Above the Gouffre de Fontaine-de-Vaucluse

A pretty circular route, without any major technical difficulties, providing access to the ridges of Fontaine-de-Vaucluse and offering panoramic views of the Monts du Vaucluse and the village.

Details

9295779
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 6.84 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 10 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 428 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 426 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 480 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 101 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Park along the road in the car park below the cemetery. Parking is secure and authorised, and there is space for several cars. It is also possible to park a little higher up (and further south) in the small car park at Fond de l'Oule, where the trails start.

(S/E) Go up the road, then take theGR® trail that branches off to the left (east), just before Fond de L'Oulle (do not take the track that leads to the car park). Stay on theGR® trail until you reach a crossroads.

(1) Leave theGR® and take the path that branches off to the left at the barrier (marked with a blue dot). Climb up, turn right onto the path and continue for about 100 metres.

(2) Leave the path and take a single track on the right (east) that leads into the forest (path not shown on the IGN map; marked with blue dots, then blue and green). The path climbs steeply at first, then becomes less steep. Continue without leaving the path, which is very intuitive and always marked in blue. There are a few small rocky passages to climb, some of which are exposed (be careful).

The trail swings over to the eastern slope and runs along the rocky ridge. Other trails with the same markings join this one; continue on the most intuitive trail and follow the numerous cairns. Do not follow the trail that goes straight up the cliff on the left. Continue on the trail marked in blue (dots and arrows on the rock) until you reach the plateau.

(3) If you wish to discover a viewpoint over the resurgence of the Fontaine de Vaucluse, turn left at the intersection and follow the ridge towards the south-west. Be careful on some very exposed sections; do not leave the blue-marked trail.

(4) Carefully retrace your steps along the ridge.

(3) Continue climbing north-east, following the blue markings. At thefirst three-way junction, continue to the right, still heading north-east.

(5) At thesecond three-way junction (cairn), continue to the right on the path (not shown on the IGN map) that leads into the vegetation. Descend this steep but safe path. You will come out onto a wide track.

(6) Follow the track to the right (south) with theGR®6andGR®97(red and white markings). Note a pretty cave on the left. Ignore all the paths that branch off to the sides and stay on the marked track that winds down the Vallon de l'Oule. You will come to the crossroads with a barrier, which you took on the way there.

(1) Leave theGR® and continue on the path to the left, which runs parallel to it. You will arrive at the Fond de l'Oule car park. Turn right, follow the road towards the village, and you will quickly return to the starting car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 102 m - Cemetery car park.
  2. 1 : km 0.8 - alt. 155 m - Crossroads of the circular
  3. 2 : km 1.13 - alt. 193 m - Fork in the road - Single track
  4. 3 : km 2.04 - alt. 387 m - Intersection on the plateau. Overlooking the source of the - Sorgue (rivière)
  5. 4 : km 2.46 - alt. 339 m - Viewpoint over the - Fontaine de Vaucluse
  6. 5 : km 3.57 - alt. 480 m - Goose foot
  7. 6 : km 3.91 - alt. 380 m - GR junction - Track
  8. S/E : km 6.84 - alt. 101 m - Cemetery car park.

Notes

No water on the route. Even if it is hot, I recommend wearing trousers for this hike: some sections are rarely used and nature has reclaimed certain areas. Good walking shoes are essential as the terrain is rocky. Walking sticks are recommended to help with the ascents and descents.

Food and shops in the village.

Worth a visit

Village of Fontaine de Vaucluse, resurgence, museum and shops.

 Always be cautious and plan ahead when you're outdoors. Visorando and the author of this route cannot be held responsible for any accidents occurring on this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

Reviews and comments

4 / 5
Based on 15 reviews

Reliability of the description
4 / 5
Ease of following the route
3.5 / 5
Route interest
4.6 / 5
Romain 173720
Romain 173720

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 05, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike that is quite challenging for beginners, but well worth the effort at point 4, with its spectacular view of the resurgence of the Fontaine de Vaucluse.
There are a few slightly exposed sections, but they are absolutely magnificent...

