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Can you ride dirt tracks by motorcycle in the French Pyrenees? What the law says

Last reviewed: November 12, 2026

Yes, but only on roads open to the public, on chemins ruraux and on wide dirt tracks with no sign or barrier. The Lalonde law (Code de l'environnement, article L362-1) bans «véhicules à moteur» from anywhere except roads in the public road domain of the State, the départements and the communes, chemins ruraux and private roads open to public motor traffic. That includes a plated adventure bike: the law says motor vehicles and makes no difference between a road bike, a dual-sport and a car. Singletrack, forest skid trails and unmarked ways are out; in the heart of the Parc national des Pyrénées only five roads are open; and in summer a wildfire closure overrides everything else.

Allowed

  • On public-domain roads (State, départements and communes) and on chemins ruraux (Code de l'environnement, art. L362-1).
  • On wide dirt tracks in good condition, the kind an ordinary car could drive, with no B0 sign and no barrier: the Olin circular presumes them open (circulaire du 6 septembre 2005, annex II, point 1). That is guidance, not law.
  • In the heart of the Parc national des Pyrénées, on five roads: the RN 134 to the col du Somport, the RD 934 to the col du Pourtalet, the RD 920 to the Pont d'Espagne, the RD 922 to the cirque de Troumouse and the RD 923 to the col des Tentes (décret 2009-406, art. 15.I.1°).

Not allowed

  • Off roads, on singletrack, layons, logging tracks, firebreaks and unofficial trails (Code de l'environnement, art. L362-1; Olin circular, annex II).
  • On DFCI fire-protection tracks with an easement, «voies spécialisées, non ouvertes à la circulation générale» (Code forestier, art. L134-3).
  • On a route forestière with a barrier, open or closed, or on any way with a B0 sign (ONF; Olin circular, annex II).
  • On any dirt track or way in the heart of the Parc national des Pyrénées: only national and departmental roads are open (décret 2009-406, art. 15.I.1°).
  • In the réserve naturelle du Néouvielle: motor vehicle traffic and parking are banned across the whole reserve (décret 94-192, art. 19).
  • On unpaved tracks in Pyrénées-Orientales zones at élevé or exceptionnel wildfire risk, from 15 June to 15 September or longer (arrêté DDTM/SNAF/2024165-0005, arts. 2 and 4).

The Lalonde law on a plated motorcycle

The rule for all of France is article L362-1 of the Code de l'environnement, known as the Lalonde law: «la circulation des véhicules à moteur est interdite en dehors des voies classées dans le domaine public routier de l'Etat, des départements et des communes, des chemins ruraux et des voies privées ouvertes à la circulation publique des véhicules à moteur». This is the wording in force since 10 August 2016 (loi 2016-1087).

A plated motorcycle is a motor vehicle like any other, so the rule is the same as for a car. The exceptions (art. L362-2) are for public service, professionals and landowners: a rider out for a day is not one of them. The penalty is a 5th-class contravention (art. R362-2).

A chemin rural is a municipal lane open to the public, and it stays open unless the maire closes it by a reasoned, signposted arrêté (Olin circular, annex IV).

Wide track, no sign: the Olin circular

The circular of 6 September 2005 (circulaire Olin) explains how to apply the law in the field. For a way to count as open it has to be «manifestement praticable par un véhicule de tourisme non spécialement adapté au «tout-terrain»». A surfaced or car-width track «est présumé ouvert», and a closure shows up as a B0 sign or a barrier. Singletrack is presumed closed even without a sign (annex II, point 1).

Mind the weight of it: it is a circular, and the Conseil d'État struck down its annex 1 (the one on quads) in 2007 (CE, 10-01-2007, no. 286701). The rest is guidance, not binding law. A private road can be closed by its owner with no formality (annex IV): respect signs, barriers and property.

Forests and forest tracks

DFCI (wildfire defence) tracks with an easement are «voies spécialisées, non ouvertes à la circulation générale» (Code forestier, art. L134-3). Riding in a forest on closed ways or off them is also banned (Code forestier, art. R163-6).

The ONF, which manages public forests, puts it plainly: a route forestière is closed with «un panneau et/ou une barrière», and «Si la barrière sur une route forestière est ouverte, la route est bien fermée». An open barrier is not an invitation.

A maire can also close roads or sectors by reasoned arrêté to protect natural areas (CGCT, art. L2213-4; the préfet can step in, art. L2215-3). There is no inventory of these municipal closures: the sign on the ground is the source.

Parc national des Pyrénées: the core

In the park's core (Pyrénées-Atlantiques and Hautes-Pyrénées), décret 2009-406 of 15 April 2009 bans «la circulation et le stationnement des véhicules motorisés, en dehors des routes nationales et départementales», unless the director authorises it (art. 15.I.1°). Outside the core, the general rule above applies.

The park's website lists five open roads: the RN 134 to the col du Somport (Aspe valley), the RD 934 to the col du Pourtalet (Ossau), the RD 920 to the Pont d'Espagne (Cauterets), the RD 922 to the cirque de Troumouse and the RD 923 to the col des Tentes (Gavarnie).

Everything else is a dirt track or way closed to a rider just passing through. The director's arrêté of 11 August 2014 names 16 closed tracks, among them the piste d'Escouret, the piste d'Anéou, the piste de Gaube and the chemin du cirque de Gavarnie. Permits (one year at most) are for shepherds, mountain huts, works, service vehicles and transport of people with disabilities (charte, Modalité 22). Park only by the road or in the designated car parks (art. 15.I.1°).

