Souliou Plateau from Aulus-les-Bains

A lovely walk through the woods starting from Aulus-les-Bains, passing through the Plateau de Souliou.

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 6.97 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 40 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 575 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 570 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,287 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 736 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Start from the village of Aulus-les-Bains, in the car park of the Résidence des Trois Césars (some spaces are reserved for residents, the others are free).

(S/E) On leaving the car park, turn left and, a few metres further on, enter the park on the left. Cross the park and you will arrive at the Grotte des Sources.

(1) Go round the caves on the left, then take the path that climbs and winds through the forest. Take the path that climbs to the right and join theGRP® trail (marked yellow and red).

(2) At a tree marked in yellow and red, turn right and you will reach the road.

(3) Leave theGRP® and follow this road to the left for 60 m. Cross over and follow the sign for Plateau de Souliou (yellow markings).

(4) Follow the yellow markings to the left for a gentler climb. Reach the top of the climb at a crossroads at an elevation of 1075 metres.

(5) Turn right for 10 m, then left, following the signs for Plateau de Souliou. You will reach a junction with a path.

(6) At the signposts, follow the signs to the right for Jasse du Fouillet, following the red and white markings ofthe GR®10to a Y-junction (elevation 1170 m, Jasse du Fouillet).

(7) Turn right, follow the yellow markings and pass the Cabane de Bazets.

(8) After the hut, follow the track towards the Fouillet Valley. You will reach another Y-junction at an elevation of 990 m in the Fouillet Valley.

(9) Turn left onto theGRP® Aulus (yellow and red markings). A few hundred metres further on, you’ll rejoin the road you passed on the way out. Turn right onto it for about thirty metres.

(3) Cross it and take the path back in the opposite direction to Aulus. Continue to the treetop adventure park and then return to the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 737 m - Résidence des Trois Césars car park. Near the
  2. 1 : km 0.17 - alt. 743 m - Grotte des Sources
  3. 2 : km 0.31 - alt. 776 m - Crossroads
  4. 3 : km 0.39 - alt. 806 m - Road. Junction of the circular loop
  5. 4 : km 0.99 - alt. 922 m - Crossroads
  6. 5 : km 1.6 - alt. 1,078 m - Crossroads
  7. 6 : km 2.92 - alt. 1,285 m - Souliou Plateau
  8. 7 : km 3.84 - alt. 1,169 m - Jasse du Fouillet
  9. 8 : km 4.33 - alt. 1,127 m - Bazets and Trabesses - Ruisseau du Fouillet (river) - Tributary of the Garbet
  10. 9 : km 5.44 - alt. 986 m - Fouillet Valley
  11. S/E : km 6.97 - alt. 737 m - Résidence des Trois Césars car park

Notes

The climb is long but steady: make sure you have walking poles.
There are no water points along the route.

Worth a visit

(1) You can enter the cave to see the springs.

(7) Option to make a return trip to the Cascade du Fouillet.

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

4.7 / 5
Based on 5 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.8 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.6 / 5
Route interest
4.6 / 5
Core In
Core In

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 30, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A magnificent hike in the snow. Crampons are essential, and possibly snowshoes if no one has been there before, which was my case – how lucky...To reach the Souliou plateau, there's a steady climb through the forest from the Aulus bend. I decided to go to the Guzet lake because the tourist office strongly advised against doing the circular hike via the Ars waterfall... so I did the two separately. It's a very beautiful hike to do that way too...The lake itself is a little disappointing, quite small and surrounded by trees, so it wasn't very sunny when I visited, but it was still nice...

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User 26295077

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 19, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike through the mountains and forests. We recommend taking a detour to the Fouillet waterfalls.
There is some elevation gain, but this hike remains accessible and well marked.

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Piot39
Piot39

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 08, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

It was a lovely sunny day for a hike. I set off from the Aulus campsite. The start, after ‘the cave’, is quite a climb. You’re in the forest right up to point 6. The view when you reach the plateau is lovely.
At point 7, I went to see the Fouillet waterfall, which is well worth a detour. It’s quite a climb and takes longer than the 15 minutes indicated on the sign! After a quick lunch break in the sun, I continued along the route. Beautiful, varied scenery: river, forest, a narrow path with a few ruins on the descent towards Aulus. The final section before the road is quite steep, then it’s back down towards the “cave”. For me, starting from Aulus, including the waterfall and breaks, it took about 5 hours for 12 km.

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AudeMassiera
AudeMassiera

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 20, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Varied scenery.
The climb is a bit steep right from the start.

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Pascal BERGER
Pascal BERGER

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 28, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Hello
We went on this hike on 28 October, but unfortunately we did it in the opposite direction. It’s just as lovely, and we extended the walk to the Fouillet waterfall, which is definitely worth seeing.

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