Pyrenees Haute Route 2023 – Ramblin' Recon

The Pyrenees Haute Route (HRP / Haute Route Pyrénéenne) is one of the great long-distance routes of Europe. It begins near Hendaye, France at the Atlantic Ocean. It travels almost 800km (497mi) to Banyuls-sur-Mer at the Mediterranean Sea, crossing the French/Spanish border many times while staying as close as possible to the main ridge. The trail crosses varied landscapes, from the rolling green foothills of the Basque Country to High Pyrenean landscapes of aquamarine lakes nestled among 3000m peaks. It parallels the GR10 (France) and GR11 (Spain), but maintains a higher elevation, and climbs over mountain passes much more frequently; over the length of the trail there is 42,000m (138,000ft) of elevation gain. Sorry, knees!

By U.S. standards, it is a relatively civilized trail, with the option to stay in mountain huts (“refugios”) almost nightly, and hiking thru villages every 2-3 days. I expect it will take 35-40 days, depending on weather and hut availability. An average of 23km (14mi) per day is pretty low, but that’s what off-trail travel and steep terrain will do. It will be fun to hike thru 3 countries – France, Spain, and Andorra; I don’t speak French at all, but I’m reasonably solid in Spanish, so communication should be ok. And since I’m doing this trail in the prime season of late June to September, I’m hoping the weather will be warm and dry. And it will be an added bonus if I get to see the namesake dogs of the region, Great Pyrenees!

Daily Blog Posts:

Pre-HRP: Paris Tourism

Day 1: Starting with Surprises

Day 2: Basque Country

Day 3: Hot Morning, Foggy Afternoon

Day 4: Crowds of Pilgrims, Hikers and Sheep

Day 5: Pic d’Orhy

Day 6: A Little Sun, Lots of Limestone

Day 7: Lescun Village

Day 8: Epic Ridgewalks in the High Pyrenees

Day 9: Foggy in France, Sunny in Spain

Day 10: Cold Foggy Cols