Circular route via the Col des Prêtres and Col de Lus

Date of your route : Aug 05, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Very beautiful panorama of the Dévoluy mountain range and view of the 3 Becs and Ventoux. For the description, it should perhaps be noted that you should not follow the two paths that branch off to the right, which are better marked than the path you should follow.
very beautiful loop (3 hours 15 minutes)

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Date of your route : Aug 12, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The trail is marked in yellow and green. We missed the start because we weren’t paying close enough attention. Despite the intense heat, we were able to make steady progress, sheltered by the trees. The route is inaccurate in places, likely due to a loss of GPS signal when it was recorded. A fabulous view from the Aupillon area left us transfixed for several minutes. The descent towards the Col de Lus is a bit tricky for bad knees, due to its steep gradient and the uneven single track. The raspberries were absolutely delicious and we were lucky enough to spot two beautiful does.

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Date of your route : Jan 24, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A superb hike! What stunning scenery! Such peace and quiet!
The path is very easy to follow up to the Aupillon, but in winter you can sometimes walk straight past the cattle pens without realising it, so I didn’t rely too much on the route description.
However, the section between the summit of the Aupillon and the Col de Lus is quite tricky to navigate, especially with patches of snow that sometimes obscure the path. The GPS track is extremely useful.
As the hike is quite short, I extended it with a climb to the summit of Serre Les Têtes from the south. It’s also a very lovely viewpoint. Expect an extra 150 m of elevation gain.
With a bit of luck, you might spot griffon vultures, which are quite numerous in the area, and chamois on the ridge between the Aupillon and the Col de Lus.

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Date of your route : Aug 17, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A hike with stunning views. The ascent takes you through woodland.
Take care at point no. 2: make sure to turn left down a small path, go over the pasture fence and follow the track leading to the Col de Lus, where we had a picnic.
The descent is sunnier but just as pleasant.
Done with children aged 7 and 10

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

The hike took 3 hours using GPS (the route isn’t always reliable) and additional directions from MichelFil (comments dated 6 November 2022). Beautiful views; the Aupillon ridge with its pine trees is spectacular. We returned via a muddy track, so the walking poles came in handy.

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Date of your route : Nov 06, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Be careful at the start, as there are plenty of paths. (We ended up in Grimone, so we had to turn back)
You must take the path up through the woods; after 50 metres, you’ll find a signpost for Aupillon and Serre les Têtes
After that, the route is marked in green and yellow.
At the Col des Prêtres, turn right but follow the steepest slope. (Be careful, as the cows make their own paths).
From this point onwards, the green/yellow markings are scarce, but as you know you’re heading down to reach the Col de Lus, there’s no problem with navigation.
Then, you follow a forest track. At the first fork in the path, take the left-hand route (there are no signs).
On this muddy descent, we come to a second junction with a tree in the middle bearing a green/yellow cross.
We’re quite unsure, then we choose the right-hand path, which descends quite steeply, and finally we find the green/yellow markings again.
The rest of the way is straightforward.
Summary:
The walk is very interesting as the landscape is very varied but requires a minimum of orientation skills

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A lovely walk, particularly pleasant in warm weather as it’s almost entirely shaded. There are some lovely stretches offering beautiful views at the various passes. And as an added bonus, there are raspberries along the way, just after the Col de Lus. It took us 3 hours and 45 minutes, not including our lunch break, and there are no particular difficulties.

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