Canigó
2,784 m
France
Also known as Canigou, Pic du Canigou, +2Also known as
Canigou · Pic du Canigou · Mons Canigosus · Канигу
- Elevation
- 2,784 m
- Prominence
- 550 m
- Difficulty
- 3/10
- Mountain hike
- Best Season
- Jul–Sep
- Routes
- 2
WorksReported 1 Oct 2026
Refuge des Cortalets is being rebuilt from 28 June 2026 (works planned for 2026–2028). It stays open in reduced mode: about 15 places in a 20-person tent with half board in a bungalow, bookings by email only (until 17 October 2026 for this season). The winter room is closed and inaccessible during the works; a 4-place shelter stands lower down at the Jasse des Cortalets.
refugedescortalets.ffcam.fr
Routes
2Sources differ: T2 (Camptocamp (Col des Voltes variant))
The busiest way up: from the hamlet of Los Masos de Valmanya (1,014 m) on the GR 36 and a GR 10 variant to Refuge des Cortalets (2,150 m), then a broad path past the Cortalets lake and Pic Joffre and up the north ridge to the summit cross. About 1,770 m of ascent; usually two days, with no technical difficulty in summer.
Elevation Profile
- Distance
- 10.8 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +1,806 m
- −59 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 2,784 m
- Time Up
- 7h 29m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 5h 10m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
From the car park at Los Masos de Valmanya (1,014 m), reached by road from Vinça, follow the red-and-white waymarks of the GR 36 up the old charcoal mule track through Mediterranean scrub and the beech wood of Patriques. Leave the wood at the Ras del Prat Cabrera (1,739 m) after a good 2 hours and take the GR 10 variant straight on along the ridge (do not take the path contouring south-east towards the Roc des Mollères). At about 2,070 m the path turns right to the Refuge des Cortalets (2,150 m), 3–3½ hours from the car. Alternative approaches start from the Col des Millères above Fillols via the Col des Voltes and the Balaig track (4½–5 hours to the summit) or from Mas Malet; vehicles are not allowed beyond these car parks. From the refuge, follow the GR 10/GR 36 west past the small Cortalets lake, then climb in wide zigzags to Pic Joffre (2,362 m), more a shoulder than a peak. A broad, well-trodden path follows the north ridge south, passing two small cols, and finishes in zigzags up the steep, rocky north-west flank to the summit cross and orientation table, about 1¾–2 hours from the refuge. The last slopes are stony and loose. Descend the same way (about 1¼ hours to the refuge and 3 hours to Los Masos), or make a loop down the south-side chimney, the Porteille de Valmanya and the Crête du Barbet back to the GR 10 variant. The route is very busy in summer, especially around 23 June when the Flama del Canigó is carried to the summit. In winter it is a ski tour or snowshoe ascent needing crampons, with a long approach if the tracks are snowbound.
Start
Los Masos de Valmanya1,032 m
- Train to Villefranche-de-Conflent or Prades and bus to Vernet-les-Bains for the long approaches from Vernet or Prades; no public transport to Los Masos de Valmanya.
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Masos de Valmanya → Refuge des Cortalets | 7.1 | 1,174 | 59 | 4h 55m |
| 2 | Refuge des Cortalets → Canigó | 3.7 | 631 | 0 | 2h 34m |
Waypoints
- Parking: Los Masos de Valmanya1,032 m
- Feature: Ras del Prat Cabrera1,655 m
- Hut: Refuge des Cortalets2,150 m
- Shoulder: Pic Joffre2,348 m
- Summit: Canigó2,784 m
Key Passages
- Beech wood of Patriques on the GR 36
- Ridge from Pic Joffre along the north ridge
- Steep, stony final zigzags on the north-west flank
Equipment
0/6 packedDownloads
Route confidence 80%Overview
The sacred mountain of the Catalans (2,784 m), rising less than 50 km from the Mediterranean above the Roussillon plain. A long but non-technical walk from the north via Refuge des Cortalets, or a more alpine southern route finishing up a rocky chimney.
Canigó (Canigou in French) is the last high summit at the eastern end of the Pyrenees, in the Pyrénées-Orientales department of France. It is a horst of crystalline rock with a steep, fault-bounded north-west face, and because it rises so abruptly near the coast it was long believed to be the highest peak in the range. It is visible from the Roussillon plain, the Conflent valley and the Empordà in Spain, and on a few evenings in early February and late October it can be seen at sunset from Marseille, 250 km away. The massif has been a Grand Site de France since 2012.
The summit, with an iron cross often draped in the Catalan flag and an orientation table, is reached by two main walking routes. From the north, the GR 36 and GR 10 lead to Refuge des Cortalets (2,150 m), from where a broad path climbs over Pic Joffre and the north ridge; around 90% of ascents use this side. From the south, the GR 10 and HRP from Refuge de Mariailles cross the Cady valley and finish through the Cheminée, a gully of big rock steps needing hands. Motor vehicles are no longer allowed on the forest tracks, so both routes involve 1,700–1,900 m of ascent from the nearest car park.
