Three days at Canigou

Date of your route : Jul 19, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hello,
Great two-day hike with bivouacking.
I missed a few turns along the way, but the path is very well marked (quite a few GR trails).

The hike remains accessible. The climb up the chimney is a bit spectacular but still accessible. Great view from the top of Canigou.

I met a few people – relatively few for July.

Thank you for the route.

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Hello everyone,
Can you tell me if it's possible to do this by mountain bike?
The aim is to do it as a three-day bike packing trip.
Thank you for your reply.

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Hello, is it possible to camp instead of staying in a refuge?

djé

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Hello,

I would love to do this hike, but I can't find a step-by-step description. Is this normal?
I would be very grateful for a more complete description.

Thank you,

Majda

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Date of your route : Jun 27, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Hello,

A very beautiful route that takes you up the chimneys of Canigou. I got lost crossing a stream, but only because I wasn't paying attention. The route is well marked and if you follow the signs you won't get lost.

I completed the route in one day (about 10.5 hours total, including breaks) as training for an ultra trail.

It took me 10.5 hours, taking it slowly on the ascent and running downhill (be careful, the last part of the descent through the woods is quite tiring, with some scree, lots of roots and very tight bends).
I took a few breaks, including one at the summit to eat (30 minutes) and one at the Cortalets refuge to drink a glass of red wine with someone I met during the ascent (35-minute break).

The route itself is not very difficult, but doing it on a scorching hot day (I got back to my car at around 4pm, parked in the shade, with the temperature reading 42°C) takes its toll on the body. Fortunately, there are water sources along the way (not far from Mirailles, Cady and Arago).

The moral of the story is to avoid heatwave periods, especially if you are not used to or equipped for this kind of weather.
The route is almost always shaded from the start to the Arago refuge. After that, there is no shade until you reach the peak, but you will find shade again once you descend to the Cortalets refuge.

I recommend doing it in two or three days if you want to enjoy yourself a little.

I plan to go back this summer, but this time, when I reach Cortalets, I will head for the Barbets ridges (the view from the peak must be nice and walking along a ridge is always great) and return via Mariailles, taking the same route as on the ascent.

Thank you for this very nice route.

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Date of your route : Sep 26, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

An exceptional hike in every respect. Superb, varied landscapes that more than make up for the considerable effort required. We followed the suggested route with a tent and ate dinner in the mountain huts.

Two points to note:
- we were quite heavily laden, which meant that each day took us 1 to 2 hours longer than indicated in the guidebook. Each day is substantial.
- The description of the hike was practical and precise, except for one point. On the third day, point 6, the initial direction "straight ahead" is not very clear, as the fork is more of a "Y". Perhaps it would be easier to indicate to leave the "chemin des crêtes" on the left, then leave a path on the right that leads to Fillols.

Thank you very much for this guide in any case. I highly recommend it.

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Date of your route : Sep 18, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Hike completed from 11/09 to 13/09.
A beautiful hike in every respect, challenging and demanding.
We planned the stages mainly with the various manned and unmanned refuges along the route in mind:
- First stage: Casteil/Jasse de Cady 4h/4h30
- Second stage: Jasse de Cady/Refuge de Balaig 6 hours (including 40 minutes at the top of Canigou and a 1-hour break for lunch during the descent) Climb Canigou via the chimney as indicated. Don't hesitate to use your hands; it may seem like rock climbing, but it's safer. Above all, take your time and don't stress. The climb up the chimney is relatively easy despite the elevation gain of around +100m. The rest of the hike is not difficult in terms of terrain.
- Third stage: Refuge de Balaig/Casteil 3 hours at a leisurely pace. Be careful before crossing the river as there are large rocks that can be slippery, especially if it has rained. The rest of the descent back to Casteil is easy. We took a slight detour, climbing the Pic de l'Alzina at Vernet les Bains to reach the Col de Llavent. It was a long climb, which can be avoided if you follow the instructions in the hiking guide.

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Date of your route : Sep 12, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

We did not set off from Casteil but from Vernet les Bains.
For the first stage, we passed by the Pic de la Pena and followed the ridge line to the Torre de Goà.
It's truly magnificent.
Then we continued according to the map to the Mariailles refuge.
We arrived around 2:30 p.m. This stage is too short.

Day 2 as indicated.
A beautiful day with glorious weather and lunch at the summit of Canigou.
A tiring stage, but a great one.

Day 3: descent to Vernet in less than 4 hours.

In conclusion:
- a beautiful 3-day hike.
- it would be preferable to choose a more distant starting point to extend stages 1 and 2.

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Date of your route : Sep 12, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Great hike! Sporty, bucolic, varied, magnificent landscapes, nice refuge (Mariaille, at least)... there's something for everyone depending on the pace you want to set (we're faster than average walkers, taking about 30% less time than the guidebook estimates).
Excellent guidebook (downloadable files) + perfect GPS track, impossible to get lost (provided you pay a little attention, of course
1 file + 1 track for each day of the circular route
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT

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You need to print each step one by one. This is the overall route, so just the sequence of the different steps.
Kind regards

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We looked at the three-day hike to Canigou.
We had booked two lodges, including two days at Le Cortalet.
We had to cancel for health reasons.
It was impossible to download the route from the website or print it out (text and maps).
On our 1:25,000 scale map of the Canigou Massif, the first day from Vernet les Bains to Casteil and the Marialles refuge offers several options. We hope that the GR trail will be clearly marked on the ground, as we plan to return for this hike in the future.

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