GR10 self-guided Section 7 : From Merens to Vernet les Bains

Installation in your accommodation according to your arrival time. Depending on your arrival time, you can visit the village or go hiking.
The Col de Joux
A loop hike that starts on open ground and then enters the forest to reach the Col de Joux between the Ariège and Orgeix valleys. The ridge passages offer beautiful views of the surrounding peaks, including the Dent d'Orlu.
The Etang de Comte
Walk along the Mourguilhou stream, through pastures strewn with gentians and rhododendrons, to the pretty and bucolic Comte pond. Distance: 11.5km, duration : about 4h30, altitude gain : + 700m, descent : - 700m. OR Distance: 12km, duration : about 4h50, altitude gain : + 760m, descent : - 760m.

From Mérens, the GR10 leaves the Haute-Ariège to approach the Capcir region. This is a classic Pyrenean walk of deep valleys and passes. A long ascent along the valley and the torrent of the Nabre will lead you to the Porteille des Bésines, at 2333m. Then you will descend to the Etang des Bésines and its guarded refuge. From the terrace of the refuge, the view towards the Etang des Besines and the nearby Pic Pédros is superb. Distance : 9km, duration : about 4h45, altitude gain : +1300m, descent : -300m.

From the Bésines refuge, the itinerary crosses the Coume d'Anyell pass at an altitude of 2391m, before descending to the Lanoux lake, at the base of the Carlit mountains. This pond, or rather Lake Lanoux, is the largest in the French Pyrenees, with its surface area of 1.71 km². During your descent to the Lac des Bouillouses, through the Porteille de La Grave, take the time to observe the surroundings, which are favourable for encounters with isards and mouflons. Distance : 16km, duration : about 5h45, altitude gain : +650m, descent : -700m.

The profile of the walk is reminiscent of a rollercoaster, with a descent often corresponding to a pass or a high plateau to be crossed. Today, the Pla de Cédeilles (1911m), and the Mitja pass (2367m), a remarkable lookout point towards the nearby Capcir and the emblematic Pic du Carlit, are on the programme, with landscapes that become Mediterranean. Distance : 15km, duration : about 6h30, altitude gain : +1200m, descent : -900m.

Today, you will walk from the refuge of the Caranca to the hamlet of Py. The GR10 crosses the reserve natural of Mantet and then the reserve of Py. There is a passage across the Col del Pal (2294m), with a wonderful panorama. If the weather is good, a short round trip (+1h30) to the easy Serre Gallinière peak will broaden your horizon even more. And after the Alemany valley and reserve, you will join the village of Py, where you spend the night. Distance : 16km, duration : about 6h45, altitude gain : +850m, descent : -16505m.

From the village of Py, the Mediterranean atmosphere becomes more and more pronounced, especially with regard to the vegetation. Thus, a balcony route over the Rotja valley leads to the Goa tower located on a small natural platform offering a beautiful panorama of the Canigou peak and the Haut Conflent. Then a ridge path followed by a forest descent leads to Vernet-les Bains. Distance : 9,5km, duration : about 4h00, altitude gain : +550m, descent : -900m.