Refuge D'Arrémoulit

The Refuge d'Arrémoulit is a high mountain hut of the Club Alpin Français, Pau section, at 2,265 m directly on the Lac d'Arrémoulit in the heart of the Parc national des Pyrénées in the Vallée d'Ossau (municipality of Laruns, Département Pyrénées-Atlantiques). The hut belongs to the FFCAM and is traditionally manned from the beginning of June to the end of September; after extensive renovation work since 2023, it is due to reopen for the 2026 summer season with around 44 beds, but currently (as of 2026) no overnight stays are possible. It will then serve as an important base for traverses and ascents of the Palas, Arriel and Balaïtous peaks as well as a stage on the Haute Randonnée Pyrénéenne and on multi-day round trips between the Ayous, Pombie and Arrémoulit huts. The quickest way to reach the refuge is from the mountain station of the Petit train d'Artouste above the Barrage d'Artouste: from there, a well-marked path with an elevation gain of around 300 to 400 meters leads up to the lake and the refuge in around 1¼ to 1½ hours. The longer ascent from the parking lot at Caillou de Soques on the D934 in the Ossau valley is also classic, either via the Col d'Arrious or via the famous Passage d'Orteig, which is secured with a wire rope; this involves an altitude difference of around 1,000 to 1,065 meters and takes around three to four hours. Another access point is from the south from the Spanish Valle de Tena from the La Sarra parking lot near Sallent de Gállego with an altitude difference of around 1,000 meters and a walking time of around four hours. The best time to visit is during the snow-free months from June to the end of September; during this period, the refuge is usually manned and is mainly used by experienced mountain hikers and alpinists on multi-day trips. Due to the high alpine location, the sometimes exposed passages and possible old snow fields, current conditions, possible closures and the weather forecast should always be checked carefully before each tour. The first walls of the Refuge d'Arrémoulit were built back in 1886, making it one of the oldest huts in the Pyrenees; later extensions and the ongoing general renovation have modernized the building without taking away its simple character as a classic mountain hut.