El Pas de la Casa – Pic Maià – Refugi de la Portella – El Pas de la Casa

 
The route starts at the Pas de la Casa Tourist Office. We cross the roundabout towards the town centre and follow Carrer de les Abelletes until we reach Avinguda d’Encamp. We turn right onto Carrer de Catalunya and then left onto Carrer Bearn. We take the stairs on the left, continue along Carrer de la Solana, follow a right-hand bend and then a left-hand bend, and head uphill across the grassy slope.

We cross the Port d’Envalira road twice and continue straight uphill across steep grassy sections until reaching a flat area, where we see the dirt track we need to follow. We later leave it, taking a shortcut uphill to reach Pic Maià, crowned by antenna installations.
 
We then begin a gentle descent along the track and take the first turning on the right. We continue along the track, changing slope and descending easily along the shaded side of Maià. Looking down, we see the Vall del riu de Sant Josep, where we will descend later. Soon we spot the Refugi de la Portella on the opposite side of the valley.
  

Upon reaching the river, we turn right following the signpost towards the refuge, which we may visit, or descend slightly earlier directly towards the river. We follow the river downstream, crossing it several times over approximately 3 km until reaching a power line. There, we turn right following the yellow markings and the power line, running parallel to the Ariège River, until returning to Pas de la Casa. We first pass under the bridge of the road leading to the Envalira tunnel and then continue along Avinguda del Consell General back to the Tourist Office.
 
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