Two hours (by car) from Toulouse, there is a really cool hike to do. You start at the bottom of the mountain and hike to the top to discover one or several lakes (depending on your strength and on the time you have). The first lake you get to see is called Lac d’Oô because Oô is the name of the village next to it.
Where Do You Start The Hike To The Lac D’Oô?
The easiest place to start the hike is Granges d’Astau, not far from Luchon. At this point, you’re actually really close to Spain, the border is right behind the mountains. Anyway, Granges d’Astau is a good starting point because there is a massive parking lot. This way, if you are like me, you’ll enjoy not having to maneuver too much to park. Also, it’s free to park there.
The other good thing is that there are a lot of cafés and restaurants. Since we left Toulouse early with my accomplice (Lauralee), we were a bit hungry when we arrived at the parking lot. We thought that, even if we had sandwiches, it would be good to start with something in our belly. Of course, we chose the healthy option and shared a waffle covered in Nutella… No guilt because we were about to hike for quite some time after that. Plus, it was mid-July and we needed strength to resist the heat.
How Long To See The Lac D’Oô?
The hike starts quite nicely, slowly going up but not too much. You are surrounded by gorgeous green mountains and far away, you can see some small waterfalls. The good thing is that most of the path is shaded by trees, as part of the hike is in the woods.
However, after a while, the hike starts going up up up… We took several short breaks to catch our breath and drink water. Do not forget to take water! There are no fountains on the way. Hiking poles are also useful there, if you have them.
Depending on your pace, on the weather and on your need to take pictures every second, it takes from 1.5 hour to 3 hours to get to the Lac d’Oô. For us, in July, it took an hour and a half, not rushing. We started at 12.12 pm and finished at 1.43 pm. It doesn’t seem that long, but we definitely felt it.
Enjoying The Lac D’Oô
Once you have reached the Lac d’Oô, you have several options. You can enjoy lunch, eating the picnic you brought or buying stuff from the shop/restaurant there. There are a few tables, but not too many. That’s not very important, because you can eat anywhere you want. We ate on a rock facing the lake.
The restaurant there offers ice-cream, drinks and other things, BUT it is very expensive! Lauralee and I were a bit shocked at the prices, but they can do anything they want. Indeed, that’s the only shop there. Despite the prices, the employees were nice and I like that the site hasn’t become crowded with shops and stupid souvenirs.
You can dip your feet in the water. There were little tadpoles kissing our feet and we had a lovely time. That said, don’t forget to wear sunscreen, because even if you don’t feel it, you burn easily there. That evening, I realized how red my legs were…
Or, you can continue the hike! There are other lakes further up, if you feel like it.
Hiking Further Up
If you continue on the path, you can hike to the next lake: the Lac d’Espingo. It takes once again about an hour and a half, according to the guides I read. However, the path is sometimes a bit harder than the one leading to the Lac d’Oô. Lauralee and I started climbing up and it was nice to see the lake from a higher point of view. Also, there were some beautiful wild flowers and small waterfalls.
Still, we started getting tired and the path was zigzagging, so it was difficult to know how far we were from the next lake. We decided it was enough for the day and went back.
I think that it could be worth sleeping in Luchon on the day before to start the hike earlier and see several lakes. Also, it seemed like people were camping next to the Lac d’Oô. That could be an idea to hike all the way up without being exhausted. However, I am not sure that it’s fully legal to camp there, so check before you decide to do that.
Going Back To The Parking Lot
Hiking poles are definitely useful to go down. Stones are not all stable and some go rolling under your feet, especially where there is water. Take your time. Even though it’s the end of the day and you want to finish the hike, remain careful. We nearly fell several times, and some hikers fell for real.
Once back in Granges d’Astau, we thought about eating there, but I didn’t want to drive at night, we didn’t want to spend money and so, we simply drove back to Toulouse. Had I been rich in money and time, I think I would have gone to one of the restaurants and I would have slept in a nearby village.
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