Pilon de Belmaig from Pujol del Mig

An easier way to climb this pleasant summit in Vallespir is from Arles-sur-Tech.

(!) Access to the start of the hike is impossible by car: the road has been closed since 9 November 2024. Situation unchanged on 9 November 2025.

Details

1471471
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 15.36 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 6h 45 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 829 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 825 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,313 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 646 m

Photos

Description of the walk

(!) Access via the D53b road is impossible: the road collapsed on 9 November 2024 => reconstruction of the road is not possible. Access from Saint-Laurent de Cerdan is not via a track! Access via the Mas Pagris road is impossible.
Other report 25 October 2025

From Amélie-les-Bains-Palada, take the D53 towards Montalbà. Please note: the roads to follow are very narrow from the junction (elevation 393), turn right onto the D53b towards Molí de la Paleta (Moulin de la Palette). Park at Mas Pujol del Mig, taking care not to obstruct traffic and respecting the location and occupants of the lodge.
Park along the road between the former Molí de la Paleta stopover lodge and the end of the road. There is very little space, so park tightly so as not to obstruct traffic.

(S/E) Return along the road towards Molí de la Paleta (private).

(1) The trailhead is located 100 m before Mas de la Palette (private) (towards the south-west),GR®®10® Red and White, which descends to Ribera de Terme and then climbs back up towards Coll de Paracolls. At an altitude of 862 m, in front of the ruins of Paracolls, continue on theGR®®10and join the ridge at Coll de Paracolls at an altitude of 902 m.

(2) Head completely left towards Mas Bouadelle, heading south-southwest, along the ridge. You are now on theGRP®® Tour du Vallespir, marked in yellow and red. Climb up, leaving aPR®® on your right, to Piló de Belmaig (at an altitude of 1281 metres), where you will find a superb view.

(3) From the summit, begin the descent, still on the ridge, heading south. There is a rope, but it is not dangerous. The path becomes a wide track towards Puig de la Senyoral, then Coll de la Senyoral, at an altitude of 1186 metres.

(4) Do not descend to the left towards the east on the GRP®®.
Continue along the ridge to an elevation of 1,212 metres for a beautiful view, then take the yellow-marked path on the left towards the south-east, which joins theGRP®® at an elevation of 1,150 metres. Continue down the path on the right, heading south-east.
At the crossroads (altitude 1070 m), continue straight on towards the Mas Bouadelle equestrian lodge.

(5) At the Mas Bouadelle crossroads, take the track on the left, heading north, and join another track at a fork at an elevation of 842 metres.

(6) Leave the track on the left towards Mas de la Solana and continue on the track on the right which descends. Join another track at a fork at an altitude of 769 metres.

(7): Leave the right-hand fork and continue on the left-hand track to the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 667 m - Pujol del Mig car park
  2. 1 : km 0.36 - alt. 667 m - Fork. Towards the footbridge
  3. 2 : km 3.59 - alt. 899 m - Col de Paracolls (Coll de Paracolls)
  4. 3 : km 4.91 - alt. 1,278 m - Pilon de Belmatx (Pilò de Belmaig)
  5. 4 : km 7.28 - alt. 1,187 m - Col de la Senyoral
  6. 5 : km 8.92 - alt. 977 m - Mas Bouadelle
  7. 6 : km 11.78 - alt. 843 m - Mas Solana crossroads
  8. 7 : km 13.84 - alt. 769 m - Track junction
  9. S/E : km 15.36 - alt. 670 m - Pujol del Mig car park

Notes

This is a mid-mountain area, so you will need the necessary equipment, including water.

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.

Reviews and comments

4.5 / 5
Based on 6 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.7 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.5 / 5
Route interest
4.3 / 5
Salomé11
Salomé11

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 17, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike, but I found it quite difficult and not moderate as described on the website. I don't know what you base your rating on. However, it was impossible to park where you indicated, so I had to go back down and park where I could. The drive up is quite difficult because the road is very narrow and it's impossible to turn around, so if you're not comfortable on this kind of road, don't go. I was scared going up and coming back down, and unfortunately I encountered other cars. Sniff sniff 😢

Machine-translated

GMGALD
GMGALD

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 02, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The access road to the route is narrow, so you have to be careful that no one is coming in the opposite direction. We couldn't park at Mas Pujol because the owner didn't want us to, so we left the car on the DFCI road before the farmhouse on the left, which is the way back.
The route is pleasant. We were worried about the snow, but we reached the summit without too much trouble and enjoyed a view of the snow-covered Canigou. The return route was icy in places.
A very beautiful day.

Machine-translated

Vincent de Montastruc
Vincent de Montastruc

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 24, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A very beautiful route with a magnificent view from Belmaig. The drive from Amélie-les-Bains to the starting point is also an extremely interesting excursion in itself.

Machine-translated

mimi6645
mimi6645

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 07, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Beautiful route with a 360° view from the top of the pilo.

Machine-translated

thy680705
thy680705

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 16, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A superb hike despite the date, accessible to a large number of people, even those who may find the second part (the descent) a little long. Thank you for the walk.

Machine-translated

André B2.
André B2.

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 14, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A pleasant hike, especially the first part to Pilo; the return to Pujol del Mig is less interesting on the marked Vallespir trail.

Machine-translated

Other walks in the area

For more walks, use our search engine .

The GPS track and description are the property of this route's author. Please do not copy them without permission.