lorenzotess
- Location: Aix-en-Provence (13100|13090|13540)
- Gender: man
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Published route(s)
Tour d'Arbois Departmental Park
This short hike is ideal for a family outing in open countryside (avoid days when the mistral wind is blowing).
In summer, you may encounter a herd of red goats on the plateau. These are Rove goats.
This hike is dotted with information panels about the environment.
The Redon small pass
This hike offers three different environments: first in the woods, then on a plateau with very little vegetation, and finally on a hillside with breathtaking views.
The start is initially a single track climbing to the height of the Roquevafour aqueduct. The path then widens considerably and is very easy to walk on.
After the Domaine de Meynes, the landscape changes to a plateau.
La Luynes, between Luynes and Gardanne
pLEASE NOTE: work is being carried out on the Gardanne-Luynes railway line. The hiking trails are closed to the public.
A Sunday family walk through landscapes of small rivers and hills, without going into the department's large parks.
Tour of the Valabre Forest
This short hike takes you through the Valabre Forest with beautiful views of the Étoile massif (Pilon du Roi) and the Luynes valley between Gardanne and Luynes. The nearby cliffs add to the picturesque nature of this route.
Le Grand Sanguin and La Petite Étoile
This hike, which runs through the north-western part of the Étoile massif, offers exceptional 360° panoramic views from Aix to Marseille, passing by the Étang de Berre and the Marseille harbour. The route alternates between valleys and paths with spectacular views.
The Pilon du Roi
This short but fairly challenging hike takes you along numerous small paths and immerses you in a fairly wild area. It also allows you to reach the famous Pilon, visible from all over the Aix region.
The Grand Arbois Plateau, northern section
This short, very easy hike on a wide, even trail is ideal for a family outing. Avoid it on mistral days and in summer, as there is no shade and the plateau is very exposed to the wind.
Beautiful unobstructed views of Aix-en-Provence, Éguilles, the Chaîne de l'Étoile, Gardanne and Sainte-Victoire.
Tour of the Brègues d'Or via the Bompart valley
A short family hike on wide, passable paths. Walk on the plateau and in the valley. Beautiful unobstructed views of Sainte-Victoire Mountain, the city of Aix-en-Provence, the Roquefavour Aqueduct and the TGV viaduct.
Tour of the Plaine de Fos
A very short hike between Meyreuil and the Pont de Bayeux, through vineyards, pine and oak woods on a hill with very pleasant views of the Sainte-Victoire mountain.
The Vitrolles plateau
Loop starting from the Collets Rouges equestrian centre, Vitrolles, the radar, Rognac and back via Salvarenque. Walk on very wide, carriage-accessible paths, to be avoided on windy days (mistral). Views of the Étang de Berre and Marseille-Provence airport.
La Ferme de Mion and Le Grand Arbois
From the Grand Arbois plateau to the barren landscape and green, lightly wooded valleys, this hike offers beautiful panoramic views of the Arc valley, Sainte-Victoire and L'Étoile.
Ascent of the Étoile via the Santons loop
This hike involves climbing to the summit of the Étoile from the north. The start and finish are in a wooded valley, but the rest of the route is very open: you are on a summit ridge and the landscape is magnificent, provided the visibility is good (Marseille, Côte Bleue, Étang de Berre, Alpilles, Mont Ventoux, Aix, Sainte-Victoire, Pilon du Roi).
The Estaque mountain range between Gignac-la-Nerthe and Le Rove
This hike offers beautiful views of the Étang de Berre and part of the Marseille harbour. In the distance, weather permitting, you can see Sainte-Victoire, Luberon, Mont Ventoux and the Alpilles. The only drawback is the proximity of the motorway at the start and end of the route.
The tour of Les Infernets and La Petite Mer
This hike offers breathtaking, legendary views of Lake Zola, with the Montagne Sainte-Victoire painted by Cézanne in the background. Marked paths alternate with wild trails.
Tour of the Untinos Oppidum and the Trou ridges
This short hike runs along the steepest slopes of the mountain, where you will be dazzled by the mineral colours of the rock. You will discover the ruins of a medieval Celtic-Ligurian fortified settlement abandoned around the 10th century on the Untinos oppidum, and the return route offers magnificent views of the ochre ridges in the foreground of Sainte-Victoire.
L'Establon and Figuerolles
This hike first follows the start of the Côte Bleue to reach Figuerolles Beach, then climbs higher to overlook the bay of Marseille with magnificent views, and walks through the ruins of the old Figuerolles battery. The passages through the valleys give the walk a wilder feel.
Moderator additions:
Please note that there are difficult passages between points (2) and (4)
Passages reported as prohibited (January 2021).
The Roques Hautes tour
This very easy hike takes you in the footsteps of the viewpoints painted by Cézanne. The route takes you around the Sainte-Victoire National Nature Reserve. Along the way, you will see the Bimont dam, the Doudon aqueduct and an old marble quarry.
Les Harmelins and the ruins of Le Trou
Hike through a landscape of rocks and vegetation dotted with ochre and red earth. The first part of the route follows a very wide path in the footsteps of Cézanne, offering extraordinary views of the Sainte-Victoire mountain (south-west side, the most painted by the artist), the Refuge Cézanne and the ruins of the hamlet of Le Trou. The second part is shaded, on a small path, shorter and wilder.
Total immersion in the Petite Mer and its dam
This short hike offers a circuit that alternates between cliff tops and narrow valleys.
After thefirst part, which offers a panoramic view of the entire hike and a passage over the Zola Dam, thesecond part immerses you in the Petite Mer valley (along the La Cause stream) and its dam.