Lakes, lagoons and rivers

Lacs des Bouillouses

Estany de la Bollosa

Font-Romeu-Odeillo-Via · 2,016 m

Protected site (1976)

Photo: Tylwyth Eldar, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

At 2,016 metres, at the foot of the Carlit, the Lac des Bouillouses and the surrounding lakes form one of the great high-mountain landscapes of the Catalan Pyrenees: a protected site, accessible by shuttle in summer.

Visit Opening hours, prices, access and events on site ↓

Overview

On the high plateau separating the Cerdagne from the Capcir, the Lac des Bouillouses lies at an altitude of 2,016 metres, amid mountain pine forests, peat bogs and granite peaks. Around it, twenty-seven lakes and pools are strung out as far as the Pic Carlit, the highest point in the Pyrénées-Orientales (2,921 m).

The lake is partly man-made. In 1902, the State decided to build a dam there to regulate the Têt and to produce electricity for the Cerdagne railway, the future Train jaune. A 12-kilometre road was opened first, then the masonry dam, 364 metres long, was built between 1904 and 1910, during the summer months only. The lake now covers about 149 hectares, with a maximum depth of 25 metres.

Listed as a protected site in 1976, it attracts many visitors. To protect it, the Département has regulated traffic since the early 2000s: in summer, the road is closed to cars during the day and shuttles run up from the Pla de Barrès car park. According to the Département, this regulation has halved car-related pollution.

The plateau is a refuge for high-mountain fauna and flora: the Pyrenean desman in the pure waters, the chamois, the marmot, the capercaillie and the bearded vulture, and in the peat bogs, cotton grasses and butterwort, a small carnivorous plant.

Key figures

Lake altitude: 2,016 m
Lake area: about 149 ha
Maximum depth: 25 m
Dam: 364 m long, built from 1904 to 1910
Lakes and pools on the plateau: 27
Pic Carlit: 2,921 m

Wildlife, plants and landscapes

A dam for the Train jaune

Decided in 1902 and built only in summer from 1904 to 1910, the dam regulates the Têt and was designed to supply electricity to the Cerdagne line.

The mountain pine

A survivor of the Ice Age, it dominates the high-altitude forests between 1,600 and 2,500 m and can reach 25 metres.

The Pyrenean desman

A small, almost blind mammal, mostly active at night, it is among the rarest species in France and lives in pure waters up to 2,700 m.

Protected peat bogs

Cotton grasses and butterwort, a carnivorous plant, grow in the wetlands that the Département has protected since 2000.

A Spanish pasture

Under the Treaty of the Pyrenees, the Spanish municipality of Llívia owns a grazing area near the lake: French and Spanish herds graze side by side.

The roof of the département

The Pic Carlit (2,921 m), the highest point in the Pyrénées-Orientales, can be climbed from the dam, with a short stretch of easy scrambling.

When to go

The site is best explored from June to September. In 2026, the access road (RD 60) is closed to cars from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on certain weekends in June and September, and every day from 4 July to 30 August: a paid shuttle then runs up from the Pla de Barrès car park. Outside these periods, it is possible to drive up to the dam. In winter, the plateau can be explored on snowshoes or by ski touring.

Getting there

From Font-Romeu and Pyrénées 2000, follow the RD 60 to the Pla de Barrès car park (shuttle in summer) or to the dam out of season. You can also go up by the Font-Romeu chairlift, then allow about 35 minutes' walk. Motorhomes are prohibited in the protected site, and overnight parking is prohibited in the dam car parks in summer.