HRP Étape 41

The place

Unofficial long-distance hiking trail crossing the Pyrenees

Why go

The Brèche de Roland and the Cirque de Gavarnie. Vignemale (3,298 m), the highest summit entirely on French soil. The Ordesa and Monte Perdido valleys (Spanish side). Posets and Aneto seen up close. The Pica d'Estats. Carlit in Cerdagne. The wildness and solitude are unmatched across the three great Pyrenean traverses.

A bit of history

Conceived in the 1960s by mountaineer and hiker Georges Veron, the HRP was popularized by his book "Pyrénées par la haute route" (1974). It has no continuous official waymarking but follows the logic of staying on, or very close to, the watershed line. Numerous guidebooks and GPS tracks exist today to guide hikers along it.

Getting there

Start from Hendaye (TGV station, 5h from Paris). Finish at Banyuls-sur-Mer (TER from Perpignan). Spanish (CAF/FOM) and French refuges dot the route. Some sections require carrying 2–3 days of food.

Recommended gear

Light crampons and an ice axe recommended early in the season (June). IGN 1:25,000 map essential. GPS strongly advised. Lightweight tent useful for sections without a refuge. First-aid kit. High technical mountain boots.

Best season

Mid-July to mid-September only. High-altitude passages remain closed by snow before July. Violent afternoon thunderstorms possible all summer. Sometimes 2–3 consecutive days of self-sufficiency required.