Multi-day GR10 trekking in the Pyrenees

The GR10 is the great French Pyrenean long-distance trail, waymarked end-to-end in red and white paint flashes from Hendaye on the Atlantic coast to Banyuls-sur-Mer on the Mediterranean — a traverse of approximately 900 kilometres and 55,000 metres of cumulative elevation gain along the northern flank of the Pyrenean watershed. The sections crossing Occitanie's Ariège and Haute-Garonne departments — roughly between Saint-Lary-Soulan in the Hautes-Pyrénées and Aulus-les-Bains in the Ariège — represent some of the most remote and scenically dramatic terrain on the entire route, passing through high mountain terrain above 2,000 metres for extended stretches. These Occitanie sections cross a succession of high mountain passes including the Col de la Hourquette d'Ancizan (2,415 m) and the Hourquette d'Arre (2,465 m), descending each time into isolated valleys with small villages connected by narrow single-track roads. The Cauterets–Gavarnie section passes through the Parc National des Pyrénées, approaching the Brèche de Roland on the Spanish border — a natural breach in the summit ridge formed by glacial erosion — and traversing the Cirque de Gavarnie, a UNESCO World Heritage glacial amphitheatre that contains the Grande Cascade de Gavarnie, a 422-metre waterfall. The Néouvielle Natural Reserve section passes through a landscape of glacial lakes and ancient pine forest at 2,000–2,400 metres elevation. The typical walking pace covers 18–24 kilometres per day with 1,000–1,500 metres of daily elevation gain; the Occitanie section requires approximately 12–18 days of full walking days. Strong aerobic fitness, prior experience of sustained mountain hiking, and familiarity with alpine weather conditions are required; no technical mountaineering skills are needed in the July–September season when the high cols are snow-free. Overnight accommodation is provided by a network of staffed mountain refuges operated by the Club Alpin Français and the Parc National des Pyrénées, with dormitory sleeping and evening meals available from late June to mid-September. Refuge reservation is compulsory and fills 2–3 weeks in advance during July and August; reservations are made via the FFCAM online booking platform. Outside the staffed season, emergency shelters are available on some sections, but food and bedding are not provided.