Pic de Cabaliros, Malinat and Pic Arraillé de Sireix

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Hike to a first-class viewpoint in the Hautes-Pyrénées. The ascent along the ridges allows you to enjoy a 360° panorama for much of the route and to visit the Pics du Malinat and Arraillé.

Details

n°4331840
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 9.25 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 40 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 717 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 717 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 2,332 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1,615 m
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Photos

Cauterets, Pic d'Ardiden on the left, Vignemale in the centre.
Moun Né then Balaitous.
Croix du Malinat.

Description of the walk

From Argelès-Gazos, take the Aubisque and Val d'Azun road to Arras-en-Lavedan. Take the D103, the D13 and then the D613 towards Sireix. Follow the Curadère road for 5 km, then the track for about the same distance. Park at an altitude of 1,614 metres on the right-hand side of the track just before a bend.

(S/E) Follow the track uphill. It turns right, then becomes a lane and heads east to reach an intersection.

(1) Turn left. The lane opposite, which I call the main lane, will be used a little further on and for the return journey. Reach the ridge, then walk north-east, south-east and then east. This short detour allows you to quickly enjoy a 360° panorama and possibly watch the sun rise over the Pic du Midi de Bigorre.

Follow this discreet grassy lane, which sometimes disappears, to reach a pond that is often dry.

(2) Walk past it for a few metres, then descend, gradually veering to the right, south-east then south, until you reach the main path.

(3) Turn left onto the path and climb up the hillside below La Tucoy.

(4) Leave the path on your left, which you will take on the way back, and continue along the main path. Pass the Pic Arraillé cliff and you will come to a cairn on the left-hand side of the path, marking the start of a trail.

(5) Turn left onto this path. After a steady climb, you will reach the wide grassy pass that connects Pic Arraillé to Malinat.

(6) Turn right onto the ridge path and climb towards Malinat to the south-west. On an intermittent path on the steep slope, veer left and reach the rocky ridge.

(7) Climb up to the left and reach the iron cross of Malinat.

(8) Continue along the ridge trail, passing below the Soum de Lat above. After a final climb southwest, then west, on a well-marked trail, reach the summit of Pic du Cabaliros and its orientation table.

(9) Retrace your steps back down the same route.

(6) Climb the Pic Araillé trail to the northwest until you reach its summit, marked by a cairn.

(10) Descend the opposite side of the peak via the cairned trail, then rejoin the main path.

(4) Follow it straight down to the first fork in the climb.

(1) Continue straight ahead and return to the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 1,615 m - Parking at the edge of the trail.
  2. 1 : km 0.35 - alt. 1,643 m - Crossroads of the Droumidé circular
  3. 2 : km 1.32 - alt. 1,720 m - Mare
  4. 3 : km 1.75 - alt. 1,755 m - Trail junction - alley
  5. 4 : km 2.36 - alt. 1,835 m - Crossroads of the Arraillé circular
  6. 5 : km 2.88 - alt. 1,910 m - Cairn - Start of the trail on the left
  7. 6 : km 3.18 - alt. 2,004 m - Trail junction
  8. 7 : km 3.84 - alt. 2,188 m - Rocky ridge
  9. 8 : km 3.89 - alt. 2,200 m - Iron cross - La Malinat
  10. 9 : km 4.84 - alt. 2,332 m - Summit of - Pic du Cabaliros (2334m)
  11. 10 : km 6.65 - alt. 2,011 m - Summit of - Pic Araillé
  12. S/E : km 9.25 - alt. 1,615 m - Parking at the edge of the trail.

Notes

I have made a video with panoramic views and the names of the peaks. Here is the link, which shows all the important points in the guidebook, in particular the waypoints (5), (6) and (7).
You can see what I call the rocky ridge on the ascent of Mélinat.

Although this route is on a trail, it requires a good sense of direction. The poorly marked trails are lost in places in the grasslands.

There are a few rare passages that are slightly exposed and may be daunting for those prone to vertigo.
Otherwise, there is nothing particularly noteworthy, apart from a few fairly steep slopes and one or two very short rocky outcrops that require the use of your hands.
For these reasons, I rate the difficulty as above average.

The average duration indicated by the software may not necessarily be the same as yours. You may need to recalculate it based on your own pace, the elevation gain and the distance.

This hike is for walkers only. It is not suitable in winter.
It should be done after the snow has completely melted.

