Tour du Boum

The hike starts in Comus. In the village, park in the car park in the courtyard of the old village school. The route is marked with yellow PR® signs and follows the GR®367 (white and red signs) on some sections. A few directional signs for the "Tour du Boum" (red signs) are dotted along the trail.

(S/E) When you leave the car park, take the street on the left and head up towards the top of the village along the Col du Boum road until you reach the municipal garage.

(1) Take the path on the right at the crossroads and follow the Sentier Cathare, marked in white and red. Cross the road once and go up to the left the second time, on the road, to reach the Col du Boum.

(2) Leave the Sentier Cathare and descend to Pla du Boum on the right via a path. Continue to a junction where you will find a signpost.

(3) Leave the Montpié loop on your right, take the path on the left and climb up to the Col de la Gargante, where you will find a forest house.

(4) Follow the forest track on the right, passing the forest house and leading to the Col de Lancise. Reach a path on the right, before the pass, and a signpost.

(5) Turn right. The trail descends to Pla du Boum and rejoins the Montpié loop.

(6) Cross the large pasture, Pla du Boum, on the left towards the forest, heading south-east, and take the path that climbs towards the Cols de Camurac until you reach a crossroads.

(7) Leave the Montpié loop on your left and continue climbing to the right, leaving the hairpin bend on your left at the next junction. You will come to a signpost at the next junction.

(8) Descend opposite on a track. Leave a path on your right to reach a Y-junction.

(9) Keep right, then continue straight towards the cemetery.

(10) Leave the cemetery (start of Camurac) on your right, turn left into Camurac, then turn right before the church at the signpost. Leave Camurac via a track that passes in front of a shed, then arrive at a fork just before the D613.

(11) Turn sharp right. Follow this track until you reach a signpost.

(12) Leave the track and take a path on the left to the departmental road (D20) leading to Comus. Turn left at the road, then right at the intersection, and keep right at the first fork to reach the car park (S/E).

It is also possible to start the loop in Camurac at the village cemetery.

The difficulty of this hike lies mainly in its distance. The slopes are relatively gentle, except perhaps the one leading from the communal garage (1) to the Col du Boum (2) over a relatively short distance.

There are no water sources along the route except in Camurac, where you can find a drinking fountain in the village square. You will then need to retrace your steps to the church to continue the route.

The Col de la Gargante has a picnic area, but the forest house is closed to hikers. If you continue on to the Col de Lancise shortly after the point (5), you will find another picnic area and a forest house accessible to hikers.

The signposting and maintenance of this loop are provided by the Caminaïres de Comus, an association affiliated with the FFRandonnée.

The hike offers beautiful mid-mountain landscapes. The Pla du Boum, a vast basin surrounded by pine and beech forests, is particularly remarkable.

From the Col de la Gargante, you can make a return trip to a viewpoint overlooking the Château de Montségur, the Massif de Tabe and the Lavelanet plain by taking one of the two forest roads to the left of the forest house (see the directional signs at the fork). The road on the right, marked "Point de vue", climbs for about 900 metres to a bend; leave the forest road and take a path on the left indicated by a signpost. The forest road marked "Pas de l'Ours" follows the GR®367 and leads to an open area with a low wall. Each of these options takes about half an hour there and back.

Beyond the Col de la Gargante lies the Plaine-Comus Forest, crossed to the north by the GR®367 (Cathar trail) and criss-crossed by a vast network of forest roads accessible by car, but also ideal for mountain biking or snowshoeing.