Lac D’Oô: The Lake That Makes You Go “Wow”!

Two hours by car from Toulouse, in the Pyrénées, there is a hike that ends at one of the most beautiful lakes in the region: Lac d’Oô. You start from the Granges d’Astau, at the bottom of the moutain. There is a car park and a few shops and restaurants. And then, there’s an easy, well marked trail that climbs through forest and open pasture to the turquoise waters of the lake. There, you’ll also find the most amazing 275 meter waterfall crashing down.

Quick Facts: Lac d’Oô Hike

• Starting point: Granges d’Astau (free parking), near Luchon
• Distance from Toulouse: about 2 hours by car
• Trail distance: around 6.5 km round trip to Lac d’Oô
• Elevation gain: around 400 m
• Hiking time: 1h00 to 3h round trip, depending on pace
• Difficulty: easy to moderate, suitable for families
• Altitude of the lake: around 1,500 m
• Extension: Lac d’Espingo, about 1h30 further

Where Do You Start The Hike To 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 (free) parking lot. This way, if you are like me, you’ll enjoy not having to maneuver too much to park.

The other good thing is that there are a lot of cafés and restaurants right at the trailhead. 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 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 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 Lac D’Oô

Once you have reached 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.

Then, we dipped our feet in the water. There were little tadpoles kissing our feet and we had a lovely time. However, swimming isn’t allowed, since Lac d’Oô is a dam lake that gets deep quite fast in places.

Important thing: 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.

So you can end your hike here at Lac d’Oô and enjoy the view before going back. Or, you can continue because there are other lakes further up.

Should You Hike Further? Lac d’Espingo And Beyond

If you continue on the path, you can hike to the next lake: 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 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 the night before, to start the hike earlier and see several lakes. There’s also a refuge right at Lac d’Espingo where you can book a bed and a meal if you want to turn this into an overnight trip. It also seemed like people were camping next to Lac d’Oô. I’m not sure that it’s fully legal to camp there though, 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, and we didn’t want to spend money, 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.

Recap: Let’s Answer The Most Common Questions About Lac d’Oô

Is the Lac d’Oô hike difficult? No, it’s considered easy to moderate. The trail is wide and well marked for most of the way, making it suitable for families and occasional hikers, though the final stretch does climb more steeply.

Can you swim in Lac d’Oô? No, swimming isn’t allowed.

Can I bring my dog? Yes, dogs are allowed on a leash.

Can you continue hiking beyond Lac d’Oô? Yes. The trail continues to Lac d’Espingo, about 1h30 further. There’s a refuge there where you can book a night if you want to split the hike over two days.