The Cascades trail in Cauterets.

The Waterfalls Trail o Sentier des Cascadesnear Cauterets, is one of the simplest and most beautiful routes that we can do throughout the Pyrenees.

A pleasant walk, suitable for children, to spend a quiet day, or to combine with any of the other excursions in the area: Marcadau valley, lac de Gaube or Chemin Desmontzey or Chemin des Peres, among others.

A linear route that can be travelled in one direction only thanks to the bus service.

The Trail of the Cascades is a linear route of about 4.5 kilometres and 440 metres of vertical drop between La Raillère and the Pont d'Espagne. which can be made in both directions, or only in one of the two directions. In this case, the best option is to take the bus between Cauterets and the Pont d'Espagne, stopping at La Raillère.

If you take the bus, it is advisable to start at the Pont d'Espagne and go downhill to La Raillère, where this route and the description of the route ends. If you wish to extend a little further to Cauterets (3km), you have two options, along the "Chemin Desmontzey" or the "Chemin des Peres", the latter visiting the beautiful Pisse-Arros waterfall (Lutour waterfall).

A recommendation.

If we are going to spend several days in the area, this route is ideal for one of those cloudy days when the mountains are covered, because here the most beautiful thing is the path through the forest next to the river and of course, the impressive waterfalls.

The Pont d'Espagne, a bit of history.

The Pont d'Espagne was built in 1886, at the same time as the road, to replace the old wooden footbridge located here. The bridge is located just after the confluence of the Gave de Gaube and the Gave de Marcadau (together they will form the Gave de Jéret), and was a constant crossing point for traders from both sides of the Pyrenees who exchanged animals and products across the valley and the Marcadau pass, at an altitude of 2,541 metres. This is precisely where the name Marcadau comes from, from the market.

In 1990, with the rise of tourism and the overcrowding of this place, in order to protect it, access by car was limited a few hundred metres before reaching the bridge, where today the gigantic Puntas car park is located.

Map:

Downloadable:

(2h00min; 4,2km) La Raillère (1.041m).