Around Bau Trauqua and Notre-Dame des Anges

de fr

Panoramic route, not difficult but quite long, on foot or by mountain bike around the Montagne de Bau Trauqua.
Views of the Aix and Gardanne region with Montagne Sainte-Victoire, then the picturesque villages of Mimet and Saint-Savournin, and finally a wide open view of the bay of Marseille, before heading north and approaching Notre-Dame des Anges.

Details

n°8202176
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 14.16 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 5h 20 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 439 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 434 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 705 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 325 m
  • ⚐ Country: France
  • ⚐ District: Mimet (13105)
  • ⚑
    Start/End: N 43.410613° / E 5.491085°
  • ❏
    IGN map(s): Ref. 3145ET, 3244ET
  • Hour-by-hour weather
    Discover Visorando Premium
Downloads
Open in the mobile app
Download GPX GPX
Download PDF PDF

Photos

Rock with an enigmatic head
Flora from May to Col Sainte Anne
Close-up view of Notre Dame des Anges
Rear view of Notre Dame des Anges

Description of the walk

Park in the Col Sainte-Anne car park.

(S/E) Walk up to the top of the car park and exit. Then turn left onto the gently sloping path heading east.
You can enjoy the beautiful scenery as you walk around the Grand Puech.

(1) At this fork, continue straight ahead for a long descent.
You can make a round trip to the Tête du Grand Puech and its monumental fire protection observatory by turning right.

(2) In an open area, pay attention to the fork on the right, especially as you leave the main path by turning right.

(3) Surprised by the presence of a house at the end of the path, do not head towards it but turn left for a few dozen metres.

(4) Here, take the road that climbs to the right, heading north towards Col Sainte-Anne or Notre-Dame des Anges.

(5) At this fork, continue left. Climb the winding road to reach Col Sainte-Anne.

(6) Turn right, pass the small chapel on your right and begin the descent heading east-northeast. This will take you to the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 536 m - Col Sainte-Anne car park
  2. 1 : km 2.31 - alt. 680 m - Fork in the road at a hairpin bend
  3. 2 : km 7.09 - alt. 434 m - Intersection
  4. 3 : km 9.04 - alt. 334 m - Turn left
  5. 4 : km 9.26 - alt. 352 m - Crossroads
  6. 5 : km 11.19 - alt. 486 m - Fork in the road at a hairpin bend
  7. 6 : km 13.49 - alt. 588 m - Col Sainte-Anne (Chaîne de l'Étoile)
  8. S/E : km 14.16 - alt. 534 m - Col Sainte-Anne car park

Notes

In summer, comply with the rules governing access to forest areas.
Take plenty of water, depending on the temperature.
Good walking shoes are ideal, as the entire route is on paths.

Worth a visit

The city of Aix-en-Provence.
Gardanne mining town.
Montagne Sainte-Victoire.
Picturesque villages of Mimet and Saint-Savournin.
Gréasque Museum (on mining).

Reviews and comments

4.4 / 5
Based on 7 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.2 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.3 / 5
Route interest
4.6 / 5
Monsieur C
Monsieur C

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 11, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Beautiful views of Sainte Victoire and the city of Marseille. Perfect for a mountain bike ride.

Machine-translated

Jeff fr
Jeff fr

Overall rating : 2.3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 28, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hello, I didn't understand the explanations at all and got lost.
What a shame...

Machine-translated

grandin
grandin ★

gege06

Thank you, option removed from description.

Machine-translated

gege06
gege06

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 28, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

The Notre Dame des Anges return trip option is to be removed, as it appears to be private property.
We were dissuaded from doing so by the owner.

Machine-translated

phildaix
phildaix

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 29, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful walk, despite the low cloud cover that prevented us from admiring many of the views. But rock formations shaped like penitents, irises in full bloom, euphorbias, rockroses, and early-blooming asphodels made it a real treat.
It made us forget the few kilometres of tarmac at the end of the route.

Machine-translated

LIONEL13118
LIONEL13118

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 25, 2023
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Thank you so much for sharing this with us. Thanks to you, we had a wonderful day. Great trip!

Machine-translated

Janine13
Janine13

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 02, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant, easy hike with beautiful, varied views of Sainte Victoire and Marseille. The walk is mainly on forest fire prevention tracks but is very enjoyable. Very good explanations.

