Tour of Pic du Midi d'Ossau

⏱ Duration: 3 days
📏 Length: 28 km
⛰ Elevation gain: 2,100 meters
💪 Difficulty: difficult
🌤 Season: from June to September

Display map

🙋 Who is this trek for?

This trek is aimed at experienced hikers, who are used to walking for around ten kilometers, with an elevation gain of around 1,000 meters.

🚆 Getting there

The starting point of this trek is located at Lake Bious-Artigues, in the town of Laruns. A large car park (fee during high season) allows you to leave your car there for 3 days.

It is also possible to come by public transport. The nearest train station is Pau, after which you have to take a bus to Laruns, then a shuttle to Lake Bious-Artigues.

🛌 Sleep and eat

This hike travels through a wild environment, far from any town. The stages are therefore located at the Ayous refuges, then Pombie. We recommend that you consult their websites to obtain up-to-date schedules and prices for these shelters.

These shelters offer meals, which is practical for lightening your bag.

For those wanting more autonomy, bivouac is authorized in the Pyrenees National Park. However, we remind you of the rules of bivouac: it is limited to one night in the same place, between 7 p.m. and 9 a.m., more than an hour's walk from the nearest road. Finally, fires are prohibited, and you should of course not leave anything behind.

🎒 Equipment

Like any trek, this one requires a minimum of preparation. To manage this like a pro, please consult our dedicated guide: What to bring on a trek

🥾 Day 1: from Lake Bious-Artigues to the Ayous refuge

Starting from the Bious-Artigues lake car park, the route runs along the lake then crosses a bridge to reach a path in the forest.

It then climbs hard to reach the Ayous lakes: Lake Castérau, Lake Miey, Lake Gentau, Lake Bersau, Lake Paradis and Lake Roumassot. The setting is exceptional! A return trip to the Pic d'Ayous (2,288 m) is possible in order to make the most of the view of the Pic du Midi d'Ossau.

Finally, this stage ends with a good night's rest at the Ayous refuge.

From Lac de Bious-Artigues to Refuge d’Ayous

9km • Hard •

🥾 Day 2: from the Ayous refuge to the Pombie refuge

For this second day of the tour of the Pic du Midi d'Ossau, the trail leaves the Ayous refuge and climbs to Lake Bersau. It then passes near the Castérau and Paradis lakes, then by the Cap de Pount cabin.

The route then makes a round trip to the heart of the scree of Pic Peyreget (2,487 m), for a lovely view. Then it joins the Pombie refuge to close this stage.

From Refuge d'Ayous to Refuge de Pombie

11km • Hard •

🥾 Day 3: from the Pombie refuge to the Bious-Artigues lake

During this last stage of the tour of the Pic du Midi d'Ossau, the path leaves the Pombie refuge and joins the Suzon and Magnabaigt passes, before climbing to the Chérue peak (2,198 m).

There follows a long descent to Lake Bious-Artigues, passing notably through a line of ridges and then through the Col de Lavigne.

From Refuge de Pombie to Lac de Bious-Artigues

9km • Hard •

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