Buse and Marsan descents

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Forming a pleasant circular route starting from the village of Coaraze, this walk is ideal for a half-day outing or for a hike in autumn, winter or even early spring.
In early autumn, you can pick (and taste) a few wild arbutus berries between the La Croix and Buse valleys.
The route offers some lovely views of certain peaks along the Alpes-Maritimes coastline, such as the Cime de Baudon or Mont Agel.

Details

n°2625126
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 9.13 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 25 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 622 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 610 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 790 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 404 m
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Photos

The summit of Roccasiera
Cime de Baudon
Mont Férion

Description of the walk

The start is at the entrance to Coaraze, at marker 220, in front of the Boulangerie des Arts.

(S/E) Follow the signs for L'Engarvin indicated by marker 220. Start by following the road up towards the village and you will soon reach a second marker, also numbered 220. You must continue to follow the signs for L'Engarvin, taking care not to carry on up towards the village but instead heading down into an olive grove, passing a house on your left. A faint yellow and blue mark indicates the start of the descent.
Then follow the faint yellow markings until you reach marker 221.

(1) Continue following the signs for L'Engarvin, heading down the road. Shortly after crossing a bridge over the Paillon de Coaraze, you will reach an unnumbered marker.

(2) Follow the signs for Baisse de la Croix, staying on the road.

(3) Continue towards La Baisse de la Croix. You will soon reach marker 223; stay on the road and continue in the same direction.

(4) Leave the road for a path at marker 224; the slope then steepens towards the Baisse de la Croix.

(5) Reach the Baisse de la Croix then head towards the Baisse de Buse on the left. The route then follows a pleasant, gently sloping path (marked in yellow).

(6) At Baisse de Buse, continue towards Baisse de Marsan on the right.

(7) At the Baisse de Marsan, take a small unmarked path on the left heading south-west, which leads back to the Baisse de Buse.

(6) Back at the Buse pass, take the path on the right, the start of which is marked by a yellow marker on a tree. The trail is relatively well marked and dotted with a few yellow markers.

(8) At marker 242, follow the sign for Coaraze on the left. The path is then marked in yellow and blue until it reaches the unnumbered marker encountered on the ascent.

(2) Follow the route taken at the start of the hike to head back up towards Coaraze and the starting point (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 618 m - Coaraze
  2. 1 : km 0.95 - alt. 446 m - Marker 221
  3. 2 : km 1.25 - alt. 422 m - Unnumbered marker
  4. 3 : km 1.47 - alt. 441 m - Marker 222
  5. 4 : km 1.98 - alt. 480 m - Marker 224
  6. 5 : km 3.04 - alt. 644 m - Baisse de la Croix
  7. 6 : km 4.62 - alt. 719 m - Baisse de Buse
  8. 7 : km 5.11 - alt. 788 m - Baisse de Marsan
  9. 8 : km 7.15 - alt. 503 m - Marker 242
  10. S/E : km 9.13 - alt. 621 m - Coaraze

Notes

The return trip between the Buse descent and the Marsan descent is not compulsory, but the view is better at the latter than at the Buse descent.

From the Marsan pass, you can extend the route by continuing towards the Méou pass to make a longer circular route, then carrying on to the hamlet of La Parre before returning to the starting point along the Paillon de Coaraze to point (2) (I haven’t done this myself).

Reviews and comments

4.3 / 5
Based on 5 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.4 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.2 / 5
Route interest
4.2 / 5
Jeune pousse
Jeune pousse

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 13, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

A very demanding hike, whether it’s the elevation gain or loss; the terrain is uneven and the signposting is poor. You can reach Baisses de Buse and Marsan via a different route.

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Coldom
Coldom

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 07, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A short walk that’s perfect for an autumn afternoon. If you’re short on time, you can avoid the descent and the fairly steep climb back up from Coaraze by parking near the bridge close to marker 223. This shortens the walk by a good hour, allowing you to focus on the most interesting part.

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randonneurintrépide
randonneurintrépide

Overall rating : 5 / 5

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

The only problem is that the suggested route back from the Marsan descent to the Buse descent, whilst it has the advantage of allowing you to walk along the ridge, ends with a very steep descent down scree. I wouldn’t take my group there.
Otherwise, everything is fine.

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Petoz
Petoz

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 10, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

After the second 220m marker, make sure you turn left into the olive grove just after the crucifix on
the stone plinth to descend into the olive grove and not onto the rocks, which are very crumbly and slippery

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Popof06
Popof06

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 15, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

a few missing signposts, but some stunning views

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