RANDONNEED | Nice easy ride to Gavarnie: the Plateau de Saugué.

ESSENTIAL INFORMATION FROM RANDONNEE:

1h (loop)

2.5kms

+60m of elevation

→ DISTANCE : 2.5km loop.
→ DURATION 1:20.
→ DENIVED 60m.
→ DEPARTURE POINT : Saugué plateau parking lot, 1640m of altitude.
→ DIRECTED POINT : Saugué plateau parking lot, 1640m of altitude.
→ ROAD ACCESSES : Just after the village of Gèdre, direction Gavarnie, a small narrow mountain road starts on the right at the level of the bridge: from there, stay 7kms until the small parking lot. Attention, heavy goods vehicles prohibited, can be complicated for campers and road closed winter due to avalanches. Consult InfoRoute65 to find out about real-time access conditions.
→ SPECIAL PRECAUTIONS None, only road access sensitive to falls requires vigilance (when snow melts, heavy precipitation, etc.).

DESCRIPTION OF THE ITINERARY

A small car park just after the Gîte-Étape Le Saugué marks the end of the road: at the end of the car, you will already find yourself facing the beautiful backdrop offered by the Cirque de Gavarnie. From the parking lot, leave the track which leaves slightly below the plateau on the left to start the loop by the right track. A hundred meters further, just after the barn in ruins, leave the trail for a small well marked trail Stitching to the left, right towards the Cirque de Gavarnie and the bottom of the plateau. In this way, we get a little higher. to advance with an even more beautiful view.

An educational sign is at the start of this looped itinerary. As the progress progresses, other small signs mark the course to raise awareness of this descent environment. A gazebo is also located on the small hill just above the parking lot.

Continue the trail following the signs to the bottom of the plateau. At the end, he joins the track which, in the opposite direction, runs along the barns and returns to the parking lot. The place is ideal for a picnic in the sun with a nice view of the peaks of the Gavarnie Valley.

IDEA: An ideal walk before or after the discovery of the Cirque de Gavarnie: there are only 30 minutes' drive from the Saugué plateau car park to the village that is the gateway to the Cirque.

We like to keep it in mind:
The Saugué plateau may be a much more confidential place than the Cirque de Gavarnie, but there is still a superb and accessible place: therefore very frequented, depending on the periods. The problem is that its configuration does not allow for the simultaneous reception of a large number of people: in times of high traffic the small parking lot is quickly full and many vehicles are parked along an already narrow road. In these moments, let us keep in mind that this place we can still enjoy is home to private properties, including barns still serving shepherds, and that it is important not to block access to it. So, like any natural place, it will not survive the continuous influx of a large number of visitors if the golden rule is not respected: not to leave traces of its passage (that means among other things not to leave rubble, but also to respect the paths already laid out to not degrade the estives).

Useful links to prepare the tour:

→ Find out more about weather conditions: Blue weather.
→ Information on road access conditions: InfoRoute65.
→ The mountain rescue number: first call the 112 to give the alert, you will be put in contact with the mountain rescue unit (PGHM or CRS). Also valid for the Spanish side.
PGHM High-Pyrenees (General Number):
05 62 92 41 41
CRS Gavarnie:
05 62 92 48 24
CRS St Lary:
05 62 39 55 18
PGHM Pierrefie:
05 62 92 71 82