Tour of the Beille Plateau

This circular hike will take you across the Plateau de Beille, offering beautiful views of the eastern Ariège Pyrenees throughout the hike.

When you reach the top of the plateau, you may encounter a few herds grazing (goats, cows or Mérens horses).

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 7.83 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 00 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 262 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 260 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,983 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1,731 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Park in the large car park at the end of the D 522 coming from Les Cabannes.

(S/E) Continue along the car park and follow the sign for Plateau de Beille, at an intersection at the foot of several tracks.

(1) Take the track on the right towards Cabanne d'Artaran and descend a few metres further on another track on the right to bypass a retention basin.
Follow this path, which descends gently into the forest, until you reach an intersection just before arriving at Jasse d'Artaran.

(2) Descend the track on the right and after 50 m, turn left towards Toudous on a faint path through the grass, following the yellow markings on small posts (be careful not to take the first path that climbs up to the left towards Piparlan).
The path climbs gradually, passes a few drinking troughs and then climbs steeply through the forest with several steep, slippery or muddy sections.

(3) As you leave the forest, you will quickly arrive above the Orri de Toudous, where you will have a beautiful view of the Laparan Dam and the Fontargente area.

(4) Then climb up to the left to reach the top of the plateau. Follow the marked trail that heads to the right, then at a rocky outcrop, turn off the trail to the left, keeping north, to reach the summit.

(5) At the summit, take the track that descends gently to the right with the Luzenac talc quarries in the background. A few hundred metres further on, join the GR® on a more clearly marked track. Continue to the left until you reach a major intersection at a place called Piparlan.

(6) Continue on the path slightly to the right, following the signs for the station via the PR®.
After a descent into the woods, you will quickly come back to the intersection you passed on the way there.

(1). Continue straight ahead to reach the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 1,785 m - Parking
  2. 1 : km 0.23 - alt. 1,788 m - Common fork in the trail (return) - Plateau de Beille (1779m)
  3. 2 : km 1.18 - alt. 1,734 m - Fork in the road heading south
  4. 3 : km 3.37 - alt. 1,812 m - Exit from the forest
  5. 4 : km 3.75 - alt. 1,805 m - Orri de Toudous
  6. 5 : km 4.56 - alt. 1,983 m - Plateau de Beille - Sommet (1982m)
  7. 6 : km 6.49 - alt. 1,878 m - Place name: Piparlan
  8. S/E : km 7.83 - alt. 1,785 m - Parking

Notes

This is an easy hike, except for a few tricky sections between (2) and (4).

The small shelter at Orri de Toudous was not really usable when we were there. It had been used by a flock of sheep previously...

In summer, there are herds grazing on the plateau. Be careful.

Worth a visit

An interesting hike for its diverse landscapes and views of the Ariège Pyrenees and the talc quarries of Luzenac.

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

4.1 / 5
Based on 31 reviews

Reliability of the description
4 / 5
Ease of following the route
3.9 / 5
Route interest
4.5 / 5
User 7025900

Overall rating : 2.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 06, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The route is very poorly marked, especially in the middle section, with no information. Fortunately, we had Visorando
The difficulty level was advertised as easy, but I would not recommend it for children: rough trails, numerous obstacles in the forest, herds of cows with calves that should not be approached (aggressive)
Very poorly managed by the resort
On the other hand, the view is beautiful, which is the only positive point

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pelofy
pelofy

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 08, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

very parish specific to Brittany hike in good weather with extraordinary views

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jean-marie.corbion
jean-marie.corbion

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 18, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Family outing with beautiful views

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Marial
Marial

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 08, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

As I didn't have GPS and the hike description didn't include any signposts, I used the map provided by the station and was able to complete the hike without any problems

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Guibo85
Guibo85

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 11, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful way to see the stunning panoramas around this now famous plateau!
Be careful with the GPS track, as it's easy to stray from it.

The route itself is nothing special, but the scenery is really worth seeing.

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User 12440163

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 05, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Nice walk, quite varied.

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jess rando
jess rando

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 11, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Hello, beautiful and pleasant hike, lovely views of the Laparan dam and the Luzenac talc quarry. To get back down to the resort, it's better to take the path on the right rather than the track, at the picnic tables at the intersection with the Piparlan hut. However, take a hat or cap as there is no shade after the forest until you get back to the resort! Thank you for the walk!

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Bouchon et Marcel
Bouchon et Marcel

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 26, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

Hello everyone.

Thanks for this hike. The Pyrenees are still beautiful and majestic. There was snow on the surrounding peaks.

The start is parish specific to Brittany, good for the first half, up to the marker at point 4.

After that, it gets tough. The hill crossing isn't the easiest, and it's exhausting.
some paths lengthen the route a little but make for easier walking.

Finally, to finish, follow the cross-country ski trail, a "sandy road" that doesn't live up to the scenery.

overall, it's an easy and enjoyable hike.

The visitor centre facilities are not open, not even the toilets!

Thanks
Brice

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Sopadrabrocas
Sopadrabrocas

Overall rating : 5 / 5

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

Photos attached

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Sopadrabrocas
Sopadrabrocas

Overall rating : 5 / 5

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

Superb view of the high mountains... We'll send you a photo of the view at the start of the hike!

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JF31
JF31

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 16, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A superb walk on and below the plateau. We passed several herds of cows. There is no risk if you stay away and don't walk among the animals. The weather was magnificent that day, which allowed us to enjoy several remarkable views. We went on several walks in the forest on the cross-country ski trails. Definitely worth doing again and again. Be careful, it can get very hot, even in the mountains, so remember to take sun cream and a small bottle of water!

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forguej
forguej

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 09, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Completed at the end of August 2024, in good weather conditions.
Technically easy hike, well marked and easy to follow.
Thanks to the author!

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eliogaz
eliogaz

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 09, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful loop trail to the dam. However, there is a significant issue on the trail: there is no path between points 4 and 5, and it climbs very steeply to the top of Laparan Hill. It may be necessary to modify the trail by going to the right...

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rhum128
rhum128

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 29, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Point 4 needs to be reviewed, as the explanations do not really match the route... Otherwise, continuing along the marked path seems fine. However, the hike is really beautiful, with some lovely views along the way.

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pit31
pit31

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 23, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The hike was easy.
It took about three hours
There were some beautiful views and magnificent scenery.
After the view of the dam and the top of the pass, there are no signposts.
A must-do route

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