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In Camurac, take the D1020 towards the ski resort. About 500 metres further on, look out for the small (very inconspicuous) wooden sign on the left-hand side indicating the lake and the picnic area. Leave the road and head for the car park, which can accommodate five to six vehicles.
(S/E) Return to the road and follow it down to the right with care until you reach the first two wooden chalets on the left.
Yellow PR® signposting, dense at the start but patchy in several sections of the route
(1) Turn left into the meadow. Continue along a sunken track between two embankments overgrown with vegetation (muddy in October 2019), which leads onto another, much wider track.
Cross this diagonally to the left to continue along the path marked by a signpost bearing the sign ‘Sentier des Crêtes’ pointing in the opposite direction to your route. You’ll come to a wide grassy track which you follow straight on for a short distance before leaving it by turning right onto a narrow, uphill path.
(2) Cross the D1020 and continue straight ahead, veering slightly to the left. A few metres before a gate, you’ll come to a track joining from the right; head straight up this. Further up, the path emerges into open ground, makes two hairpin bends and then enters the woods again just before the poles of the Labière ski lift, which is no longer in operation.
(3) Turn right, leave the woods for good and follow the main path, ignoring several offshoots on the left. After a long left-hand bend, you’ll reach the end of the access road to the ski resort, opposite a concrete block building that doesn’t exactly enhance the view.
(4) Turn right for a few steps, then veer left onto the wide, stony track which runs on level ground. You’ll reach the Col du Teil at a small electrical transformer on the left. Leave the track here and head into the meadow on the right (south-west), keeping a wooden fence in sight at a distance. Caution: there are no markings at this point!
Walk past a picnic table situated higher up on the left and continue in the same direction. You’ll (finally) come across the yellow markings at the end of the fence and carry on, following the numerous herd tracks that look like a giant scratch across the meadow. After a steep climb, the slope levels out.
Once you can see the Coste Rouge double ski lift, carry on straight ahead then turn left (east) to make an easy climb to the top of the small hill (1,776 m), where you’ll find a first orientation table, followed by a second one further south.
A breathtaking 360° view: to the north-west, the Montagne de Tabe with the lofty silhouette of the Pic de Soularac standing out very clearly; to the south, a panorama of the Ariège Pyrenees.
(5) Head back down towards the west, keeping two picnic tables on your left at a distance, then pass by the base of the ski lift’s arrival posts to rejoin a broad grassy track that is barely visible on the ground. Go round the Pic de Pénédis on your right, then head south-west to begin a descent and reach a cairn in which a wooden post bearing the yellow markings is fixed.
(6) Turn off to the right, heading for the Roc de Quercourt, recognisable by the wooden post and cairn marking its summit. The path is barely visible, but simply keep heading west-south-west to reach it after a short, very steep climb.
(7) Exceptional 360° panoramic view. Descend south-westwards along a narrow path, heading towards a wooden post in the meadow, soon followed by two others which indicate the direction to follow. Cross (without difficulty) an area planted with thistles and arrive at a junction marked by a signpost.
GR® white and red markings
(8) Turn right, following the sign for ‘Col de Balaguès’. The trail is very clear, although it sometimes splits and has been worn down by passing herds. Pass at the foot of the Sarrat de l’Assaladou, a small rocky peak on your right where the Occitan flag flies proudly, and, after passing a small orange metal structure, arrive at the Col de Balaguès where there is another signpost.
(9) Turn right. When you reach a junction (mountain bike sign + White Cross and Red Cross on a pine tree trunk), take the sharp right-hand bend. Just after another signpost, an extremely muddy section (as of October 2019) requires you to take a detour of a few metres to the right. Further on, turn left onto the path, go through a metal gate and begin a very steep descent.
(10) Cross the track and continue opposite, following the Ruisseau de Balaguès as it flows to your right.
Yellow PR® markings
(11) Leave the GR® trail, which heads off to the left, and turn right to come out onto a track suitable for vehicles. Turn left, pass a hay shed and continue along the tarmac road, which leads up a steep climb to the Town Hall in the centre of the village of Montaillou.
(12) Turn right. Pass a pretty chapel, then continue along the path, which becomes unpaved and meanders gently on level ground.
(13) At the junction (with a wind vane for paragliders), carry on straight ahead, then turn immediately right at the stone cross. Carry on straight ahead at the next junction and rejoin the D1020 at the tennis courts. Turn right and walk carefully alongside the road.
(1) Head straight on to return to the lake and the car park (S/E).
We enjoy the view for about an hour and then descend back into the forest. The end of the route, once you've passed the village of Montaillou, is a gentle walk along a track that isn't particularly interesting but is still pleasant in today's fine weather. I completed the route in 4½ hours with several short breaks, including a 20-minute picnic break. I'm quite fit but only walk occasionally.
Association / Club / Walk leader
Easy 
Visorando Member
