Pic de Tarbésou from the Mijanès ski resort

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The Pic de Tarbésou circular route, starting from the Mijanès ski resort, passing by:

  • Étang de Rabassoles,
  • Étang Noir,
  • Étang Bleu,
  • the Col de la Coumeille de l'Ours,
  • Pic de Tarbésou

Return via the Crête de Mounégou.

Details

n°9734097
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 15.27 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 7h 00 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Difficult
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 914 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 909 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 2,360 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1,528 m
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Photos

Waterfall
Étang Noir
Étang Bleu
Mijanès ski resort

Description of the walk

Access via Ax-Les-Thermes, Ascou, Lavail, then the D25 to the Mijanès ski resort.
Another option is via Quillan, Axat, the D118 to Escouloubre and the D25 to the Mijanès ski resort.
Park in the car park at the Mijanès ski resort.

(S/E) With your back to the car park and facing the slopes, go around the ticket office building and take the Riou Pla forest road.

(1) Leave this forest road downhill to the left and continue straight ahead (Pré de la Mire forest track) to the Cabane de la Mire.

(2) Leave the track, pass in front of the hut and continue until you reach another track (Canrusc forest road).

(3) Turn left downhill until you reach the Route Forestière de La Bruyante.

(4) Keep right, then right again after the car park (Route Forestière de La Restanque) until you reach La Restanque.

(5) Continue to the right. Do not cross the footbridge on the left.

(6) Cross the footbridge over the Ruisseau d'Artounant and continue to the Étang de Rabassoles.

(7) Continue left to the Étang Bleu.

(8) Turn right, walk along the Étang Noir and continue straight on to the Col de la Coumeille de l'Ours.

(9) Turn left onto the path that climbs up to Pic de Tarbésou.

(10) Descend northwards along the Crête de Mounégou. Be sure to stay on the left side, especially if there are still snowdrifts.

(11) Continue on the north-east slope or take the track on the left that goes around Picou de Mounégou until you reach theGR®7B.

(12) Continue straight ahead on theGR®7Btowards the D25 road.

(13) Leave theGR®7B, turn right and follow the stone markers, then the downhill path.

(14) Turn right and continue downhill to the D25. The junction is not very clear. Do not go straight ahead along the rock face.

(15) At the bend in the road, immediately take the path on the right.

(16) Continue along the D25 road and, at the second bend, take the path that leads into the forest. Continue, keeping to the left of the stream, until you reach the Mijanès ski resort and its car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 1,531 m - Parking at the - Station de ski de Mijanès
  2. 1 : km 1.32 - alt. 1,560 m - Crossroads
  3. 2 : km 2.33 - alt. 1,601 m - Cabane de la Mire
  4. 3 : km 2.84 - alt. 1,654 m - Canrusc forest road
  5. 4 : km 4 - alt. 1,575 m - La Bruyante forest road
  6. 5 : km 4.6 - alt. 1,615 m - La Restanque - Bruyante (rivière)
  7. 6 : km 5.41 - alt. 1,686 m - Footbridge - Artounant stream
  8. 7 : km 6.73 - alt. 1,855 m - Etang de Rabassoles
  9. 8 : km 7.29 - alt. 1,930 m - Étang Bleu (Rabassoles)
  10. 9 : km 8.76 - alt. 2,174 m - Col de la Coumeille de l'Ours
  11. 10 : km 9.48 - alt. 2,360 m - Pic de Tarbésou
  12. 11 : km 10.23 - alt. 2,179 m - Crossroads
  13. 12 : km 10.97 - alt. 2,034 m - GR7B - Gouffre de Mounégou
  14. 13 : km 12.05 - alt. 1,964 m - Crossroads
  15. 14 : km 12.49 - alt. 1,878 m - Crossroads
  16. 15 : km 13.76 - alt. 1,678 m - Path
  17. 16 : km 13.85 - alt. 1,658 m - D25 road
  18. S/E : km 15.27 - alt. 1,531 m - Parking at the - Station de ski de Mijanès

Notes

Completed on 25/05/2021, 7:30 a.m. including breaks.
Difficulty rated as moderate, at the lower end of difficult.
Coming from Ax-Les-Thermes, the D25 and the Col de Pailhères are closed in winter. Check Inforoute09 before setting off.
Only the first part of the route is shaded. Remember to bring a hat, cap and water.
Take care on the short section of the D25 road.