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maurokons
maurokons

Access above the chasm is prohibited by municipal decree.

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ventetmarais
ventetmarais

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 04, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Great route, much appreciated

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jeannotca74@gmail.com
jeannotca74@gmail.com

Overall rating : 1.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 25, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Route interest : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Very busy route : No

NOT INTERESTING!!!!
The village of Fontaine de Vaucluse is quite pleasant, especially the Sorgue river as it emerges from its resurgence.
For us, the view at point No. 4 is indeed quite dizzying, but it is much too high and you cannot see the resurgence.
What's more, some of the photos are not from the walk but from the surrounding area!
We are used to walking in the mountains and have used Visorando a lot when walking in areas we don't know, but we really wouldn't recommend this one: a confusing climb, a viewpoint that's nothing to write home about, and a descent on a steep, bumpy 4x4 track.
At junction No. 5, we missed the path (which is completely invisible) and turned back further up. Despite this, we completed the walk in 3 hours with a few breaks, covering 7.43 km with an elevation gain of 539 metres.
Nevertheless, it remains a route like any other, but you must have GPS, be athletic, and it is not recommended.

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alexandrine95
alexandrine95

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 31, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike with a superb view. Be careful on days when the mistral wind is blowing!
It is essential to download the hike on Visorando, otherwise it is very easy to miss the junctions.
Quite difficult level.

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fanee
fanee

Overall rating : 2.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 22, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hello

Superb hike, BUT... the route MUST be redone.
It is impossible to do this hike without a mobile phone, as there are no markings or signs at important points along the route.
Given the very steep access to this hike, it's really not great.

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Pepainf
Pepainf

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 14, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Only one hiker encountered along the entire route. The view of the chasm is impressive.
The elevation gain is significant and some of the trails are a little difficult to find. I think this is due to the low number of visitors and the overgrown vegetation.
However, I would recommend it for a slightly challenging hike.

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Adrien30
Adrien30

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 27, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The route is great, but the trail is difficult to follow without GPS tracking on your phone.
The markings are sometimes difficult to find.
It climbs quite a bit at the beginning, then levels off for the remaining two-thirds.

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Marie Meulle
Marie Meulle

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 07, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant walk; thankfully we had downloaded the map as the route is not easy to find.
Beautiful view at the top! Thank you for this hike.

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Citharista
Citharista

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 16, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike, and the description is very accurate, especially the term "intuitive" for most of the trails!
On a Thursday in March, when the weather was very nice, I didn't meet a single person.

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krisV
krisV

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 23, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

impossible to do without GPS tracking.
The descent through the forest is very steep and slippery.
The climb is quite challenging. In our opinion, this hike should be classified as "difficult" but it is superb.
Thank you for creating it.

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nicolepierrette
nicolepierrette

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 16, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

12 January 23. Good weather, no wind. Great. Very beautiful views. Small scree between 2 and 3, but there is a path above, no problem. There is a cable on the left at the cliff that connects to the plateau. I didn't try it as I was with my dog. Follow the blue and/or green dots, very good route. I will try it in the other direction. Thank you.

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peyreg
peyreg

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 26, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We went on this hike in December and only encountered two other walkers.
A magnificent walk with lots of rocks, which is normal in the Monts de Vaucluse! Wear good shoes.
Magnificent view at point 3, Fontaine, the resurgence...
In summer, plenty of sun cream and a good hat are essential as there is little shade!

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pas84
pas84

Hello
We couldn't go on this hike because there was a wild boar hunt and hunters everywhere.
We decided to postpone the hike until later.
Kind regards

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isabellepierrephilippe
isabellepierrephilippe

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 04, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely little hike with two slightly more challenging climbs. The view from the top of the peak is well worth the effort. It's true that the blue and green markings are a bit sparse, but the route on the app is very precise, so you have two points of reference. This is our second hike with VISORANDO, and we are not disappointed at all (the first was the Mialet trail to discover the Camisard hamlets), which was also very good. We hike quite often, and your app opens up new discoveries for us. Thank you.

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