Route of the 7 lakes of Colomers

The lakes of the Colomers Glacier Cirque

In the Val d'Aran there are countless hiking routes that lead us to visit the beautiful landscapes to be found in this area of the Pyrenees. Mountains, valleys, gorges and lakes of glacial origin are just some of the attractions offered by many of the itineraries available here. One of the most spectacular and most visited routes is to be found not far from Vielha and it is none other than the route of the 7 lakes of Colomers. Curiously, in the Colomers Glacier Cirque there are not only seven lakes that we can visit, there are 32 lakes here and to visit them all would be a task that would require more time and energy, while the usual route allows us to enjoy this colossal natural landscape more comfortably, although not without effort.

Where the Route of the 7 lakes of Colomers begins

Let's start at the beginning, to do this route we must go to the town of Vielha, specifically it is on the road that connects it with Baqueira where we will find the detour, in the middle of Salardú, which leads to the Banhs de Tredós parking area and from there to the Crotze de Colomérs parking area. During the summer months, access to the Crotze de Colomérs car park with your private vehicle is prohibited, forcing you to park in the Banhs de Tredós car park. From this car park we have two options, either to walk the distance separating it from the other car park, or to pay the €8 return fare charged by the 4x4 taxis that make the journey. If the latter is our option, it is important to know that we are subject to a service timetable that generally runs from 9:00 to 18:30, stopping from 13:30 to 14:30. Of course it is possible to hire only to go up or only to go down depending on our needs.

Enter your place of departure

Itinerary of the Route of the 7 lakes of Colomers

From the Banhs de Tredós parking lot to the Crotze de Colomérs parking lot 4 km

As you know, the Banhs de Tredós parking area is usually the point where you park your vehicle and choose how to get to the actual starting point of the route. In our case, we decided to walk the distance that separates us from the next parking area. Instead of following the track that goes up to it, we have the interesting possibility of following the path that goes up the river bed, the start of which we will find at the end of the car park. Little by little we go up the valley passing by a beautiful waterfall and crossing the river and the occasional waterlogged area, thanks to the relevant footbridge and the bridges over the river. The green meadows alternate with wooded areas, making the climb more pleasant. After a while we come across the track that ascends from Banhs de Tredós. In this somewhat more demanding stretch you will repeatedly come across the track, crossing it or advancing close to it. Almost without noticing we arrive at the Crotze de Colomérs parking area (1h 50min), joining those who arrived here by taxi.

Short route or the route of the 7 lakes of Colomers 6 Km

Once at Crotze de Colomérs, or the taxi parking area as it is also known, the real route of the 7 lakes of Colomers or short route begins. As we have already mentioned, there are no less than 32 lakes of glacial origin around the Colomers Glacier Cirque and, of course, they can also be visited following the Route of the lakes of the Colomers Glacier Cirque or the long route. In any case, both start from this car park following the path that ascends towards the main lake of Colomers. This is a path that requires a greater effort compared to the beautiful stretch already covered.

After crossing the river and overcoming the slope ahead of us, we reach the base of the dam that retains the waters of the Lake Major de Colomérs. The path takes you up the left side of the dam. Once at the top, you can catch your breath and enjoy the magnificent landscape that opens up before you. We continue along the route across the dam. The old Colomers refuge awaits us on the other side. We will leave it to one side to go along the edge of Lake Major de Colomers in the direction of the new Colomers Refuge, which we reach quickly. After the pertinent stop we continue the route following the red and yellow marks in search of the next lake, the Lake Mòrt, which we will skirt along its left side.

We ascend leaving the lake behind us to find a fork in the path. Here the yellow markings of the short route and the red markings of the long route separate. In our case we continue to the left following the yellow marks of the short route of the Colomers lakes. We quickly reach the Lake of the Garguilhs of Jons, the next of the lakes along this route. We border it on the left to go in search of the natural outlet of its waters where a wooden bridge awaits us to cross the torrent of water. The route makes us say goodbye to this lake to continue our walk ascending the small hill that separates us from the Lake of Cabidornats, with its characteristic interior island. The landscape invites you to enjoy every corner as you follow the markings along the route.

We leave behind us the path that ascends towards this lake to continue our route, saying goodbye to Lake Long and beginning the ascent to the pass in front of us. A little further on we come to another fork in the path, here we have the option of descending to visit the Lake of Clòto of Baish or to continue ascending and contemplate the seventh lake on the route from the magnificent view we have of it in this area, thus avoiding the detour. Once at the pass we start to descend along the steep path that will take us to the base of the dam and from there to the parking area of Crotze de Colomérs (5h 25min). Once there, we only have to walk the 4 km that separate us from Banhs de Tredós (6h 15min), either on foot or by taxi.

Coordinates UTM Datúm WGS84

Profile of the Route of the 7 lakes of Colomers

Cartography

This schematic with the path is approximate and has been created from the derived cartographic base © Instituto Geográfico Nacional "Cuadrante 181-1 1:25.000".