Vignemale
3,298 metres.
Orlando Mouchel — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Orlando Mouchel — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Rum006 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Tsarabanjina — CC BY-SA 4.0 · LouisB854B — CC BY-SA 4.0
Lac de Gaube is a lake in the French Pyrenees, in the Hautes-Pyrénées department near the town of Cauterets, about 7 km south of the town in a straight line. Its name is tautological, as gaube means lake in Gascon, so it is literally Lake Lake. The lake lies at 1,725 metres in an egg shape running north to south along the steep Gaube valley, at the foot of the Vignemale, 3,298 metres high. It is ringed by the peaks of Mayouret, the Paloumères and Gaube. It averages 40 metres deep, covers 19 hectares, has more than 2 km of shoreline, and its banks are covered in glacial rock formations. Clear blue-green water mirrors the towering mountains and snowy peaks at the head of the valley, with big boulders, pines and green meadows scattered along the shore. On calm days the lake becomes a perfect mirror of the mountains. Visitors arrive in about an hour on foot through the forest, or by cable car from the Pont d'Espagne in the valley. An easy path runs along the shore, and there is a small restaurant by the water. Mountain weather changes quickly, so bring a jacket.
3,298 metres.
A mountain mirror.
Where the route starts.
Near Cauterets, Hautes-Pyrénées, France
About an hour on foot or by cable car.
Lake Lake.