Machine-translated

machen
machen

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 26, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

Very interesting and beautiful views. The hike is not difficult, but it's a shame that the climb up to Col Sainte Anne is paved for more than 4 km, when the route is 14 km long.
A slight disappointment, then.

Machine-translated

Other walks in the area

Walking The Caves and the Hermitage of Notre-Dame-des-Anges

Association / Club / Walk leader
Les Grottes et l'Ermitage Notre-Dame-des-Anges
↔10.08 km ↗+677 m ↘-677 m ◔4h 50 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from Mimet (Bouches-du-Rhône)
This is a very pretty route, a little challenging, rated medium +, offering beautiful, unobstructed views of Gardanne, Sainte-Victoire and the surrounding area with some very pretty rocks, as the photos show. There are some lovely paths, which can be a little wet in winter, and two caves to visit: the Grotte des Ermites and the Grotte de l'Ermite. There is a third cave, but it can only be seen from a distance. However, it requires another hike to reach. And of course, you must see the Hermitage of Notre-Dame des Anges.

Walking Bau Trauqua Mountain on the Chemin des Crêtes

Association / Club / Walk leader
Montagne du Bau Trauqua sur le Chemin des Crêtes
↔5.74 km ↗+273 m ↘-319 m ◔2h 25 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from Mimet (Bouches-du-Rhône)
This is a very beautiful, short hike with a good climb for a while, and plenty of excitement with almost constant panoramic views for more than half of the hike. There is an orientation table, benches along the ridge and beautiful single-track trails with a slightly difficult section on the mountainside, but with good footing.

Walking Bau Trauqua Mountain

Visorando member
Montagne du Bau Trauqua
↔7.11 km ↗+250 m ↘-250 m ◔2h 45 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from Mimet (Bouches-du-Rhône)
A loop around the Bau Trauqua mountain, part of the Chaîne de l'Etoile between Marseille and Aix-En-Provence. Hike along the ridge and enjoy the many magnificent views over the well-known massifs of Sainte Victoire, Garlaban and Sainte-Baume. In spring, the scents are magnificent, not to mention the flora and fauna that awaken. This hike starts off moderately difficult, then becomes a medium hike with some very fine views.

Walking The Tête du Grand Puech and Pilon du Roi circular loop

Visorando member
La Tête du Grand Puech et le Pilon du Roi en boucle
↔16.29 km ↗+692 m ↘-696 m ◔6h 40 ▲Difficult
⚑Departure from Mimet (Bouches-du-Rhône)
In the hills of Marseille, this beautiful hike leads to the Pilon du Roi, a solitary monolith that catches the eye from the plain and offers a splendid view of Marseille and the surrounding mountains. A long stretch along the ridge offering beautiful views, a small, shady and secluded valley, and a few almost forgotten paths are the main attractions of this physically demanding route, despite the overall elevation gain, which may seem insignificant.

Walking The Pilon du Roi

Visorando member
Le Pilon du Roi
↔6.54 km ↗+398 m ↘-398 m ◔3h 00 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from Simiane-Collongue (Bouches-du-Rhône)
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.

Walking The Vallon de la Figuières from Saint-Savournin

Visorando member
↔11.57 km ↗+749 m ↘-744 m ◔5h 25 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from Saint-Savournin (Bouches-du-Rhône)
Hike in the Étoile massif with views of Sainte-Victoire Mountain, Ventoux, the Alps, and at the same time, Marseille and the Mediterranean.

Walking Circular Petit Cornillon route via La Débite

Visorando member
↔7.52 km ↗+336 m ↘-337 m ◔3h 05 ▲Difficult
⚑Departure from Allauch (Bouches-du-Rhône)
A lovely hike with a big climb up the ridge of the valley. Return via the Vallon de Fontvieille (as it is known), where the lush vegetation makes you forget that you are in the Étoile massif.

Walking Notre-Dame du Rot and Pilon du Roi from Lou Limas

Visorando member
Notre-Dame du Rot et Pilon du Roi à partir de lou Limas
↔10.17 km ↗+406 m ↘-406 m ◔4h 05 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from Allauch (Bouches-du-Rhône)
Starting from the Marseille metropolitan area, a combination of classic trails and lesser-known paths to reach and explore a section of the Chaîne de l'Étoile ridges.

For more walks, use our search engine .

The GPS track and description are the property of this route's author. Please do not copy them without permission.