This lovely walk will take you into the Biros valley to admire the Araing pond, nestled at the foot of the Crabère peak. Bordered by the GR10, the refuge which overlooks it can be a stopover to discover other natural beauties of Biros.
Araing pond
Pond of Araing © Margotte Marmott - Ariège Pyrénées Tourisme

Road access: From Saint-Girons, take the direction of Castillon en Couserans. Cross Les Bordes sur Lez and Sentein. After Sentein, arrive at a place called Le Pont. Take the road to the right just after the bridge. 700m away, either turn right to reach the first converted car park in Anglade, or continue straight on until the end of the road, to reach the Frechendech car park (smaller).

Additional Information :
You are in the heart of the Ariège Pyrenees Natural Park.

We encourage you to adopt responsible behavior in this fragile and shared environment.

- Stay on the trails and take your waste with you.

- Observe the flora without picking it.

- Stay discreet, for wild animals.

- In summer pasture areas, remember to close fences and gates. Do not approach or feed the animals. If a Patou (a livestock protection dog) approaches you, move away slowly and calmly. Do not make large gestures or shout, even if it barks, as it will consider you a threat. If it follows you, ignore it.

- Swimming in lakes is not recommended. Sunscreen (even organic!) and other cosmetics are a source of pollution in this fragile environment.

- Bivouacking is permitted, but only between 19 p.m. and 9 a.m., and more than an hour's walk from a parking lot.

- During periods of drought, all fires are prohibited. In other cases, fires are only permitted more than 200 meters from a forest. Stoves should be used instead of natural fireplaces.

- In the unlikely event of an encounter with a bear (which will try to avoid us at all costs): approach calmly, move away gradually, and do not run.

Ranking & labels

  • Circuits of France_circuits
  • Registered with the PDIPR

Location

Couserans Pyrenees

On the western part of Ariège, the Couserans and its 18 valleys is a vast territory divided between high mountains, mountains and [...]

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Equipments & services

Equipment

  • Picnic area.
  • Public toilets
  • Parking
  • Free parking

Your itinerary

Map List
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Join the starting point
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1 - Departure English car park

Take the path, located above the building at the beginning of the car park, going left towards Frechendech, towards the chapel of the isard. Arrived at Frechendech, pass above the car park.
Continue straight on the path, left bank of the stream. After 30 minutes of walking, descend towards the river and cross a footbridge. Continue on the path which rises on the right bank of the stream to reach a new footbridge.

2 - Footbridge of Piches

Do not cross this footbridge and continue straight on the path. After crossing a small stream, continue following the signs for the Araing pond until you come out of the wood. The trail continues uphill through pastures to reach the Illau hut.

3 - Illau hut

The path continues its ascent then branches off to the right, towards a new wood. After crossing a small stream, the path rises in the rocks, to arrive in front of the pond dam and find the GR10.

4 - Etang d'Araing and its refuge

Take the GR10 (red and white) on your right. Pass under the dam, and continue for 10 minutes to reach the refuge and overlook the pond. For the return, take the same path to the car park.