The mountain is central to Catalan identity: on the night of 23 June the Flama del Canigó is carried to the summit and used to light the Sant Joan bonfires across Catalonia. Expect company on summer weekends and around midsummer, and cloud building over the summit on many afternoons.
Climbing Notes
The northern route needs fitness for about 1,770 m of ascent and a long day or, more comfortably, two days with a night at Cortalets; there is no technical difficulty in summer, but the final slopes are steep and stony. The southern route via Mariailles is similar in length and requires sure-footedness and a head for the 70–100 m chimney (II); wear a helmet if other parties are above. Altitude is not a significant issue.
During the Cortalets rebuild (from 28 June 2026, planned through 2028) the refuge offers only about 15 places in a 20-person tent with half board served from a bungalow, booked by email, and the winter room is closed; Mariailles (53 places, booking compulsory in every season) is the more comfortable base. Start early: cloud and thunderstorms often build over the summit in summer. From November to May the mountain is a winter objective needing crampons, an ice axe and avalanche awareness, and the approaches are long because the tracks are closed or snowbound.
History
According to the 13th-century Franciscan chronicler Salimbene, King Peter III of Aragon climbed the Canigó around 1280, though he may not have reached the top: the chronicle has him see a dragon rising from a lake, perhaps the Estanyols about 500 m below. Vincent de Chausenque attempted it in 1834 guided by the mayor of Corsavy, and Henry Russell climbed it from Vernet-les-Bains in the 1860s. The Refuge des Cortalets, built in 1899, is one of the oldest huts in the Pyrenees. During the Second World War scouts from Perpignan carried up the wrought-iron cross that still stands on the summit. Jacint Verdaguer's epic poem 'Canigó' (1886) and Rudyard Kipling, who stayed in Vernet-les-Bains in 1911 and called it 'a magician among mountains', added to its fame. The Canigó Grand Site syndicate was created in 2002 and the massif became a Grand Site de France in 2012.
Season
Best Jul–Sep- January: Not advisable
- February: Not advisable
- March: Possible
- April: Possible
- May: Possible
- June: Good
- July: Best (best window)
- August: Best (best window)
- September: Best (best window)
- October: Good
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Winter; ski-touring or snowshoe ascent for experienced parties, long approach
- Feb
- Winter conditions
- Mar
- Ski-touring season on the north side
- Apr
- Spring snow; avalanche risk in the Cady valley and on the GR 10 traverse
- May
- Snow on the upper slopes; Mariailles opens late May
- Jun
- Snow patches early in the month; very busy around 23 June (Flama del Canigó)
- Jul
- Main season; afternoon storms; Cortalets in reduced mode during works
- Aug
- Main season; busy
- Sep
- Stable weather, fewer people
- Oct
- Huts close early October (Mariailles 3–4 October 2026); first snow possible
- Nov
- Early winter conditions
- Dec
- Winter conditions
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- Refuge de Mariailles: booking compulsory in all seasons (+33 4 68 05 57 99, refuge.mariailles@gmail.com). Refuge des Cortalets: during the 2026–2028 works, bookings by email to the warden only, priority to multi-day trekkers (GR 10, Tour du Canigó).
- Fees
- Hut overnight fees at Mariailles and Cortalets (Cortalets deposit EUR 10 per person during the works)
- E-bike hire for the Llech track from Les Vélos du Canigou: EUR 75 for one day, EUR 105 for two (2026)
- Rules
- Prefectural decrees ban motor vehicles (cars, motorbikes, quads) on the Canigó forest tracks: no access beyond Mas Malet on the Llech track or the Col des Millères on the Balaig track, except for rights holders
- The Mariailles forest track is closed to traffic at the Col de Jou (permanently since 2020; in 2026 it opened only from 1 May to 14 June to the Randé car park, 06:00–21:00)
- Natura 2000 site and Grand Site de France: stay on paths
- Getting There
Vernet-les-Bains and Prades (Conflent); Vinça for Los Masos de Valmanya
Perpignan-Rivesaltes (PGF)
- North side: drive via Vinça and Valmanya to Los Masos de Valmanya (1,014 m); or via Taurinya and Fillols to the Col des Millères (843 m); or via Villerach to Mas Malet (848 m)
- South side: drive from Vernet-les-Bains or Casteil to the Col de Jou (1,125 m)
- Train to Villefranche-de-Conflent or Prades on the Perpignan line; bus from Villefranche-de-Conflent station to Vernet-les-Bains
- Pack donkeys or horses can be hired to carry bags to Cortalets
Hazards
- Weather
- Rockfall
- Avalanche
Huts & Shelters
3- 1,718 m
Refuge de MariaillesRefugeStaffedBooking required
53 beds · Staffed daily 23 May – 3/4 October 2026
- 2,123 m
Refuge AragoBivouacUnstaffed
- 2,150 m
Refuge des CortaletsRefugeStaffedBooking required
15 beds · Fully staffed 30 May – 28 June 2026; during the 2026–2028 works reduced to about 15 places in a tent (bookable until 17 October in 2026); winter room closed