When I mention hiking in France, it tends to illicit an immediate reaction of assumptions and misconceptions. The comments tend to address the validity of long distance hiking in Europe compared to what most Americans have experienced in the United States. The most common comments include, “Is there real backpacking in France?” “Isn’t it all road walking and overcrowded hostels?” “You need a lot of money to hike out there.” “You know camping is prohibited out there.” “Are there even mountains out there!?” “As a thru-hiker, it’s not your type of hiking, you won’t enjoy it.” With all of this in mind, I went into my summer of hiking in the Pyrenees Mountains and French Alps with few expectations other than great scenery.

To understand my perspective of this trip, know that I am a woman that enjoys long distance hiking as a thru-hiker. Ideally, spending consecutive months traveling the length of a country or mountain range by foot. Connecting my footsteps and experiencing the full spectrum of what that would entail for each journey. Having hiked 15,000 miles since 2011 on long trails around the world, I’d say that I am highly experienced, and tend to seek out hikes with an element of challenge. Enough challenge to deter the crowds, but not so much that it detracts from the overall experience. I feel like I found the perfect balance of this in France, and as a bonus, it was a comfortable environment for solo travel as well.

For most people, France tends to conjure up images of art, fine dining, and endless rolling vineyards. What doesn’t always come to mind is that France also has quite a lot of options for hiking. Throughout Europe, there are Grande Randonnées (GRs), long distance walking paths, often well marked with red/white paint blazes, that provide a web of possible pilgrimages, long walks, and hikes. In France alone, there are 37,000 miles of trails of varying terrain. Few who travel to France from international destinations realize that there are mountainous regions of France that the GRs also run through. The mountains are along the border of France, on the periphery, but they are there…and they are grand!

The Pyrenees Mountains

For reference, the Pyrenees Mountains run the full length of France’s border with Spain. The most common long trails that run the length of the Pyrenees are the GR11 on the Spain side, and the GR10 on the French side. Both of these trails are well traveled routes that are fairly popular with many options for guidebooks. I was looking for something with a bit more solitude, and off the more beaten path, so I chose the Haute Route Pyrenees. The HRP runs between the GR11 and GR10, sometimes even following them for stretches, with the aim of traveling the higher and more remote length of the Pyrenees. All three routes are ~500 miles long and tend to take 1-2 months to complete from sea to sea with the Atlantic as the western terminus and the Mediterranean as the eastern terminus.

The French Alps

The French Alps are along France’s border with Switzerland and Italy. The GR5 runs through the French Alps, and continues north along France’s eastern border, extending as far as the Netherlands. When most mention the GR5, they are referring to the section that goes through the French Alps from Lake Geneva to Nice. The GR5 is ~400 miles and can take a month or so to complete. There are slight differences in hiking between the Pyrenees and French Alps, which will be addressed, but much of it is quite similar. For now, just know that both are beautiful ranges worth experiencing in any capacity, not just as thru-hikes.

Thoughts on the Pyrenean Haute Route & GR5

Probably the most stark difference in hiking in France versus the US is the accessibility of food and accommodation. The refuges (staffed huts or lodges) in European hiking can both draw and detract hikers alike. For some, being out in a tent at night is fundamental to the experience. Others are just as relieved not to carry the physical and logistical weight of a tent. There seems to be an assumption, even among locals, that using the refuges are mandatory, and that the use of a tent is frowned upon. I’m here to dispel this myth.

In my two months of hiking in France, I only had one night when I was required to stay in a refuge, and that was because I was in a National Park. The rest of the nights I could choose if I wanted to use a refuge or camp, and my camping was legally done within the regulations of wherever I was. Yes, sometimes my ability to hike long days with bigger miles afforded me this option, but most days I didn’t need to adjust my mileage. The camping isn’t completely unregulated, so there are rules to follow. For example, some National Parks allowed camping, but limited from 8pm - 9am. The regulations are spelled out fairly well in the guidebooks or signage along the trail. It took some time to get into the groove of it, but I learned to look ahead and be aware of where I might land each day.

I personally liked the option of camping because it gave me the freedom to be impulsive with my day and have more solitude in my experience. When I set off each morning, I would wake on my own schedule, not the schedule of others sharing bunks around me. I wouldn’t know where I’d land at the end of the day. I just let the day unfold with no predetermined endpoint. That kind of freedom is a big factor of what draws me to thru-hiking. The bonus of knowing I had the option of a refuge was also like a safety net. It relaxed me to know the option was there if needed, but it was really satisfying to do it on my own.

The other factor of the refuges was that they also had meals for hikers. Just like not carrying a tent, many like this option because they don’t need to concern themselves with packing food, a pot, or stove. This is where the impression comes from that European hiking is expensive. It just depends on how you choose to do it. Most refuges ranged from $15 - $20 for lodging, dinners were $10 - $15, and breakfast and lunch were less. That can add up when doing it for multiple weeks. Many hikers are out for just a few nights, so it is more enjoyable for them to have a relaxed day to hike to a refuge, socialize with others, and have meals prepared for them. The meals tended to be bread and jam for breakfast, sandwiches and omelettes for lunch, and pasta and soups for dinner. Do know that Europeans eat much later for dinner. The meals tend to be served family style around 8pm with many courses spanning over an hour or more. For me, I ate at one refuge for lunch when hiker hunger set in on a long stretch, but other than that, I was able to resupply sufficiently in villages and cook on my own.

