Circular of the Adroit Canal in Colmars-les-Alpes

Discover the Adroit Canal in Colmars-les-Alpes. This pleasant walk follows the route of the old Adroit Canal on the slopes of the Gardette mountain. You will enjoy superb views of the valley, the town and the fortifications of Colmars.
Throughout the route, information panels offer drawing activities with useful tips and, as a bonus, lots of details about the fauna, flora and history of this canal.

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 4.11 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 1h 35 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 149 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 151 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,381 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1,236 m
  • ⚐ Country: France
  • ⚐
    Area: Alps
  • ⚐ District: Colmars (04370)
  • ⚑
    Start/End: N 44.179217° / E 6.626927°
  • ❏
    IGN map(s): Ref. 3540OT, 3540OTR
  • Hour-by-hour weather

Photos

Description of the walk

Park in the Colmars car park, which is signposted from the main D908 road.
The route is signposted.

(S/E) From the car park, head back towards the centre of Colmars. Turn left just after the school and you will arrive at the Tourist Office on the D908.

(1) Turn right and walk along the outside of the ramparts. Continue along the playground.

(2) Turn left just at the end of the fortifications. Admire the north gate of the town on your left and the Fort de Savoie on your right. Continue along Rue de l'Adroit, pass to the right of the municipal swimming pool and cross the Verdon. Leave the tarmac in the middle of the hairpin bend and follow the path marked by a sign indicating "le canal de l'Adroit". Shortly afterwards, this path turns right and follows the valley, climbing slightly.

(3) Turn left at the crossroads following the signs and follow the path which climbs more steeply.

(4) Turn left again at the crossroads, following the signs. At this point, you will reach the Canal de l'Adroit, which you should follow for just over a kilometre. As you leave the forest, you will see some pastures where there used to be irrigated fields.
At the next crossroads, turn left and start down the winding path. Be careful, as there is a steep descent to the tarmac road.

(5) Turn left. Cross the D908 with great caution at the protected crossing, then continue left towards the centre of Colmars.

(1) Turn right towards the school, then immediately after to reach the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 1,242 m - Parking Chemin de la Cascade
  2. 1 : km 0.22 - alt. 1,242 m - D908 - Tourist Office
  3. 2 : km 0.43 - alt. 1,242 m - Rue de l'Adroit. Cross the - Verdon (rivière)
  4. 3 : km 0.97 - alt. 1,273 m - Crossroads with signs
  5. 4 : km 1.4 - alt. 1,369 m - Crossroads of the Adroit Canal
  6. 5 : km 3.18 - alt. 1,250 m - Tarmac road
  7. S/E : km 4.11 - alt. 1,242 m - Parking Chemin de la Cascade

Notes

If you like drawing, remember to bring paper, pencils and felt-tip pens. Along the route, information panels offer drawing ideas with useful tips.

Allow at least two hours to fully enjoy the informative panels, which are very interesting.

Worth a visit

The origin of the word Adroit comes from the Old French "adrech" or "adret", which means sunny slope.
Colmars is mentioned in 1040 under the name Collo Martio: hill of Mars.

In 1388, Colmars became the border between Provence and Savoy. In 1713, the Barcelonnette valley became French and the border ceased to exist.
The village has been fortified since the Middle Ages. The forts were built at the end of the 17th century based on plans by Vauban. To the south is Fort de France and to the north is Fort de Savoie.

The Adroit Canal was built around 1863. It is
9 km in total. In Colmars, it irrigates around 100 hectares. It was abandoned around 1920.

In summer, the town is very lively. Strolling through the village is a real pleasure.

Things to see:
- The town's fortifications.
- A superb museum on the history of the forts and the life of the villagers before the industrial era.
- The Forts of France and Savoie.

Reviews and comments

4.3 / 5
Based on 11 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.5 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.6 / 5
Route interest
4 / 5
User 2876443

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 13, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A short hike above Colmars that reveals all its beauty, as well as superb surroundings and interesting information dotted along the route. We did the hike on 23/09 and didn't see a soul.

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papy popaul
papy popaul

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 06, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Hike completed on Sunday, 28 September. No difficulty. And beautiful view of the Fort of Savoie.

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ThomP21
ThomP21

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 11, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk offering beautiful views of the village of Colmars-les-Alpes.

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User 4308123

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 11, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

easy hike with beautiful views of Colmars

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lolottekeke
lolottekeke

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 28, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful view of Colmars
A short but very pleasant hike

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herand
herand

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 09, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Pleasant and educational hike

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rassat73
rassat73

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 26, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

we went hiking out of season

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Claudie (Corba)
Claudie (Corba)

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 23, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The route description is perfect.
A beautiful, pleasant walk around Colmars. The view is worth the detour. The historical and entertaining information is a bonus for this route.

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Sandrine0683
Sandrine0683

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 29, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Beautiful route, beautiful scenery, very interesting information boards. Magnificent!

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tucsoufle
tucsoufle

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 12, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Very busy route : No

Disappointing hike.
Very beautiful view of part of the valley and the fortified town of Colmars les Alpes (a must-see). However, the Adroit Canal has not been used or maintained since 1960! So you are simply following a "hole".
So, once you've passed the most difficult part (you persevere for the reward of the canal), you're disappointed.

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angelflor
angelflor

Overall rating : 2 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 21, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Very busy route : No

The altitudes are incorrect; they do not correspond to anything. Positive altitude: 1,600 m.

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