Trail du Hautacam

The Trail du Hautacam is a major 62-kilometre event with 3,800 metres of positive elevation gain that stands as one of the toughest challenges in the Hautes-Pyrénées. Starting from Beaucens, a village dominated by the medieval Château des Aigles and the imposing silhouette of Hautacam, this race takes ultra-trail runners through wildly beautiful and preserved high-mountain territory at the gates of the Pyrenees National Park. The Hautacam plateau, made famous by Tour de France stage finishes, is merely a springboard here toward summits and ridges far higher and far wilder than the tarmac road suggests.

The 62-kilometre course unfolds a grandiose itinerary exploring the valleys and ridges between the Val d'Azun and the Gaves Valley. Runners climb from Beaucens (430 m) through the oak and beech forests of the foothills, cross the pastoral Hautacam plateau with its summer barns and herds of Blonde d'Aquitaine cattle, before reaching alpine zones above 2,000 metres where granite and snowfields compose a striking high-mountain landscape. The ridges traversed offer breathtaking perspectives on the Gavarnie cirque, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Pic du Midi de Bigorre with its observatory dome, and the Franco-Spanish border chain with summits exceeding 3,000 metres — Vignemale, Monte Perdido, Marboré.

The 3,800 metres of positive elevation gain over 62 kilometres (61 m/km ratio) make this race a mountain ultra-trail in its purest expression. The profile alternates between long progressive ascents on wooded slopes and brutal climbs toward ridge passages, followed by technical and committed descents on varied terrain — shepherd trails on alpine turf, granite scree, rocky passages sometimes requiring hands. Effort management over the duration is crucial: runners must navigate between sun-exposed sections on south-facing slopes and altitude passages where wind and cold can surprise even in summer. Night, inevitable for many participants, transforms the mountain into a different world where every sound — torrent, owl, wind in the pines — takes on an amplified dimension.

The Gaves Valley hosting Beaucens is a territory of exceptional natural and heritage richness. The Donjon des Aigles, an 11th-century castle overlooking the village, houses one of Europe's most important raptor centres, where golden eagles, vultures, and condors fly freely against the Pyrenean panorama. The proximity of Lourdes (10 minutes) and Argelès-Gazost, capital of the Val d'Azun, offers varied services and accommodation. The Cauterets thermal baths and the Litor cirque, the Néouvielle nature reserve with its 70 altitude lakes, and the Pont d'Espagne waterfalls compose a natural environment among the most spectacular in the French Pyrenees.

For international runners, the Trail du Hautacam is a demanding mountain ultra-trail that rivals the great Alpine races in elevation gain and technicality, while offering the authenticity and conviviality particular to Pyrenean races. Access is facilitated by Tarbes-Lourdes airport (20 minutes) and the Lourdes TGV station. Accommodation in mountain refuges, trail gîtes, or hotels in Argelès-Gazost allows immersion in Bigourdan culture. The local gastronomy — garbure, Bigorre black pork, Tarbais beans, spit-roasted cake, Madiran and Pacherenc wines — offers a reward commensurate with the effort expended. The stay can be extended with a visit to the Gavarnie cirque, an excursion to Lac de Gaube, or a recovery day at the Cauterets thermal baths, heirs to a Pyrenean thermal tradition two millennia old.

Trail du Hautacam is a 62 km trail race with 3,800 m of elevation gain, located in Beaucens, Hautes-Pyrénées. The next edition is scheduled for 28 June 2026.

Find all official information on the race website.