Pic de la Soucarrane

de fr

A day-long hike taking you to an altitude of almost 3,000 metres and offering splendid views of the French and Spanish Pyrenees.
The hike starts in the valley at 1,926 m and gradually climbs to the peak at 2,902 m.
Plan to spend the day with a picnic on the banks of the Soucarrane lake, which is very pleasant in good weather.
Please note that some sections along the ridges are not recommended for people who are prone to vertigo.

Details

n°16252
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 9.71 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 8h 05 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Difficult
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 4,183 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 4,183 ft
  • ▲
    Highest point: 9,459 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 5,318 ft
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Photos

Pic de la Soucarrane
Étang de Soulcem
Descent to Pla de Soulcem
Étang du Roumazet

Description of the walk

Park your car at the Orris du Carla car park after the Soulcem lake.

(S/E) From there, follow the track heading south, then cross the stream via the footbridge on your right and continue along the waterfall, which forms the barrier of Jasse de Labinas. You will then reach a magnificent pastoral area called Pla de Soulcem (1,820 m), which gives its name to the stream and the lake.

(1) Stay on the left bank of the stream. Pass in front of Orri des Estrets and reach a new crossroads.
Take the path on the right and climb a fairly steep slope at the start, which then becomes easier, to reach Orri de Soucarrane and Étang de la Soucarrane. Go around it to the south.

(2) Then follow the yellow markings to reach Port du Bouet and its border cross.

(3) Head north-west along the border ridge to reach the summit of Pic de la Soucarrane.

(4) Enjoy the view from this border summit, with magnificent views of numerous peaks and lakes.
Begin the descent via the same route to the Étang de Soucarrane lake.

(2) Go around the lake to the west and then north, continuing on to reach Étang de Roumazet.

(5) Begin the tricky descent to Pla de Soulcem to reach the crossroads from the outward journey.

(1) Turn left and follow the same route as on the way there to return to the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 5,318 ft - Orris de Carla. Near - Vicdessos (rivière) - Affluent de l'Ariège
  2. 1 : mi 1.7 - alt. 5,968 ft - Pla de Soulcem
  3. 2 : mi 3.42 - alt. 7,539 ft - Etang de la Soucarrane
  4. 3 : mi 4.07 - alt. 8,238 ft - Port du Bouet
  5. 4 : mi 4.7 - alt. 9,459 ft - Pic de la Soucarrane (2902m)
  6. 5 : mi 7.03 - alt. 7,100 ft - Étang de Roumazet
  7. S/E : mi 9.71 - alt. 5,318 ft - Orris de Carla - Étang de Soulcem

Reviews and comments

4.2 / 5
Based on 15 reviews
Reliability of the description
3.8 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.2 / 5
Route interest
4.6 / 5
osiris130
osiris130 ★

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 23, 2025
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 circular hike for us, descending from the peak via the Port de Roumazet.

This route is preferable to avoid a difficult descent between Pic de Soucarrane and Port de Bouet.

The climb after Port de Bouet to reach the summit is tricky, very steep in places, with a somewhat dizzying passage along a narrow ridge. This route is only suitable for experienced mountaineers and should be avoided with dogs.

If you want to reach this superb summit but are unsure about the climb, opt for a round trip from Port de Roumazet.

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adelebt
adelebt

Overall rating : 4.5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 29, 2024
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hike done yesterday, 29/09/2024, with my dog, in the opposite direction. Perfect conditions except for a little snow after the Port de Roumazet.
Ascent via the Port de Roumazet - long scree slope but no difficulty, then a very steep slope to the peak. Incredible view from the peak! Descent on the other side, towards the Port de Bouet. The descent is quite technical (especially with a dog, even though my border collie is used to it and agile, I had to carry him several times). Without a dog, you just need to be sure-footed and not afraid of heights.
I had already done the circular without the peak in the direction indicated, and it is indeed easier in the direction described here.

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Pascal donard
Pascal donard

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 29, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Beautiful hike, lots of rocks. Beautiful Lake Roumazet
Ascent and descent via the Port de Roumazet

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franma
franma
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 07, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

We stopped at Port de Bouet, where a cold wind was blowing very strongly and we weren't in good enough shape to make the climb.
On the way down, we followed the western edge of the Soucarrane pond, as indicated. It's quite difficult, so it's better to go back through the spillway and cross over to the eastern edge.

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teysmur31
teysmur31

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 13, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Starting from Soulcem, there is a short climb to reach the absolutely magnificent Soulcem Valley. For those who don't want to go any higher, spending the day here is already wonderful. Then climb up to the Roumazet lake, which is quite nice, and then on to the Soucarrane lake, which is very, very beautiful. A superb hike without any great difficulty.

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Domdom11
Domdom11

Hello,
After reading the various comments, I'm not sure whether it's better to start the hike at the Roumazet pond or the other way around.
Thank you in advance for your advice.

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entropiek
entropiek

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 30, 2019
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A superb hike, which I did as a circular hike, climbing up via the Port de Roumazet. The climb up the scree slope is not difficult at all. Some comments almost dissuaded us from descending via the ridge towards the Port de Bouet, which would have been a shame. You just need to pay close attention to the yellow markings (there are lots of them on the ridge). It took us 9½ hours, including three breaks.

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mchapelain
mchapelain

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 24, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A beautiful hike for experienced walkers.
The first part is "calm" along the pastoral section beside the stream.
The second part is a little more intense on the climb to the lakes and the Port de Bouet.
Finally, the last part is technical and steep between the Port de Bouet and the summit.
I took a different route and did not descend via the ascent but via the other side (a scree slope), which is less technical and leads to the Port de Roumazet. This option makes a circular route.
Contrary to Kilzemole's comment, I think it would have been difficult to make the climb via Roumazet because the scree slope is really big and long. It's not easy to navigate.
I completed the circular in 5 hours of actual walking time (not including stops).

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Kilzemole
Kilzemole

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 03, 2018
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Hike completed yesterday in beautiful weather.

I marked the route and description as "Not used" because I climbed Pic de la Soucarane via Port de Roumazet rather than Port de Bouet. The advantage of this alternative route is that there are no exposed or technical sections. The elevation gain remains almost the same, but the hike could then be classified as moderate, the only difficulties being the 1,250m elevation gain and the 14km walk.

Thank you in any case for suggesting this hike, and especially for pointing out the difficulties that could be encountered, which allowed me to find an alternative and avoid getting caught out.

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freneaux13
freneaux13

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 03, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A very beautiful hike without much difficulty for an experienced walker. The only downside is the almost non-existent signage between Port de Bouet (the border cross seems to have disappeared; I didn't see it on either the way there or back...) and Pic de la Rouge... there seems to be some old yellow markings, but they blend in with the numerous yellow lichens on the rocks.

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Paola34
Paola34

Sorry for asking the same questions every time, but can we bring our dog?

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seb94190
seb94190

My mistake, my bad.

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Tetras31
Tetras31

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 16, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Very good for this hike, but impossible to find one of the most beautiful peaks in Ariège, Mont Valier, on your app ??

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gazok54
gazok54 ★

Thank you, seb94190.
Your comment is mostly positive, but you've rated the description as "Disappointing". Is this a typo, or did you actually encounter navigation issues?

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seb94190
seb94190
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 03, 2016
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Route featuring different landscapes.
Lower section (rolling) rather pastoral with cows and horses grazing freely along the stream.
Second level (challenging and rolling), beautiful landscapes, mountain lakes.
Third level (challenging ++ and technical sections) with a very rocky, chaotic atmosphere, sometimes lunar when viewed from the summit.

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