Canigó, Mountain peak in Vernet-les-Bains, France.

Canigó is a mountain peak in the French Pyrenees rising to 2,784 meters with steep slopes and rocky upper sections. The summit is reached by well-marked trails that approach from different directions and vary in difficulty.

The name Montis Canigonis first appears in a document of 949, with forms such as Monte Canigone and Canigonis in the same century; the modern Catalan Canigó is recorded from 1300. Until the 18th century the mountain was believed to be the highest in the Pyrenees. In 1808 Baron Franz Xaver von Zach observed it by refraction from Notre-Dame de la Garde in Marseille, 250 km away. A forged cross was carried to the summit in 1943 by scouts of the Notre-Dame-la-Real troop of Perpignan.

On 23 June, the night before St John's Day, the Flama del Canigó ceremony takes place: French Catalans carry a flaming torch from Perpignan up to the cross and Catalan flag on the summit, and bonfires are lit across the region. The cross itself was forged and carried up in 1943 by scouts of the Notre-Dame-la-Real troop from Perpignan.

The ascent is strenuous on warm days and requires good preparation and proper gear for extended hiking. Starting early in the morning is wise to ensure enough daylight and to avoid afternoon weather changes.

The summit cross was forged and carried up in 1943 by scouts of the Notre-Dame-la-Real troop from Perpignan, during the Second World War. It is often draped with the Catalan flag, and the summit marks a quadripoint: the communes of Casteil, Taurinya, Valmanya and Vernet-les-Bains meet about 200 metres south-east of the top.