Caïre Gros

de fr

A magnificent viewpoint, the summit of Caïre Gros, between the Tinée and Vésubie valleys, offers superb views of the Franco-Italian mountain range and the main peaks of the Mercantour.

Details

n°80042
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 10.47 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 5h 00 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 692 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 687 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 2,083 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1,485 m
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Photos

Panorama
view 2 from above
after the effort
Mercantour mountain range

Description of the walk

Departure from the Colmiane-Valdeblore ski resort car park.

(S/E) Cross the road at the crossroads, take the track opposite, just to the right of the Tourist Office, and follow this track towards Pic de la Colmiane.

(1) At Col du Knoll, continue climbing in a right-hand bend, then follow the track to the ridge.

(2) Turn right onto the path, follow the ridge to Col de Varaire and join theGR®5.

(3) Follow this to Col des Deux Caïres via a pleasant path through a forest of fir and larch trees.

(4) Leave theGR®5and continue left up a grassy slope. After a few hairpin bends, you will reach the summit via a climbing path.

(5) Return via the same route to Col du Varaire.

(3) Then follow theGR®5, turning left. The path descends gently down the mountainside to a crossroads.

(6) Leave theGR®5and turn right. The path crosses a ski slope and then arrives at a forest track.

(7) Follow this track to the right. It continues almost horizontally.
After a few metres, at the crossroads, continue straight ahead on the track until you reach the resort car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 1,500 m - Colmiane-Valdeblore ski resort - Col de la Colmiane ou Saint-Martin (1500m)
  2. 1 : km 0.95 - alt. 1,567 m - Col du Suc (1580m)
  3. 2 : km 2.18 - alt. 1,738 m - Take the path on the right
  4. 3 : km 2.71 - alt. 1,706 m - Col du Varaire (1700m)
  5. 4 : km 4.23 - alt. 1,905 m - Col des Deux Caïres (1921m)
  6. 5 : km 5.2 - alt. 2,083 m - Summit of Caïre Gros
  7. 6 : km 8.45 - alt. 1,619 m - Leave the GR5 and turn right
  8. 7 : km 9.38 - alt. 1,489 m - Continue along the track to the right
  9. S/E : km 10.47 - alt. 1,502 m - Colmiane-Valdeblore ski resort

Notes

Bring water.
The hike is considered moderate because the trail becomes a little difficult from the Col des Deux Caïres to climb to the summit of Caïre Gros.

Worth a visit

At Col des Deux Caïres, enjoy the view of Caïre Petit by climbing above the bunker just to the right.

Always be cautious and plan ahead when you're outdoors. Visorando and the author of this route cannot be held responsible for any accidents occurring on this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

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Reviews and comments

4.8 / 5
Based on 19 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.8 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.9 / 5
Route interest
4.7 / 5
dunlop
dunlop

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 03, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike, mostly through the forest, to the pass. Unfortunately, given the season, there was no cheese in the pantry hanging on the door of the blockhouse. For the climb to Caire Gros, we clearly saw the landslide on the slope, so we followed the path marked by the signs informing us of this and the detour, but there was no indication of where the detour was.So we continued to the summit following the switchbacks. The ground was thawing, so the earth was often very slippery, so we had to be careful. We descended by cutting across the switchbacks to walk on the grass, which was more stable than the earth.

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LAURENT Jean-Luc
LAURENT Jean-Luc

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 02, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Good evening,
Very beautiful route. Caution!
From the Col des Deux Caires, the GR 5 has been diverted due to a landslide. The path is very new and barely visible in the mountain pasture. The sign indicating the diversion is placed a little too late. You need to head left and climb about 30 metres to rejoin the diversion path.

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Fabienmad
Fabienmad

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 15, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Hello, on the upper part of the hike on the way back from Cairo, be very careful due to numerous landslides and a somewhat unclear route

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viniavelo
viniavelo

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 02, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful walk. The GR5 has indeed been diverted from the Col des 2 Caires due to a landslide on the original route. We continued along the ridge to Mont Chalancha.

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jl1309m
jl1309m

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 04, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Beautiful view at the top of Clans, 100 metres beyond Caïe Gros.
At the Col des Deux Caïre, there is a cupboard in the blockhouse with goat's cheese made down below at the farm. Help yourself and put the money in a box.
To extend the loop, I descended via the Col de la Colmiane, the summit of Le Conquet (beautiful view of the Vésubie) and returned to the resort via the ski slope after the Conquet chairlift. It's steep but on grass. The tour is 14km and 850m.

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randonneurintrépide
randonneurintrépide

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 23, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Please note! Due to a major rockfall, the GR 5 trail has been diverted shortly after the Col des 2 Caires pass. You must head almost straight up the slope.
The walk is very beautiful.

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Tico972
Tico972

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 20, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A relatively easy hike accessible to all, starting off rather uninterestingly along the trail. The view from the summit of Caïre Gros (360) is well worth the detour. We did it in beautiful weather and had a picnic not far from the cheese bunker. I must admit, it was an original idea.
We particularly enjoyed the descent through the forest on the mountainside in the hot weather, ending up in the village of La Colmiane on a terrace with a refreshing drink.
A beautiful walk for mountain lovers

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ninimouans
ninimouans

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 30, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

The climb up the trail was a bit tedious. I preferred the descent trail. Magnificent view from the summit. We bought some cheese at the blockhouse. If you don't feel like going all the way to the summit, the view from the blockhouse is already superb. With the heat, we enjoyed the climb in the shade.

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bebeghislaine
bebeghislaine

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 25, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A really lovely walk to do again and again.

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VirginieLax
VirginieLax

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 04, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike, done at the beginning of May, with beautiful spring weather, practically alone. The last climb to the Caire Gros has been modified due to a landslide, so you have to follow the temporary signs. The climb is steep, but what a view at the top! No cheese for us in the famous bunker, that starts in June 😉

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Tine
Tine
• Edited:

Beautiful view of Cairo and the ridges. Special mention for the cheese dispenser!

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Tine
Tine

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 12, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A beautiful, easy hike, with marmottes, ibex and mosquitoes waiting for you!

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lauvisorando
lauvisorando

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 22, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike, which we did for the second time with great pleasure.
On the last section, a landslide blocked the path, but new markings have been put in place, allowing you to reach the summit. The slope is just steeper than before.
The entire route is extremely well marked and it is impossible to get lost.
On the way, you can buy delicious goat's cheese, fresh or matured, for between €3 and €6 each from a self-service bunker. Just make sure you have some change with you.

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Tenelia
Tenelia

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 08, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A really enjoyable hike. The view from the summit is magnificent. Be sure to buy some cheese at the bunker. The small goat's and sheep's cheeses are excellent.

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lauvisorando
lauvisorando

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 21, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant hike along a shaded forest trail.
Very clear signs at every intersection. Impossible to get lost.
Once we reached the summit, we followed the ridge line. The view is magnificent.
Quite a long hike (5 hours + breaks) but not difficult.

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