Pic de Lustou

A beautiful, little-used round trip hike to climb the Pic de Lustou, at over 3,000 metres, offering a 360° panorama of the most beautiful peaks in the Pyrenees.

Please note: after the point (7), you will need to be extra careful.

Details

2540314
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 12.16 km
  • ◔
    Duration according to the author: 8 hrs 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Very difficult

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 1,627 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 1,628 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 3,006 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1,372 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Start from the Frédançon car park.

(S/E) Cross the large car park, cross the Neste de Rioumajou and follow the forest track on the left, which then runs alongside the Ruisseau de Péguère to the bridge.

(1) Before the bridge, turn left onto the path and ford the Piarre stream.

(2) Continue left along the Piarre stream; this is a very pleasant shaded section leading to the waterfall.

(3) Continue to the right, south-east, on the well-marked path facing the peak.

(4) At a flat section, wade across the Piarre stream and continue to the Cabane du Lustou.

(5) After the hut, the path climbs through the grass to the start of the scree slope.

(6) Cross the scree slope heading east, then veer left to reach the ridge.
The hike can end here for those who are uncomfortable with exposed sections.

(7) Climb up the exposed ridge on the right, following the cairns (if in doubt, bypass the difficult sections on the left) until you reach Pic de Lustou after 4 hours and 20 minutes of effort.

(8) The descent is via the same route, with the cairns and passages easier to spot in this direction. Allow 3 hours and 15 minutes for the return to the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 1,379 m - Frédançon car park
  2. 1 : km 1.67 - alt. 1,499 m - On the left, before the bridge
  3. 2 : km 1.85 - alt. 1,511 m - Piarre stream. Ford
  4. 3 : km 2.91 - alt. 1,776 m - To the south-east
  5. 4 : km 3.37 - alt. 1,917 m - Piarre stream. Ford
  6. 5 : km 3.73 - alt. 2,068 m - Lustou Hut
  7. 6 : km 5.09 - alt. 2,607 m - Scree slope
  8. 7 : km 5.75 - alt. 2,881 m - Ridge
  9. 8 : km 6.08 - alt. 3,006 m - Pic de Lustou
  10. S/E : km 12.16 - alt. 1,378 m - Frédançon car park

Notes

Access:
Pass Saint-Lary Soulan and turn left 3 km further on the D19 towards Tramezaigues.
Continue for about 8 km and park in the large Frédançon car park at the end of the tarmac road.

Bivouac:
Shaded bivouac area at the start of the hike with dry toilets, at the foot of Rioumajou.

Tips:
Start the hike early enough to take advantage of the shade provided by the mountain.
Best done in good weather, preferably in summer or autumn to avoid snow.
The path is little used and therefore not very well marked from the scree slope onwards: however, there is little risk of getting lost as there are a few cairns to guide you.
The steady gradient makes the ascent fairly easy up to the scree slope. Once on the ridge, there is an exposed section where you will need to use your hands.

Worth a visit

You will encounter many animals on this little-used trail.

Reviews and comments

4.6 / 5
Based on 8 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.8 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.4 / 5
Route interest
4.6 / 5
Jififi82
Jififi82

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

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

Very beautiful hike, magnificent setting, gradual and steady climb. At 6, the trail disappears into the scree, with few cairns and fairly unstable terrain. Once you reach the pass that leads to the ridge, there is a difficult section that is a little exposed but, more importantly, has loose rocks. As suggested in the Visorando guide, I decided to turn back. A fixed rope would be useful here.

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Vincent-M.
Vincent-M.

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

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

As is often the case, the beginning was difficult.
More specifically, the very beginning is very easy, but shortly afterwards it quickly becomes complicated with a kind of double fork that you have to navigate carefully.

Otherwise, it's very interesting for me because I'm a big fan of 3000s. And to do this one, it's great that there's a good guidebook, otherwise I would never have done it!

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SCIE
SCIE

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 15, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Hello,
A comment about the Lustou hut: there was no water (weekend of 15 August). Bring enough water if you are hiking over two days. The last water source is at No. 3, the waterfall.
The final climb at point 7 before the final ridge is in poor condition.
Best regards

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MCTOUL
MCTOUL

Thanks, Mickael!
Thank you
Interesting comment
Have a good day
Best regards

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Mickaelmf47
Mickaelmf47

Hello Marc,
I have modified my sentence

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MCTOUL
MCTOUL
• Edited:

Hello Mickaelmf47,
Thank you for using my route, I hope you enjoyed the summit!
What do you mean by "not as bad as advertised"?
Have a nice day
Best regards

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Mickaelmf47
Mickaelmf47
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

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

Hiking. Not very busy.
No snow at all along the entire route.
The trail is fairly easy to follow thanks to the regular presence of cairns.
1,625 metres of elevation gain over just over 6 kilometres = fairly steep slope.
The ridge to reach the summit is less impressive than it looks from below.
Hike completed in 5 hours 45 minutes, including 3 hours 20 minutes to ascend.
I didn't meet anyone between the car park and the summit.

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Pito
Pito

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 21, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Steep climb throughout the entire route (except for the starting path)
Easy route to follow for those accustomed to mountain terrain.
The last section on the scree slope and along the ridge is more difficult and requires a bit of effort on the ridge.
4 hours to the summit with breaks, 2 hours 40 minutes to the descent.
Walking poles are a good aid up to the scree.

Seven people encountered on the route.

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MCTOUL
MCTOUL
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 09, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hello Frizzouille,
Thank you for this superb hike and its very reliable description!
One small clarification to note:
Shortly after the point (1), you need to cross the ford at the mouth of the Piarre stream to find the forest path that climbs up through the fir trees.
Just a quick question: did you go up the chimney (https://photos.app.goo.gl/W3Doj7qzcJoK19...) or to the left of the rocky ridge to reach the crest?
We went up via the chimney, but came down via the north-west ridge.
We saw one, then two other hikers at the summit, whom we hadn't seen during the climb: two had climbed up via the Vallon and Lac de Lustou; one had climbed up an hour before us (not via the chimney) and arrived half an hour before us.

I continued on to Pic d'Estiouère, on the ridge, which was very easy.

Otherwise, there were far too many cairns, which obstructed the view between just before (6) and the summit (8).

Recommended for experienced and fit hikers.
Best regards

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AntoninLajoie
AntoninLajoie

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 05, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Nice route, remember to plan ahead for stream crossings.

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Truc
Truc

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 01, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Point (1) Cross the stream at the mouth of the Piarre brook to find the forest path that climbs up through the fir trees. Once you reach a slightly clearer area (a few dozen metres further on)
Point (2) there are a few small cairns indicating the path through the undergrowth.
Point (6) In the scree, there are several paths with many cairns and sometimes a few traces of trails that are not easy to follow. When looking at the peak, aim for its left side. There, you will begin a climb with the help of your hands on sharp rocks before reaching the ridge area.
A beautiful hike completed in 4 hours and 20 minutes at a steady pace – a little windy at the top, but the view is magnificent and well worth the effort – the climb is fairly steep overall. Good luck!

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