The Fontargente ponds lie at the foot of the Port d'Inclès pass at 2262m altitude, in a gentle yet wild setting of grassy ridges and towering rock faces.
Access: On the RN20, follow signs for Les Cabannes, then Aston. Follow the signs for "Refuge du Rulhe" and "Barrage de Laparan". South of the village of Aston, it will take you a good half-hour to reach the Laparan dam on a road that deteriorates sharply from the Riète dam onwards. PARKING DU BARRAGE DE LAPARAN (1617m): take the pastoral road which runs due south, past the private Clau hut and reaches the PLA DE LAS PEYRE (1700m).
- Guidebook with maps/step-by-step(D/A) - Pla de Las Peyres (1690m). Follow the yellow markers up the right bank of the Pla de las Peyres valley to the south, then rise to the left (east) above the Ruisseau de l'Aston. You reach the Ruisseau de l'Aston and follow it to a metal footbridge.
0h30 - Metal footbridge (1890m) Cross the footbridge and continue on the well-trodden path around the Malpas to the left, before reaching a large flat area. Cross the plateau to reach the Fontargente ponds.
1h15 - Etangs de Fontargente. At around 2080m, the path crosses a small grassy plateau and reaches the MALPAS (2100m), where the path twists twice to avoid the Fontargente stream gorge. After this recently rehabilitated passage, the path becomes gentler and leads to the GRAND ETANG DE FONTARGENTE (2145m). From here, it's only a few minutes' walk to the other two smaller but equally elegant ponds. Head north-west along an old paved path that crosses the hillside and then descends towards Coume de Varilhes. It gradually descends below the Pinet to a stream.
2h20 - Intersection of the Coume de Varilhes stream (1860m) - Cross the stream using the footbridge, then follow the left-bank path to the Pla de Las Peyres.
3h00 - Return to Pla de Las Peyres
Services
Services
Car park
Free car park
Pets welcome
Dogs must be kept on a leash due to the presence of herds.