Cauterets

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Coordinates: 42°53′24″N 0°06′45″W / 42.89, -0.1125

Administration
Commune of Cauterets
Location

Country	France
Region	Midi-Pyrénées
Department	Hautes-Pyrénées
Arrondissement	Argelès-Gazost
Canton	Argelès-Gazost
Statistics
Elevation	503 m–3,300 m (avg. 1,000 m)
Land area^¹	156.84 km²
Population^² (1999)	1,305
- Density	8/km² (1999)
Miscellaneous
INSEE/Postal code	65138/ 65110
¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
² Population sans doubles comptes: residents of multiple communes (e.g. students and military personnel) only counted once.

Cauterets is a spa town, a ski resort and a commune of the Hautes-Pyrénées département, in southwestern France at an altitude of 950m.

1 Geography
2 Springs
3 Skiing
4 External link and reference

[edit] Geography

Cauterets is located 32 km southwest of Lourdes. It lies in the beautiful valley of the Gave de Cauterets and borders the Pyrenees National Park.

Cauterets is a centre for excursions, the Monn (2,723 m), the Cabaliros (2,333 m), the Pic de Chabarrou (2,910 m), the Vignemale (3,298 m), and other summits being in its neighborhood. Lake Gaube is approximately 1hr and 30 minutes walk from Cauterets or can be accessed by a chairlift from the Pont d’Espagne. The Cirque de Lys is also accessible by cable car from where there are panoramic views over the Pyrenees. Cauterets is also a regular stopover for walkers travelling on the coast to coast Pyrenean GR10 walking route.

[edit] Springs

Cauterets is well known for its copious thermal springs. They are chiefly characterized by the presence of sulphur and silicate of soda, and are used in the treatment of diseases of the respiratory organs, rheumatism, skin diseases and many other maladies.

[edit] Skiing

Cauterets provides both cross country skiing and downhill skiing. There are 36km of cross country tracks at Pont d’Espagne and 25 downhill pistes between 1300m and 2500m altitude which are mainly suited for beginners and intermediates.