Pic du Midi de Bigorre
2,877 m
France
Also known as Пик-дю-Миди-де-БигоррAlso known as
Пик-дю-Миди-де-Бигорр
- Elevation
- 2,877 m
- Prominence
- 761 m
- Difficulty
- 2/10
- Hike
- Best Season
- Jul–Sep
- Routes
- 1
AdvisoryReported 8 Oct 2026
The site operator states that the summit can again be reached on foot in summer 2026 by snow-free trails, after the Col de Sencours–summit section was closed to walkers by municipal order in 2024 (until 1 November 2024) and 2025 (until 1 November 2025) during works at the Hôtellerie des Laquets. Walkers pay EUR 30 at the summit and descend on foot. The operator's FAQ still showed the 2025 closure text in October 2026.
picdumidi.com
Routes
1Approximate line — not for navigation
An automated check found that parts of this line could not be matched to mapped trails, so it may stray far from the real route. Use it for planning only, with a map and a guidebook.
Why? 4 check notes
- the line does not follow "Lac d'Oncet", the route's namesake (289 m away): mislabelled
- last routed vertex 32 m from the summit
- unresolved waypoints: Couret d'Oncet
- waypoints not on the route line: Lac d'Oncet (150 m off the trail)
Sources differ: T1 (Camptocamp (south-face routes)) · Difficile (Tourmalet Pic du Midi tourist office (Cirkwi); Visorando)
The usual walkers' route to the observatory summit: about 910–960 m from a hairpin on the D918 below the Col du Tourmalet (about 1,942 m), past the Lac d'Oncet to the Col de Sencours (2,378 m), up the hairpins of the service track past the Hôtellerie des Laquets and a steep rocky path to the summit terraces. 5–7 hours round trip.
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- ≈ 6.5 km
- one way
- Ascent
- ≈ +934 m
- start → summit
- High Point
- 2,877 m
- Time Up
- ≈ 3h 55m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- ≈ 2h 41m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
Start at the hairpin on the D918 on the Barèges side of the Col du Tourmalet, 1.8 km below the col (about 1,942 m, small car park and start sign). The path heads north across several often-dry stream beds and traverses the slope; ignore the GR 10C descending left and at the next signed fork go right (north). Zigzags climb a rise with the observatory in view, then the path crosses the grassy, stony flat of the Couret d'Oncet (about 2,150 m), crosses the torrent and follows its left bank to the Lac d'Oncet (2,254 m), about 1½ hours from the car. From the lake a track leads up right to the old summit road, which climbs left to the Col de Sencours (2,378 m, ruins of the first inn). Above the col, follow the hairpins of the service track to the Hôtellerie des Laquets (about 2,600 m), then one more bend to a junction where a steep, rocky zigzag path on the left climbs the last slope to the summit terraces at about 2,876 m. Expect service vehicles on the track between the lake and the Laquets. Descend the same way; walkers who come up on foot must also go down on foot, as the cable car is not available to them. The section from the Col de Sencours to the summit was closed to walkers by municipal order during building works in 2024 and 2025 and reopened for summer 2026. In early and late season, snowdrifts on the exposed slopes above the col make the route unsuitable for walkers without winter skills. A shorter path from the Col du Tourmalet is described by the site operator as particularly exposed to rockfall.
Start
Virage de Toue1,947 m
- No public transport to the Toue hairpin was confirmed; the cable car from La Mongie serves the summit but walkers who ascend on foot cannot use it to descend.
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Virage de Toue → Pic du Midi de Bigorre | 6.5 | 934 | 0 | 3h 55m |
Waypoints
- Parking: Virage de Toue1,947 m
- Feature: Lac d'Oncet2,253 m
not on route line
- Col: Col de Sencours2,377 m
- Feature: Hôtellerie des Laquets2,622 m
- Summit: Pic du Midi de Bigorre2,877 m
Key Passages
- Couret d'Oncet and the Lac d'Oncet
- Col de Sencours
- Service-track hairpins past the Hôtellerie des Laquets
- Steep, rocky final zigzags to the summit terraces
Equipment
0/6 packedDownloads
Route confidence 80%Overview
A detached 2,877 m summit on the northern edge of the central Pyrenees, crowned by an astronomical observatory founded in 1878 and reached by cable car from La Mongie. Walkers can climb it in summer by a straightforward 950 m route past the Lac d'Oncet, reopened in 2026 after two seasons of works.
