The GR10 Through the Couserans: France's Greatest Long-Distance Trail

The GR10 is one of Europe's great long-distance trails, traversing the entire Pyrenees from the Atlantic at Hendaye to the Mediterranean at Banyuls-sur-Mer. It's 900 kilometers of mountain walking that takes most people 50-55 days to complete. But you don't need to walk the whole thing to experience its magic. The Ariege section, running through the Couserans region, ranks among the finest anywhere on the route—wild, rugged, and spectacularly beautiful.

This is the GR10 at its most remote. While the western Basque sections and eastern Catalan portions see steady traffic, the Couserans remains genuinely quiet. You can walk for entire days seeing more wildlife than people, traversing high passes where the only sounds are wind, bird calls, and your own breathing. Yet each evening, you descend to valleys where gites d'étape provide hot meals, warm beds, and the kind of trail camaraderie that makes long-distance hiking so addictive.

The Ariege GR10 runs roughly from Aulus-les-Bains in the east to the Haute-Garonne border in the west, covering about 120 kilometers over 6-8 walking days. Here's what awaits:

Aulus-les-Bains to Refuge du Fourcat (7-8 hours, 1,200m gain): The trail climbs aggressively from this spa town, passing the spectacular Cascade d'Ars before reaching the Étang d'Arbu. From there, it's up and over the Port de l'Artigue (2,070m) with views that justify every meter of climbing. The refuge sits at 1,500m—simple, welcoming, and perfectly positioned.

Refuge du Fourcat to Cabane de Subéra (7-9 hours, 1,000m gain): This is where the GR10 enters true wilderness. The trail traverses beneath Mont Valier (2,838m), the region's highest peak, crossing several high passes and skirting remote lakes. If you have energy and good weather, the summit of Mont Valier makes a spectacular side trip.

Cabane de Subéra to Bonac-Irazein via Eylie d'en Haut (6-7 hours, 600m gain): After high alpine terrain, the trail descends through forests to the valley. Eylie d'en Haut offers one of the trail's most charming gite d'étape stops—a working farm that's been welcoming GR10 hikers for decades.

Gites d'étape are the backbone of GR10 hiking. These are purpose-built accommodations for long-distance walkers, offering dormitory beds (usually with real mattresses and blankets), hot showers, and evening meals. They're social places where hikers from different countries gather, comparing notes on trail conditions and sharing stories from the day.

A typical evening at a gite d'étape follows a familiar rhythm. Arrive mid-afternoon, claim your bunk, shower off the day's sweat and dust. Then it's time to dry out gear, attend to blisters, and relax until dinner. The evening meal is communal—everyone eats together at long tables, served local dishes that emphasize calories over elegance. Conversation flows easily; hikers are naturally social creatures. After dinner, there's time for route planning, reading, or simply sitting outside watching the sun set behind peaks you'll cross tomorrow.

Breakfast is usually simple—bread, jam, coffee—but hearty enough to fuel a mountain day. Most hikers are packed and on trail by 8am, starting the whole cycle again. It's a rhythm that becomes meditative: walk, arrive, eat, sleep, repeat. Concerns from home recede with each pass you cross, each valley you enter.

Most people can't take two months off to walk the entire GR10. That's fine—section hiking lets you experience the trail in digestible chunks. The Couserans lends itself perfectly to this approach.

Weekend Sampler (2-3 days): Hike from Seix to Massat via the Col de Pause. It's demanding (multiple passes over 1,500m) but manageable in a long weekend. You'll get a genuine taste of GR10 terrain and atmosphere.

Week-Long Adventure (6-8 days): Walk from Aulus-les-Bains to Massat, covering the heart of the Ariege GR10. This gives you high passes, mountain refuges, valley villages, and that satisfying sense of having walked a proper distance through changing landscapes.

Slack-Packing: Some services will transport your main luggage between gites while you walk with just a daypack. This isn't traditional GR10 style, but it makes the trail accessible to those who struggle with heavy loads. The Couserans has several operators offering this service.

Section hiking also lets you cherry-pick the best weather windows. Rather than being committed to the trail for weeks, you can watch forecasts and go when conditions look ideal. Given how dramatically weather impacts mountain hiking enjoyment, this is no small advantage.

Fitness Required: The Couserans GR10 is serious mountain hiking. Daily elevation gains of 800-1,200 meters are normal, often at altitude. You should be comfortable hiking 6-8 hours with a loaded pack before attempting this. Train with weighted packs if you're coming from flat country.

What to Carry: Pack weight matters enormously over multi-day hikes. Aim for no more than 10-12kg including water and food. Since gites provide meals and bedding, you don't need cooking gear or sleeping bags (though a sleeping bag liner is recommended). Focus on good clothing layers, rain gear, and proper boots.

Booking Ahead: July and August gites d'étape fill up, especially on weekends. Book at least a few days ahead during peak season. Some smaller refuges operate first-come, first-served, but don't count on finding space without reservations.

Navigation: The GR10 is well-marked with red and white paint blazes, but you still need maps. Weather can reduce visibility, and occasionally you'll question the markers. Carry proper maps (IGN 1:25,000 scale) and know how to use them.

Weather Windows: Mountain weather matters. Three days of rain makes the GR10 miserable; three days of sunshine makes it glorious. Check forecasts, be willing to delay starts or take rest days waiting for good weather.

Smart GR10 hikers build in buffer days before and after their trek. This lets you organize gear, acclimatize, and decompress afterwards without rushing to catch flights or trains.

Basing yourself near the trail makes logistical sense. St Girons in the Couserans sits perfectly positioned—close to multiple GR10 access points, with good transport links, shops for last-minute supplies, and services for any gear issues. Spend a day or two here before starting your trek, testing your pack, buying forgotten items, and generally settling into mountain mode.

After finishing your section, those buffer days become celebration time. Your body needs recovery; your mind needs time to process the experience. Having comfortable accommodation rather than rushing straight back to normal life makes the transition gentler. Loge de Chateau Pouech near St Girons caters specifically to this need, offering the kind of rest and comfort that post-trail bodies crave.

Many hikers also use a base for resupply mid-trek. If you're doing the full Ariege section, taking a zero day (a rest day with zero kilometers walked) in Massat or Seix lets you shower properly, do laundry, eat fresh food, and generally recharge before tackling the next section. These breaks often prove as valuable as the walking days themselves.

The GR10 through the Couserans isn't the easiest section of this long trail, but it might be the most rewarding. This is the Pyrenees at their wildest and most beautiful—remote enough to feel like genuine adventure, developed enough that you're never in serious danger if you hike sensibly.

Whether you're planning a weekend sampler or the full week-long Ariege crossing, whether this is your first taste of long-distance hiking or you're a veteran trail hound, the GR10 in Couserans delivers. The passes are demanding but fair. The gites d'étape are welcoming. The scenery is consistently spectacular. And that feeling you get after a week of walking, when your body is tired but your spirit is somehow both calmed and energized—that's what this trail does.

Start planning. Book your gites. Test your gear. The red and white blazes are waiting to lead you across the roof of the Pyrenees.