Grau Roig – Circ de Pessons – Refugi de l’Illa

This route requires a moderate level of fitness and basic knowledge of the necessary equipment to complete it safely.

We will set off from the El Cubil car park in Grau Roig, taking the uphill path and turning left towards the El Cubil chairlift. We will continue along the wide track that goes straight ahead, passing the toilets. At the top of the track, we will find an entrance on the right signposted to Llacs de Pessons, where we will turn.

We will follow the yellow and yellow-with-light-blue-circle waymarks, crossing the Bosc del Peu dels Pessons, over rocky terrain and fairly steep sections in places, until reaching Estany Primer. We will turn left and from there follow the GR-7 markings (white stripe over red stripe) to the end of the route.

We will continue ascending, enjoying the many lakes along the way: Forcat, Tercer, Rodó, del Meligar, Sisè and finally Estany de les Fonts. A few metres further on, a steep and demanding climb over scree begins, leading up to the Collada de Pessons.

Once at the pass, we will enjoy excellent views over the Pessons lakes. We will then turn left and continue along the GR on flat terrain, watching for the path that descends (km 6.0) to Refugi de l’Illa. The views over Estany de l’Illa are outstanding and reveal the refuge’s location, which remains hidden until we are almost there, as it lies tucked behind the lake’s dam.

We will descend the first section carefully; afterwards, the path becomes easy. At km 7.5 we reach a junction beside Estany de l’Illa, with the dam in front of us, where a sign indicates that Refugi de l’Illa is 10 minutes away. We simply skirt the lake and descend a few metres to reach the refuge.
 
Find more hiking trails.