Ibón de Estanés from Sansanet

The walk starts at the Sansanet car park, on the French side of the Col du Somport, on the old pass road a few kilometres below the top. The path zigzags up through the Sansanet beech wood, crosses the Gave d'Aspe by a footbridge and comes out of the trees onto open pasture. It climbs west past a shepherds' hut, joined by the path from Candanchú, to the Puerto de Estanés at about 1,790 m, where the lake appears below. A short descent leads to the shore. Return the same way.

It is 8.9 km there and back with 502 m of climbing; allow about 4 hours. The grade is Moderate: a steady climb on a clear path, stony in places.

The lake, 29 hectares and 15 m deep, lies in the Spanish valley of Ansó. It was raised by a small dam, built between 1912 and 1923 to feed a power station on the French side.

This is a walk for late spring to autumn: snow lies late on the pass, and in winter it is snowshoe country. Cattle and sheep graze the pastures, so keep dogs on a lead. There is little shade above the wood; carry water.

Route drawn by Global Adventurer along OpenStreetMap paths (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), with figures worked out from it. Check the forecast and the ground on the day: paths change.