Reviews and comments

4.6 / 5
Based on 8 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.3 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.5 / 5
Route interest
4.9 / 5
Britanicus100
Britanicus100

Hello,
Thank you for your feedback. We took a path that runs along the side of the mountain, about fifteen metres below Soum de Lat Dessus.
This path is not visible on the IGN map, but you can see the trail on the satellite map.
It is also possible to pass through Soum de Lat Dessus via a path that appears on the Open Street World map.
I noticed that there were more paths marked on this map in the Pyrenees.
Given the bad weather, you were right to turn back.

Kind regards,
Jean-Yves

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Pat FDI
Pat FDI
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 30, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

No problem finding the start; overall, the GPS track is reliable.
The climb at point 5 is certainly good, but in my opinion, the path between points 6 and 7 is more significant
We didn't go all the way for two reasons:
- when we reached elevation 2244 at Soum de Lat Dessus, the description said to go along the side, but it seemed to us that we should stay on the ridge instead. We were very hesitant.
- with the clouds rising and given the time, we decided to descend via Clot de la Touette to rejoin the classic trail, which was a good decision given the fog (we couldn't see more than 3 metres ahead)

This comment only reflects our experience and does not call into question the excellent work of @Britanicus100, whom I often follow and whose videos are a great resource

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User 16391105

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

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

Hike done this morning in 30°C weather, so not too many people around, which was cool. A bit of a long track to get there, but it's passable everywhere. Nice, easily accessible viewpoint with some very pretty ridge sections that are also safe. Great hike. We didn't hang around too much and it took us 3 hours and 40 minutes instead of the 4 hours and 40 minutes advertised.
Good hike

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Pat FDI
Pat FDI

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 23, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Just at the entrance to SIREIX, head towards Le Cabaliros. We used maps that take you along the new quarry road, which leads to the same place. The track should be taken with caution. We parked higher up, after the cattle park, on a small plateau (1,640 m).

At point 5, don't miss the path that climbs steadily towards the pass. When we reached the pass (point 6), the sky was clouding over on the peaks, so we turned off towards the Pic d'Araillé and point 10 after a snack break.

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Britanicus100
Britanicus100

Yes, you're right, this hike, like many others, should not be attempted in foggy weather or when there is snow on the ground. Thank you for your feedback.

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MJFG
MJFG

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 11, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We only climbed as far as Pic d'Araille because the rest of the route was still too snowy this spring, despite the low snowfall this year. The description is clear, but you need good visibility to follow the route properly. Definitely avoid in foggy weather.

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Britanicus100
Britanicus100
• Edited:

Hello and thank you for submitting your review. We also do a small circular with the guidebook since we pass by Pic Araillé on the way back. It's a smaller circular, but it allows you to visit this second summit.
However, if you pass by Pic Araillé on the way there, you can, of course, complete the route by returning via the second map.

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PA12
PA12

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 27, 2023
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike with a varied route and an absolutely magnificent view upon arrival. We descended via the trail described in hike number 2323305, which allows you to make a circular hike. Thank you!

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Britanicus100
Britanicus100
• Edited:

This hike is a walking trail that should be done after the snow has melted, not a snowshoe hike. There is no problem getting to the starting point in summer, which is common to several hikes.
The mountain in winter is completely different from the mountain in summer. The paths and trails are covered with snow, so the description is not suitable for a winter hike.

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FTAB
FTAB

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

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

Great place for hiking.
HOWEVER: we attempted a hike in February 2023, and despite a temperature of 15 degrees in the sun, there was still a lot of ice and soft snow. In other words, as soon as we arrived at the indicated trailhead before parking, the ice and snow prevented us from continuing by car. But even in summer, not just anyone and any vehicle can venture there.
It's an extra 4 km on foot before the starting point (and therefore the same for the return trip).

On the other hand, from the starting point, the view is magnificent and the area is very open (sunscreen recommended). In addition, snowshoes or crampons can be very useful.

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bruno5m
bruno5m

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 09, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A magnificent hike, best done at sunrise! Park at the end of the track, where there are grassy areas.
We set off at 6.30am and at point 2 (about a 25-minute walk), the sunrise is superb. We reversed the climb up Pic d'Arraillé by doing it on the way there to enjoy the sun in the east (reversing points 10 and 5 between the outward and return journeys). The climb is tough but well worth it!
We were accompanied by majestic griffon vultures flying just above our heads at Pic de Cabaliros!

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retriever33
retriever33

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 09, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Hike completed on 19/07/2021
Hello,
Circular route from Sireix with a return via the ridges and Pic Arraillé. Quite a few people out that day (beautiful weather).
Magnificent views to the west and south, with Hautacam remaining cloudy.
Very good guidebook, highly recommended.

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