also a path marked in yellow but without crossing the bridge...
Thanks to Fresneda's comment, I was able to find the cross by retracing my steps, but only after walking quite a bit before realising that I had to cross the stream (the GPX was a bit lost too!) and follow the yellow cross to find the bridge...
Otherwise, the so-called "steep" descent... honestly, nothing too difficult. Hike done in winter, but without humidity as the ground was very dry even in January...
Nice passage under the Vauban bridge, and nice to see it and walk around it from all angles...after that, it's mostly a hike in the woods...

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Hello, and thank you for your comments, which will be useful to future hikers.

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Date of your route : Oct 02, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Hike completed this weekend in fairly warm weather. The yellow train is great and the walk through the forest is pleasant. The Gisclard bridge leaves you in awe of human capabilities at the time of its construction.
However, the path through the forest is quite narrow and slippery (pine needles, etc.). The small stream that you have to cross (in three places) on logs is not visible. You have to take a small path on the right where there is a yellow cross, which is misleading because you shouldn't take it! (Luckily, we had GPS).
As for the descent to the St Thomas baths, the path is very steep and sloping, so be careful with your knees and the risk of falling! According to my GPS, we covered 12.4 km and a total elevation gain of 540 m.

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

Beautiful hike, well-marked route. Very nice descent through the forest and magnificent views of the Gisclard bridge. However, I would point out that the return journey between the Saint Thomas baths and Fontpedrouse station is quite long and tiring in the heat. Bring water. It may be a good idea to leave your cars at the bottom of the station if you can.

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Date of your route : Jul 27, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

It's interesting to combine walking and the Yellow Train so you don't have to take a return ticket. You can push on to the next station.

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Date of your route : Sep 19, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful route made up of pleasant little paths.
Please note that the bridge crossing may be difficult for some walkers. The bridge is in poor condition, with broken crossboards and slippery logs.

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As we are limited in the number of waypoints, I wrote down to cross the bridge and turn left a little further on. It's true that there are many paths in the area.

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Date of your route : Sep 02, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

This particular route wasn't very busy, but there is a network of routes in the area, which means that the train can get very crowded.
We had difficulty finding our way in section 3, with the instruction to turn left shortly after the Ribera bridge. In the end, we kept going to the right, following the yellow markings, which allowed us to stay on track.
The same thing happened on route 5, where we got lost and only found our way back thanks to the app and GPS.
The descent to St Thomas is indeed steep. Be careful if you have knee problems...

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Date of your route : Aug 17, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Beautiful hike, descent to the St Thomas baths a little steep and caution advised in wet weather.
GPS is useful for changes in direction as the signposts and markings leave something to be desired.

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