Worth a visit

The route to La Restanque is very pleasant, through the forest, with a slight incline, allowing you to warm up your legs.
Picnic areas: Cabane de la Mire, La Restanque, and the ponds.
Cabane de la Mire has been restored by the Le Counc en Donezan association and is a very pleasant place to stop for a break or spend the night (fireplace, table and 4 beds).
When you reach the Étang Bleu, you can turn left to a water source directly below the Roc de Bragues. Allow 20 to 25 minutes. Very beautiful, especially when the snowfields come close to it. Very few visitors.

Depending on the runoff and remaining snowfields, you may need to adapt your route and make a few minor detours.
Watch out for snowdrifts on the Crête de Monégou.

From (12), you can reach the entrance to the Mounégou chasm on the right.

Mijanès ski resort: downhill skiing, cross-country skiing, sledging, snowshoeing, dog sledding.
Ascou Pailhères ski resort: downhill skiing.
The thermal baths at Ax-Les-Thermes.

Always be cautious and plan ahead when you're outdoors. Visorando and the author of this route cannot be held responsible for any accidents occurring on this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

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Reviews and comments

4.8 / 5
Based on 6 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.8 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.7 / 5
Route interest
5 / 5
JM58
JM58

Thank you for your comment. A slight variation: just west of the Mijanès ski resort, the Refuge de l'Orri is an unmanned cabin.

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Soie Douce C.
Soie Douce C.

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 18, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very beautiful route. We strayed a little from the trail to visit the Orry refuge.

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JM58
JM58

Thank you for your comment and we are delighted that you enjoyed the hike.

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User 15764508

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 16, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike in mid-June. The weather was consistent (it took us 7 hours with a 30-minute break for lunch). We encountered very few people!

You can shorten the hike/reduce the elevation gain by parking higher up or starting from the pass (but that's not what we were looking for).

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JM58
JM58

Thank you for your comment.
I'm glad you enjoyed the hike.

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Lolouso
Lolouso

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 04, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very beautiful hike. We started from the village of Mijanes, with part of the route through woods and meadows to the station. Lots of possibilities and magnificent scenery.

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JM58
JM58

Thank you for your comment, and we are delighted that you had a wonderful day.

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Baldeagle
Baldeagle

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 14, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Superb hike, magnificent unspoilt landscapes. We had a wonderful day with surprise views at every turn or pass. Varied, not too difficult, seven hours spent without ever getting bored.

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JM58
JM58

Thank you for your comment.
I am delighted that you had a good time.

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LisaBtbl
LisaBtbl

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 23, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike with varied landscapes. We (a couple in our 30s, on our second hike of the season) did it in 1.5 days, camping at Rabassole Pond. It is also possible to camp at Blue Pond.
Some streams were a bit difficult to cross – we had to take off our shoes, but the water was really cold, so it was difficult to keep our feet in for more than 2 seconds.
There was still a lot of snow on the peaks and regularly on the path, but it was easy to cross if you were careful to avoid ending up with your bum in the snow. The surface of the Black Pond was still frozen!
Thank you for this hike, which we loved.

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Tenzig11250
Tenzig11250

Hiking under consideration

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Tenzig11250
Tenzig11250

Hello, walk planned for later!

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JM58
JM58

Thank you for testing it and providing clarification.
It is always my pleasure to share.
I wish you a wonderful summer.

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georgevelyne@gmail ;com
georgevelyne@gmail ;com

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 02, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

This superb hike, done in July at +28°C, takes you to three beautiful lakes. We would like to provide some details that may be of interest to other hikers.
1. For convenience, we started our hike at point 13, at the Col de Pailhères, and Visorando immediately detected our starting position.
2. At point 5, there is a beautiful meadow with tables and benches for picnicking.
3. Just before reaching point 9, you will have to tackle a steep climb that seems endless but offers a superb panorama.
4° At point 9, if you are too tired, you can continue on the GR 7B, which takes you directly back to point 12.
5. Between points 14 and 15, we had to navigate with the app in hand because the route is not always obvious. Never mind, Visorando is so accurate that if you stray 20 metres from the path, it alerts you and you can immediately correct your course.
Thanks to "JM58" for publishing this beautiful hike.

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JM58
JM58

You can go straight to Col de la Coumeille de l'Ours without climbing Tarbésou.
In the height of summer, the most difficult thing is the heat once you leave the forest.
Enjoy your walk!

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