Réserve naturelle du Néouvielle

Décret 94-192 of 4 March 1994 bans in the reserve «la circulation et le stationnement des véhicules à moteur… sur toute l'étendue de la réserve, y compris sur les lacs», except for uses the préfet authorises and the public-road sections he defines (art. 19).

According to the leaflet produced with the State, the Département and the park, the RD 177 from Orédon to Aubert is closed to motor traffic uphill from 9:30 to 18:00 from June to September, with a shuttle and paid parking. Check the leaflet and the signs before going.

The other réserves naturelles (in Pyrénées-Orientales: Py, Mantet, Nohèdes, Massane, Conat and Prats-de-Mollo) can regulate or ban traffic in their founding act (Code de l'environnement, art. L332-3): look up the one you cross.

Wildfire closures: check before you go

A wildfire closure overrides everything above. Each département handles it differently:

  • Pyrénées-Orientales (66): arrêté DDTM/SNAF/2024165-0005 of 13 June 2024 covers forest massifs, heath, maquis and garrigue over 4 ha and up to 200 m around them (art. 1). From 15 June to 15 September, longer if the weather calls for it, the prefecture publishes a daily risk map for 9 zones (art. 2). At élevé (orange) or exceptionnel (red) risk, unpaved tracks are closed to motor vehicles in that zone (art. 4). At exceptionnel, some tourist tarmac roads close too, such as the RD 86 and RD 86a (Route des Crêtes), the RD 84 to Serrabone or the RD 38 to Força Réal (art. 5).
  • Pyrénées-Orientales, after storm Nils: arrêté PREF/CAB/SIDPC/2026042-005, amended on 13-02-2026, closed the département's forest massifs «jusqu'à nouvel ordre». We have not found the arrêté that lifts it: check with the prefecture whether it still applies.
  • Aude (11): the arrêté of 5 August 2026 closes entry by any means to forests over 4 ha on days when their weather zone is at Extrême risk, except on public-domain roads, chemins ruraux and open private roads that cross them (arts. 1 to 3). It has no fixed period. In 2026 there were also fixed closures by massif: Fontfroide, Clape, Pinèdes de Crémade and Pinède lézignanaise from 3 July to 31 August (extended to 30 September); Île Sainte-Lucie and Cavayère from 15 June to 15 September (extended to 30 September).
  • Hautes-Pyrénées (65): since 27 July 2026, according to the prefecture's press release, «L'accès aux massifs à l'aide de véhicules à moteur est interdit hors voies revêtues».
  • Pyrénées-Atlantiques (64), Haute-Garonne (31) and Ariège (09): no fixed summer regime for vehicles; their 2026 arrêtés regulate the use of fire, not traffic.

Where to check the day's risk

For Pyrénées-Orientales, the day's map is out from the evening before at prevention-incendie66.com and risque-prevention-incendie.fr/pyrenees-orientales. For the Aude, at risque-prevention-incendie.fr/aude and on the prefecture's massif closures page. For the other départements, the prefecture's website. The links are in the sources below.

What is not clear

We could not check whether the closure of the 66 massifs after storm Nils has been lifted, nor the 2025 arrêtés of the Hautes-Pyrénées on the Néouvielle's RD 177, nor the number and validity of the 2026 Hautes-Pyrénées arrêté. Of the Aude arrêté we have read only articles 1 to 3.

Of the réserves naturelles we have read only the Néouvielle décret, and we do not know whether the Parc national des Pyrénées' 2014 arrêté is still in force as written (the park's website still cites the 2013 one). We also do not know whether the core contains paved communal roads: the décret exempts only national and departmental roads.

Until it is clear: roads and chemins ruraux, wide tracks only if there is no sign or barrier, never singletrack, and in summer check the risk map and the département's prefecture before you set off.

How Corally applies it

  • Corally does not calculate routes in the French Pyrenees yet: we are getting it ready and there is no date.
  • Meanwhile, this page is only a guide to the rules.

Frequently asked questions

Can you ride dirt tracks in the French Pyrenees?
Yes, on roads open to the public, chemins ruraux and wide tracks with no sign or barrier. Never off roads or on singletrack (Code de l'environnement, art. L362-1; Olin circular, annex II).
Is a wide track with no sign open?
The Olin circular presumes it open if an ordinary car could drive it and there is no B0 panneau or barrier (annex II, point 1). That is guidance, not law, and a route forestière barrier, open or closed, means closed (ONF).
What about the Parc national des Pyrénées?
In the core, only on national and departmental roads: RN 134 to the Somport, RD 934 to the Pourtalet, RD 920 to the Pont d'Espagne, RD 922 to Troumouse and RD 923 to the col des Tentes (décret 2009-406, art. 15.I.1°).
Are there wildfire closures in summer?
Yes. In Pyrénées-Orientales, from 15 June to 15 September or longer, unpaved tracks close in zones at élevé or exceptionnel risk (arrêté of 13-06-2024, arts. 2 and 4). In the Aude, forests close at Extrême risk (arrêté of 5-08-2026, arts. 1 to 3).
What is the penalty?
Riding outside the permitted roads is a 5th-class contravention (Code de l'environnement, art. R362-2).
Where do I check before leaving?
The prefecture website of the département, prevention-incendie66.com and risque-prevention-incendie.fr for the 66 and the Aude, and the signs and barriers on the ground.

Sources (with the article)

A practical guide written by Corally from the rules cited at the end. It is not legal advice: rules change, every protected area has its own plan, and signs on the ground always prevail.