Le gouffre des corbeaux

The communal forest of Bélesta

Sport, Pedestrian sports, Hiking itinerary in Bélesta
15.1 km
5h
Medium
  • This beautiful walk takes you through a magnificent fir forest covering more than 1,000 hectares as far as the Sault plateau. Made up of coniferous trees, it is one of the most beautiful in the Ariège.

  • Located in the heart of a karstic massif, the Bélesta forest is one of the gems of the Ariège region.
    This hike takes you through the charming hamlets of Rieucourtant and Couquet, leading to the Corbeaux chasm, which you can observe from a specially designed viewing platform. This chasm is part of the many sinkholes scattered throughout the massif, some of which exceed 200 meters in depth.

    Must-see:
    The Corbeaux Chasm
    Discover a unique and exceptional natural site!
    At an altitude of...
    Located in the heart of a karstic massif, the Bélesta forest is one of the gems of the Ariège region.
    This hike takes you through the charming hamlets of Rieucourtant and Couquet, leading to the Corbeaux chasm, which you can observe from a specially designed viewing platform. This chasm is part of the many sinkholes scattered throughout the massif, some of which exceed 200 meters in depth.

    Must-see:
    The Corbeaux Chasm
    Discover a unique and exceptional natural site!
    At an altitude of 850 meters, this chasm is approximately 60 meters long and 30 meters wide. It is safely accessible thanks to a dedicated viewing platform.
    This is a sinkhole formed by both absorption and collapse, with a total depth of around 110 meters.
    It once served as a mass grave for horses—when their lives came to an end, their owners would take them here. It’s easy to guess why crows were particularly fond of this place.

    The intermittent fountain of Fontestorbes
    One can, without exaggeration, describe Fontestorbes as a true "Wonder of the World." Unlike the seven wonders of the ancient world, all made by human hands, Fontestorbes is purely a marvel of nature — an exceptionally rare and extraordinary phenomenon.
    For most of the year (7 to 9 months), the fountain flows continuously. But during the low-water period, from July to September, it suddenly becomes intermittent, switching between flow and pause in a cycle that lasts around 60 to 90 minutes.
  • Guidebook with maps/step-by-step
    Start: Fontestorbes spring parking (Latitude: 42.89272° / Longitude: 1.92697°)

    1 - From the spring parking, walk along the road towards Bélesta (D9) for about 100m. Leave the road and go up the path on the right (yellow markings).
    2 - Cross the Mayne bridge, then go right onto a track heading to Rieufourcant.
    3 - Go through the hamlet of Rieufourcant, then at the place called "Couquet", take the path on the right just outside the hamlet. It leads to the place known as "le château", about 1 hour walk.
    4 - At le château, carefully cross the D16 road to follow the forest road towards “Caillol d’en Haut” (20 min).
    5 - Cross the hamlet and continue uphill on the right to reach the hamlet of Le Gélat (on your left, don’t miss the Corbeaux Chasm, with its footbridge). Around 35 min.
    6 - From Le Gélat, head down the small road to the junction with the forest road and go up to the Bois Joli area. Around 35 min.
    7 - From Bois Joli, reach the TV relay via the forest path (35 min), then descend to Bélesta (yellow and red waymarkings). (See hike 7: Croix de Millet)
  • Departure
    Bélesta
  • Difference in height
    677 m
  • Plain text period
    All year round daily.
  • Spoken languages
    • French
  • Documentation
    GPX / KML files allow you to export the trail of your hike to your GPS (or other navigation tool)
677 meters of difference in height
  • Maximum altitude : 934 m
  • Minimum altitude : 498 m
  • Total positive elevation : 677 m
  • Total negative elevation : -648 m
  • Max positive elevation : 178 m
  • Min positive elevation : -363 m
Services
  • Services
    • Pets welcome