Villages, oh villages. As an American accustomed to trail towns, I was worried I’d feel like I was hitting the bustle and pull of town too often, and that it would interrupt the flow of the hike. However, particularly in the Pyrenees, the villages were such a natural part of the hike. Going through a village was like being transported back in time with narrow streets, old buildings, centuries old church bells ringing, rustic public drinking fountains, and the feeling that time was not a factor. Along the GR5, the towns were a bit more frequent and sometimes modern ski villages, but I could easily walk in and out with the perk of a slice of pizza or a scoop of ice cream. Resupplies along the HRP ranged from 2-6 days. Along the GR5, it was rarely more than a couple days, and often daily that I could go through some kind of grocery store. Both trails had ample places to recharge electronics and the availability of cell reception (less so in the Pyrenees) a fair amount of the time. It was pretty great.

One factor to be aware of in much of Europe is that stores are small with limited options, and are not open all hours like they would be in the US. Times are often fluid with general stores open in the mornings, usually closing sometime around noon to 3pm. It can be difficult to find official hours because there often aren’t any. Most stores are closed all day on Sundays. It’s just part of hiking out there, and you learn to go with the flow. It was an adjustment, but often not a major impact on my experience. For those wondering about shipping food boxes, it isn’t necessary, but is possible through what they call Poste Restante, and shipping is pricey in Europe.

As for the solitude, I think my experience was impacted by my choice of doing the HRP versus the GR11 or GR10, and also my choice to tent. I had quite a bit of solitude and found it to be a great balance. There were few days that I saw no one, but I’d often have large gaps between sightings. Since I wasn’t sleeping at the refuges, it put me off the schedule of most hikers. I’d start off on my own each day and rarely see anyone until I crossed a refuge again late in the morning. Sometimes, the trails would overlap some very popular day hikes, and there would be crowds, but I found it to be more of a nice variety in the experience than an annoyance. It was nice to see people out, and also to know that these areas are accessible to anyone looking to day hike as well.

Like any mountainous terrain, there can be a wide range in the weather and conditions. Both the Pyrenees and French Alps could have snow or heavy rains, but I was fortunate to experience little of either over two months. It can hit suddenly, as one night I woke to a major thunderstorm when I went to sleep viewing a crystal clear sky. There was a bout of summer snow the second week of August on the GR5. After taking a day off at a gite (hostel), it all melted and was back to great weather. On both trails, near the Mediterranean, it can get quite hot. The Pyrenees had some of the most consistently strong winds I’ve ever experienced. It was like hiking with a jet engine with how loud and forceful it could be. I was fortunate with good weather overall, but just like anywhere in the mountains, anything can happen.

There are many general similarities to hiking in the Pyrenees and French Alps. Both have a similar organization to much of European backpacking. In theory, if one were to hike a certain distance each day, some are able to stay inside each night. The guidebooks are written with that in mind, ending each day at a village or refuge. A main warning that some would say is obvious, is that HRP and GR5 are not flat trails. You work hard for those scenic rewards. Especially in the Pyrenees, where it can be rugged, rocky, and relentless at times.

After having thru-hiked fairly extensively all over the world, I would put the Pyrenees and French Alps right up there on my list of must do hiking experiences. They are challenging, but in the best ways, because the breathtaking rewards make it well worth the efforts.

Need to Know

Information

There are no permits needed to hike in the Pyrenees or French Alps. Those using refuges don’t need to book far in advance or maybe even at all in the Pyrenees. If using refuges in the French Alps, hikers may want to book a week or more in advance as those tend to fill up. Camping is frowned upon if leaving a tent up for the day, but bivouacking (setting up just for the night) is welcomed most anywhere including national parks and many refuges from ~7pm - 8am. Obviously, tenting away from the trail and out of sight is preferred. The only place where tenting was prohibited was Vaniose Nat’l Park (French Alps/GR52) where I spent one night in a refuge that has plenty of walk-in space.

Best Time to Go

July and August are best bets for weather, but also crowds. On a lower snow year, starting in mid-June would be doable. Hiking the Pyrenees in September is likely, but that is a shoulder month in the French Alps, so it could be clear and warm, or there could be a dump of snow.

Getting There

Guidebooks give good suggestions, for section hikers, but starting at either end of the HRP or GR5 is fairly direct to get to by plane and train. For the HRP, I enjoyed flying into Paris to see the sights, and then the train to Hendaye. There are flights possible to smaller cities closer to Hendaye, but they can be pricier. For the GR5, flying into Geneva is a good start, then a train to the start you are choosing. If already in Europe, and looking to travel cheaply, I highly recommend the European carpool app, BlaBlaCar.

Books and Maps

Trekking the Pyrenean Haute Route (Cicerone Guide) by Ton Joosten and Trekking the GR5 Trail Through the French Alps (Cicerone Guide) by Paddy Dillon. High route versions of both hikes (written only in French) that many used can be found online. Recommendations for maps are in the guidebooks. I just took some printed off CalTopo. The trail was well labeled and I had a gps track.

The Author

Erin “Wired” Saver is a long distance backpacking blogger that has hiked over 15,000mi on long trails all over the world since 2011 including hiking’s Triple Crown (Pacific Crest Trail, Continental Divide Trail, Appalachian Trail). She is well known for her detailed daily hiking journals that can be found on her blog at walkingwithwired.com.

Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in Issue 37 of TrailGroove Magazine. You can read the original article here for additional photos and content.