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From Lac de Bious-Artigues to Refuge d’Ayous

Hard

France > Nouvelle-Aquitaine > Pyrénées-Atlantiques > Pyrénées National Park

World-class trail

Length

9km

Duration

4h30min

Elev gain

874m

This is the first stage of a 3-day trek around the Pic du Midi d'Ossau.

Departing from the Bious-Artigues lake car park (paying in high season), 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, reflected in the lakes.

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

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Map and elevation

Elevation

9.4km 1409m

Uphill

874m

Highest point

2256m

Downhill

307m

Lowest point

1409m

Route type

One way

Offline

Download the map on your smartphone to save battery and rest assured to always keep access to the route, even without signal.

Includes IGN France and Swisstopo.

Getting there

Parking de Bious-Artigues (parking fees in summer).

Get directions

About this trail

Eat and Stay

Refuge Ayous

Dogs

Forbidden

Equipment

Check Hika’s packing guide

Season

From May to September

Reviews

Ratings summary

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1 rating

Charles

October 2023

Première étape assez abordable. Ça grimpe progressivement, sans réelle difficulté.

Les premiers kilomètres se font sur une large piste, mais ça devient plus sauvage une fois qu’on traverse le gave de Bious. Les lacs d’Ayous sont magnifiques, face au pic du Midi d’Ossau. On a pu se baigner dans le lac Gentau et on était pas les seuls en cette fin septembre.

Le refuge d'Ayous a été rénové récemment et est très bien tenu par l’équipe. Les couchages sont un peu serrés mais on s’y fait.

Attention : si vous restez plusieurs jours, la seule option pour se garer est le parking du bas (3€ peu importe la durée).