Moderator's addition on 23/08/2021: The start of the circuit has changed. It is now at the Chez Louisette restaurant and the hike is therefore longer. See the comments at the bottom of this page
Country:
District:
From Barèges, follow the Tourmalet road for about 5 km, then take the small hairpin road on the right of the restaurant Chez Louisette. Continue along the forest track that passes by the old Barèges funicular station, continuing on to Camp Rollot. Parking is easy.
You can continue by car to reach a small car park a little further on (the track from Camp Rollot is in very poor condition).
(S/E) From there, follow the yellow-marked trail, which begins to climb steeply over scree until you reach an old disused track where there is a junction:
- straight ahead, you will reach the private track leading to the refuge,
- continue along the hillside towards a small wood where you will find the ruins of a few EDF buildings. The trail winds its way through diverse vegetation consisting of ferns, rhododendrons, hazel trees and blueberries, covered with a few rocks. After a few metres on the rocky ground, you will reach the track, which winds its way in wide bends.
(1) Cross it and take the path 20m higher up, marked by two small cairns: it climbs straight up the embankment and reaches a steep area covered with rhododendrons. 50m further on, you will come back to the track, cross it one last time, after passing a ledge topped by a wooden post. The trail levels out for a short distance towards an area of scree and arrives at a small platform that leads to some old buildings (formerly a power station) nearby. Cross the platform and, looking up, you will see a corner of the roof of the Glére refuge.
(2) From here, there are two options:
- go straight up towards a sheepfold and reach the refuge,
- or, on the right, take a small detour to reach the track which, after a few hairpin bends higher up, leads to the refuge.
Five minutes later, a small detour takes you directly to the terrace with a bird's eye view of the Lacs de la Glére and Coume-Escure, slightly higher up on the right.
Leave the refuge behind you and head towards Lac Dets Mail (marked by a small sign at the southern end of the refuge). Follow a small path that is well marked on the ground, with a few clearly visible cairns. After a few hundred metres of ups and downs, you will come to a water intake and a small dam that you must cross. You will then come to a junction indicating the Col de Rabiet and the Refuge Packe (unmanned) to the south.
(3) Take the path eastwards and climb up a small, steep section. Continue towards Lac Det Mail. Once at the top, the slope becomes gentler. Further on, a sign indicates the boundary of the national park.
After passing a few ponds, you will reach the lake.
(4) From Lac Det Mail, follow the trail that heads south along the shore. This trail is well marked and, here and there, a few cairns confirm that you are on the right track. At the end of the lake, the trail gradually rises and becomes less marked on the ground: keep an eye out for the cairns, which are smaller and more widely spaced.
Shortly after reaching Lac de la Manche, you will find yourself in a quiet, lunar landscape, with rocks shaped by glacial erosion that look as if they have been polished with pumice. In places, a few tufts of grass, yellowed by the sun, add a touch of colour to the rocky landscape.
Continue and, via a series of small steps, climb up to Lac Estelat Inférieur, which you should go around on the right.
The slope is gentle and does not feel like climbing.
Higher up, you will see a small waterfall in the distance, flowing from Lac Estelat Supérieur. A larger step, which you have to climb, takes you to Lac Estelat Supérieur.
(5) Take the same route back to the car park (S/E).
❤️🤟🏻
). The hike to the refuge is very nice because you can choose your own route: those who want a gentle climb with a steady slope can stay on the "carriageway" track, while those who want a steeper slope and more nature can take the "yellow" path... and as the yellow path regularly crosses the track, you can do sections of the track and sections of the path.
Visorando member
Extremely difficult 
Difficult 
Easy 
