Parking Pont de la Gaubie walks

This three-day hike takes in at least 20 lakes.It is divided into three sections and includes two nights in a mountain refuge (or in a tent).The first day is still quite challenging, though.The durations of each stage are those I noted down. They include breaks for photos, meals, chats and dipping your feet in the water, and I’d like to remind you that these are three hikes (at a normal walking pace). Please note: booking issues have been reported at various mountain huts on 10 August 2026. Furthermore, the Bastan mountain hut will be closed by the authorities from May 2025 until safety standards are met.

This is a very accessible walk. After following a valley where irises bloom in late July, it climbs up to the Lac de Barrage dets Coubous. It then winds its way from lake to lake, across the meadows of a high-altitude cirque.

Third stage of the Three Days in the Néouvielle Reserve and its lakesFrom the Chalet-Hôtel d'Orédon to the Tournaboup car park.The multi-day hike is coming to an end, but the beauty of the 20 lakes remains.You are entering the Néouvielle National Nature Reserve, which is protected by regulations. Please respect these regulations (see practical information).

This very pleasant and accessible walk takes you through the beautiful Aygues Cluses Valley. You will walk along the torrent between groves and lawns to the lake of Coueyla Gran. Located at the gateway to the Néouvielle Nature Reserve, come and meet its emblematic host: the mountain pine. See During the hike or nearby. Observe the "coueylas", which are old shelters for shepherds and their flocks.

First stage of the Three Days in the Néouvielle Nature Reserve and its lakes.From the Tournaboup car park to the Bastan refuge.A fairly challenging hike due to its elevation gain and short distance.At point (6), it is possible to shorten the route and reduce the elevation gain. See Practical Information.At (7), it is possible to shorten the route and reduce the elevation gain slightly by taking a south-facing, balcony-style path. Please note: the refuge has been closed by the authorities since May 2025

Above Barèges, winter shrouds the Aygues Cluses valley in silence. Beneath the snow-laden mountain pines, we tread softly; only the torrent accompanies the ascent, with the occasional track of a ptarmigan or a chamois in the powder snow. The Madamète lakes, so popular in summer, now lie dormant beneath their layer of ice, and the path is nothing more than a series of tracks to follow in the fresh snow.Higher up, the valley opens out and reveals the horizon: at 2,657 metres, the Pic de Madamète offers a 360° panoramic view of the entire Néouvielle massif, with its jagged ridges and string of frozen lakes. The descent via the Coubous Lakes completes the circular route in the low afternoon light.A wonderful winter’s day on snowshoes – challenging and spectacular – on the edge of a nature reserve which, for a few months each year, reveals itself only to those willing to explore it on foot. I hope I’ve made you want to join me!

This winter hike follows the charming Vallon d’Aygues-Cluses, passes close to the hut and refuge of the same name, then climbs up the ridge separating the Massif du Néouvielle, until it reaches the Hourquette Nère.The icing on the cake is the final ascent of the Pic d’Aygues-Cluses, a beautiful but fairly technical peak at an altitude of 2,620 metres (this is optional).You will be entering the Néouvielle National Nature Reserve, which is protected by regulations. Please respect these regulations (see practical information).

Above Barèges, the mountain landscape changes completely as soon as the snow settles. From Tournaboup, the snowshoe route first ascends the Vallon d’Aygues-Cluses, a gentle track that winds its way between the ridges, to the recently built refuge and the old shepherd’s hut. The route then climbs up slopes of varying difficulty towards the Pic de Gourguet, at nearly 2,600 metres: in winter, the summit is reached in a silence disturbed only by the occasional tracks of chamois. From there, the view stretches far into the distance — the Néouvielle, the Pic du Midi, and the slope down into the Coubous valley. The return route via the Col de Tracens takes you past a succession of lakes lying dormant beneath the snow: Tracens, La Jonquère and Les Coubous. A simple, challenging and rocky circular route, where the winter season sweeps away the crowds and strips the massif back to its essence.