The Barasse Lime Kilns Circular Loop

A short walk through the forest, following in the footsteps of the mining industry’s legacy, with views of the Étoile massif, Garlaban, La Valentine and Tête Ronde. Starting at the lime kilns and ending at the summit of the walk, “La Terrasse”, a station for loading ore.

Details

93221210
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 4.37 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 1h 55 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 228 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 227 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 225 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 77 m
  • ⚐ Country: France
  • ⚐ City: Marseille (13000)
  • ⚑
    Start/End: N 43.280835° / E 5.48189°
  • ❏
    IGN map(s): Ref. 3145ET
  • Hour-by-hour weather

Photos

Description of the walk

Park along the road, at the end of Chemin du Vallon de la Barasse Désiré Macario and before the barriers.

(S/E) Note the lime kilns as you pass in front of their gates and, after a few metres, take the tarmac road down to the left: green barrier, yellow and red markings of the GRP®2013 and start of the yellow markings. Arrive at the shooting range, which occupies the site of a former agglomerate and sand company.

(1) Continue along the track, which is no longer tarmac. Note a ruin at the top on the right and walk for about a hundred metres.

(2) Turn right onto a path that slopes gently for the first ten metres. At the junction, head left and follow the path as it continues to climb, leading onto a forest track: in the distance, you can make out a gate. Take this forest track to the left, which climbs in a zigzag, pass a first hairpin bend to the right and reach a second hairpin bend to the left.

(3) Continue climbing to the left along the forest track until you reach its end, where you’ll find the platform that was once used to load ore. Just beyond, you’ll notice an old cable car station and a small staircase leading down.

(4) Enjoy the unobstructed view before heading back down the forest track.

(3) Continue straight ahead, cross a steep, stony path running perpendicular to the track and emerge onto a track at a hairpin bend. Continue to the right, negotiate the right-hand bend and walk for about a hundred metres.

(5) Follow the track on the left for 20 m, then continue on level ground in the same direction along this track, which becomes a path and leads to a tarmac road.

(6) Head down this winding road to the right.

(7) About a hundred metres before the car park, leave the road to the left and head towards the lime kiln platform. You will see four circular structures, one of which is surrounded by a grille allowing you to see inside the kiln from above. Walk along the grilles overlooking the car park and go down the ramp to reach it (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 78 m - Car park, Chemin du Vallon de la Barasse
  2. 1 : km 0.41 - alt. 90 m - Shooting Range
  3. 2 : km 0.68 - alt. 102 m - Turn right
  4. 3 : km 1.46 - alt. 186 m - Crossroads, return path
  5. 4 : km 1.9 - alt. 205 m - Terrace
  6. 5 : km 2.81 - alt. 135 m - Turn left
  7. 6 : km 3.23 - alt. 126 m - Road junction, on the right
  8. 7 : km 4.19 - alt. 83 m - Access to the lime kiln platform
  9. S/E : km 4.37 - alt. 78 m - Car park, Chemin du Vallon de la Barasse

Notes

Reviews and comments

4.7 / 5
Based on 3 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.7 / 5
Ease of following the route
5 / 5
Route interest
4.3 / 5
vanhoute
vanhoute
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 04, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant, shaded short walk that takes you past a few sites linked to Marseille’s history (the lime kilns, the slag heap, and a platform from an old cable car at the top of the walk, which is perfect for a picnic).
Thanks also to geronymho (previous comment) for their explanations about the slag heap, which helped us understand the unique vegetation in this area!
Another interesting website related to this walk steeped in history: https://tourisme-marseille.com/fiche/cra...

Please note: the climb after the 10m of ‘gentle’ slope at (2) is a very steep incline, across the contour line, which will be impassable if it has rained the day before.
The shooting range closes on Sundays before midday for a quiet spell; otherwise, it can be quite disruptive.
A quiet path in spring.
Lush vegetation in spring, shade and flowers. Very pleasant.

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geronymho
geronymho

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 03, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

This walk is pleasant and easy; the description is accurate.

We knew there was a shooting range at the start of the walk, but we were surprised by the number and intensity of the shots. Above all, our dog, who isn’t used to it, froze, and we had to carry him to get past the ‘obstacle’. Once the shooting stopped, the walk became lovely. We recommend checking the shooting range’s opening hours to plan accordingly. https://www.club-de-tir-stab-marseille.com/contact/ We did the walk on a Sunday and the shooting stopped around 11am (the club states it closes at midday on Sundays).

Further up, the tailings pile containing residues from bauxite processing (or red mud) is impressive once you understand what it is (nothing like a slag heap; it looks like a green plateau), and it’s worth learning more to better understand the site. The tailings pile represents an enormous volume of red mud now covered by vegetation. This is recounted in this scientific article: History of the tailings heaps of the Marseille alumina plants in the 20th century. Concealing, covering and rehabilitating the legacy of a vanished industry https://journals.openedition.org/rives/11256 It is a complex and rich industrial history, with its accidents, which extends right up to the present day.

We went on the hike in early May. There were lots of colours and a variety of vegetation.

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GarlabanTaoume
GarlabanTaoume

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 13, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A lovely short walk through wooded countryside, best enjoyed in spring☝️

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