Soum de Grum route from Arbéost

Date of your route : Jun 14, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The first section up to the summit of Soum de Grum is magnificent and you simply can’t get lost.
However, after Soum, it’s a disaster... No path, a gruelling descent through vegetation that you’re forced to trample, brambles, and sections right on the edge of the precipice along the ridges. I really couldn’t see the end of it. I’d set off with 2 litres of water, but that proved to be far from enough. Scratches all over my legs.

Machine-translated

Date of your route : Oct 09, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A walk undertaken by two keen walkers on 8 October 2023. We were drawn to the prospect of doing a circular walk, whilst being aware from the reviews that the final section through the forest wouldn’t be easy; however, the most recent reviews were over two years old, so we wanted to see for ourselves.
The entire first part of the route is very beautiful, with varied scenery and a gradual yet steady climb (the ‘difficult’ rating is spot on). The section crossing the Cirque du Litor off the GR trail doesn’t add much, other than wading through the marsh. It’s better to follow the path that leads to the same spot below the Col de l’Aubisque road. The rest of the route up to the Son de Grum is fantastic, with stunning views of the Gourmette, the Santus, the Pic de Jer and other peaks… Things get trickier after the Soum, where you leave the marked trails; it becomes a bit more complicated but still doable. However, the final section through the woods is a complete mess! There’s no path, it’s very difficult to navigate and impossible without a GPS track.
In summary, this is a hike to be avoided entirely, but as a return trip to Son de Grum – why not?

Machine-translated

Date of your route : May 30, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely route, though the route isn’t always straightforward – we got lost on the way to Aubisque, so GPS was a must! Not to mention the numerous fallen trees blocking part of the route.

Machine-translated

Hello,

It’s true that on the way back from this hike – which isn’t too busy! – there isn’t much of a path! It’s best to do it in good weather! And avoid it when there’s a lot of snow on the section towards the Col d’Arbaze and the descent down the Soum

There are some trees (they weren’t there in May and are likely to stay there for a while) blocking a short section of the return route through the woods; you’ll need to step over or go round them, though it’s not too difficult!
In May, there are fields of gentians at the exit of the Cirque du Litor!

Machine-translated

Hello,

It’s true that descending on this side of the Soum du Grum in winter can be risky.
In that case, it’s best to head down towards the Col d’Aubisque and take the track to the right of the pass, which leads to the ridge at an altitude of 1,680 metres between the Soum and the Col de Bouhaben
This is a hike best undertaken in late spring

Machine-translated

Date of your route : Mar 23, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Best avoided in winter as you’ll encounter snow slides of varying sizes along the ascent route.
From the Soum de Grum onwards, it is difficult to follow the route due to snow cornices.
Furthermore, the section along the ridges, before the descent to Arbéost, is littered with uprooted trees.

Machine-translated

Date of your route : Feb 24, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

From Soum de Grum, the descent to Arbeost is difficult not only because the path is not marked out, but above all because of the countless enormous trees felled by the storm that block the way, forcing you to cross areas of
scrub

Machine-translated