The Pic du Midi de Bigorre stands forward of the main Pyrenean chain, between the Campan valley and the Barèges valley, so that from the plains of Bigorre it looks far higher than its neighbours. Its summit is not a wild place: it is occupied by the Pic du Midi observatory, a research station founded in 1878, with domes, antennas, terraces, a museum, restaurant and planetarium, and it sits in an International Dark Sky Reserve. Most visitors arrive by the cable car from La Mongie in about 15 minutes.
For walkers, the attraction is earning the view: on a clear day it spans the whole central Pyrenees, from the Vignemale and Monte Perdido to the Néouvielle and the Maladeta, and out over the plains to the north. The usual route from the D918 below the Col du Tourmalet is a non-technical climb of about 950 m on paths and service tracks, past the Lac d'Oncet and the Col de Sencours, with only the last zigzags steep and rocky. It is a long but easy day in summer and a serious winter objective when the south slopes are snowbound.
Access for walkers is regulated by the site operator: the final section from the Col de Sencours was closed in 2024 and 2025 during works at the Hôtellerie des Laquets, and in 2026 walkers pay a site-access fee at the top and must descend on foot. In winter the mountain's steep couloirs are well-known ski descents from the cable car.
Climbing Notes
Fit walkers need 5–7 hours round trip for about 950 m of ascent and 15 km; there is no technical difficulty in summer, but the final rocky zigzags are steep, and it is often cold and windy on top. Go between late June and early October once the paths are snow-free; early and late in the season, snowdrifts on exposed slopes above the Col de Sencours call for crampons and winter experience. Expect service vehicles on the track between the lake and the Laquets. In 2026 walkers pay EUR 30 at the summit (card only) for access to the site and its services, and cannot take the cable car down. The route crosses summer pastures: keep dogs on a lead and give flocks a wide berth. Check access on picdumidi.com before going, as rules have changed year by year.
History
The observatory was founded in 1878 and has been a centre for solar and planetary astronomy since; it remains a working research site whose scientific quarter is open only to staff and overnight guests. A cable car links it to La Mongie. The Hôtellerie des Laquets, an old inn on the summit road below the top, was rebuilt as a hotel in 2024–2026 and reopened on 25 September 2026.
Season
Best Jul–Sep- January: Not advisable
- February: Not advisable
- March: Not advisable
- April: Not advisable
- May: Not advisable
- June: Possible
- July: Best (best window)
- August: Best (best window)
- September: Best (best window)
- October: Good
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Winter; snowbound south slopes; summit reachable by cable car only for most
- Feb
- Winter conditions
- Mar
- Winter; ski descents from the cable car for experts
- Apr
- Spring snow; avalanche risk
- May
- Snow on the upper slopes; site closed for maintenance part of May
- Jun
- Snow often lingers above the Col de Sencours until late June
- Jul
- Main walking season; afternoon storms possible
- Aug
- Main walking season; busy
- Sep
- Often clear and stable
- Oct
- Possible early snowdrifts above the col; cold
- Nov
- Winter conditions; site closed for maintenance part of November
- Dec
- Winter conditions
Access & Permits
- Fees
- Walkers arriving on foot pay EUR 30 per adult at the summit (card only, no booking) for access to the site and its services (2026)
- Cable car from La Mongie from EUR 44 per adult in 2026 (not available to walkers who ascended on foot)
- Rules
- Walkers who climb on foot must also descend on foot; the cable car is not available to them
- Access between the Col de Sencours and the summit has been closed by municipal order during works (2024 and 2025); check picdumidi.com for the current season
- The scientific quarter of the observatory is closed to the public
- Pastoral zone: keep dogs on a lead and keep away from flocks
- Getting There
Bagnères-de-Bigorre; Barèges; La Mongie
Tarbes-Lourdes-Pyrénées (LDE)
- Car: from Sainte-Marie-de-Campan on the D918 over the Col du Tourmalet, then 1.8 km down the Barèges side to the hairpin start (about 13.6 km from Sainte-Marie-de-Campan); the Tourmalet road is closed in winter
- Other walking starts: the Cabane de Toue above Barèges, Artigues (Chemin des Muletiers), and Tournaboup / Super-Barèges
- Cable car from La Mongie to the summit (about 15 minutes), closed for maintenance in May and November
Hazards
- Weather
- Rockfall
- Avalanche