Canal du Loup and Aqueduc du Foulon

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Starting from the hilltop village of Bar-sur-Loup, you will walk along the buried Loup Canal, which supplies the village with water, then along the Foulon Aqueduct (through narrow passages through a dozen tunnels), which supplies drinking water to the Grasse region.
Along the route, there are some beautiful views of the Gorges and the Loup Valley, the eagle's nest village of Gourdon and a passage next to a magnificent waterfall on the Riou de Gourdon.

Work in progress, see § practical information.

Details

n°2815013
Creation:
Last update:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 8.21 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3 hrs 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 346 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 339 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 541 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 296 m
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Photos

Work in February 2020
Tunnel 33
Le Bar-sur-Loup
Vallée du Loup

Description of the walk

Park on Avenue des Écoles, near the fire station.

(S/E) Reach the centre of the village by going up Rue de la Salpétrière, turn right onto Rue du Collet, then left onto Rue des Abris. Then go up Rue Pierre de l'Encan and Rue de la Placette to reach the church in the centre of the village. From the car park, you can already enjoy a beautiful view of the Gorges du Loup.

Continue straight ahead along the RD 303 (Avenue de Yorktown). Follow this road downhill to the second intersection at marker 20.

Yellow signpost

(1) Take Chemin de Bessurane on the left towards Gourdon. Pass the cemetery, continue to the Chapelle Saint-Claude and climb up to the left to signpost 19.

(2) Go up the path on the left towards the Canal du Loup. The climb through the forest is not difficult and you will quickly reach the buried canal at marker 18.

Red and white signposts

(3) Continue right on the buried canal towards Gourdon. The path is flat until you reach the Riou de Gourdon, where you will need to cross a small, unsecured metal footbridge.
Continue straight ahead until you reach the intersection with the Chemin du Paradis at marker 4.

(4) Follow Chemin du Paradis on the left, climbing towards Gourdon. After a few hairpin bends, you will reach the Aqueduc du Foulon at marker 5.

No signposts

(5) Follow the aqueduct on the left, walking along the service road. Pass through a few tunnels before arriving at a footbridge at the Riou de Gourdon.
You can descend from the footbridge on the right after crossing it to get closer to the magnificent waterfall that plunges into a pool.

Continue along the aqueduct, passing through a few more tunnels (there are 10 in total on this route) and then above the village until you reach signpost 22.

Red and white signposts

(6) Go down the path on the left towards Le Bar-sur-Loup, join a small road and reach an intersection at marker 18a.

Yellow markings

(7) Continue down the road on the right towards Le Bar-sur-Loup via Chemin de Bouscarle until you reach the village. Head to the central square where you will find an impressive fort.

Go down to the right along Rue du Valla, then left onto Rue du Collet and finally right onto Rue de la Salpétrière to return to the starting point. (S/E)

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 296 m - Avenue des Écoles
  2. 1 : km 0.5 - alt. 329 m - Beacon 20
  3. 2 : km 0.84 - alt. 345 m - Beacon 19
  4. 3 : km 1.38 - alt. 417 m - Beacon 18 - Canal du Loup
  5. 4 : km 2.88 - alt. 434 m - Beacon 4 - Chemin du Paradis
  6. 5 : km 3.2 - alt. 501 m - Beacon 5 - Aqueduc du Foulon
  7. 6 : km 6.46 - alt. 499 m - Beacon 22 - Aqueduc du Foulon
  8. 7 : km 6.87 - alt. 420 m - Beacon 18a - Canal du Loup
  9. S/E : km 8.21 - alt. 296 m - Avenue des Écoles

Notes

Please note: repair work on the canal has been underway since spring 2020. It is expected to reopen in September 2023.

The passage along the aqueduct is on a narrow, unsecured service road and through damp tunnels.

Waterproof footwear and a headlamp are essential.

Some passages at the foot of the walls may present a risk of falling rocks.

Reviews and comments

4.6 / 5
Based on 32 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.7 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.8 / 5
Route interest
4.4 / 5
Mimi_Valka
Mimi_Valka
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 13, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant hike on a hot day, the coolness of the tunnels is welcome. I added a detour to Gourdon via the Chemin du Paradis to make it a bit longer. The end of the hike is rather monotonous, so it would be worth seeing if it's possible to cut through the woods to reach the village and avoid the section on tarmac.

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Nicole Pomi
Nicole Pomi
• Edited:

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 29, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

We set off on our hike from Bar sur Loup on 26 April. The first part of the walk was fine, but when we reached the start of the tunnels, a sign announced that the trail was closed at tunnel 16. We managed to get through tunnels 23 to 20 without any problems, but tunnel 19 was impassable: there was more than 20 cm of water, so we would have needed rubber boots!
Otherwise, the unsecured metal footbridge has been replaced by a beautiful, secure wooden footbridge, built by the departmental council of the 06.

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ppanchon
ppanchon
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 22, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant route that reminded us of Madeira with its Lavadas.

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bebeghislaine
bebeghislaine
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

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

A beautiful hike, we climbed up to Gourdon to extend our outing.

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Fibie83
Fibie83
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 28, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We did this tour in rainy weather, but the route is pleasant and easy
The waterfalls were very large and impressive, and we really liked the tunnels that followed the aqueduct.
I think that with sunshine, the views would add even more to the enjoyment of this hike.

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Pacodu49
Pacodu49
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 25, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We were disappointed not to see the waterfall. It was completely dry! I asked a local resident, who told me that it is not natural and is created by opening valves when a dam upstream is too full... A mobile phone torch is definitely needed for some of the tunnels. The scenery is magnificent.

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selavie06
selavie06
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 12, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A lovely short hike that can be completed in half a day and is not difficult, despite a few tricky sections, particularly with young children. The waterfall is magnificent.

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veridisqvo
veridisqvo
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 17, 2024
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! It's quite steep at the start (as is often the case with hikes in this region), but the views along the aqueduct (especially of the hilltop village of Gourdon) more than make up for the brief effort! I loved going through the tunnels, and although the end of the trail seems a little monotonous, there are still magnificent landscapes to admire. The waterfall at point 5 is really beautiful, and Bar-sur-Loup is also worth a visit.

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danielaime06
danielaime06
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 22, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

We were able to complete the entire hike, which means that work on the canal is finished... or almost finished (see the next message).
Crossing Bar-sur-Loup is always a pleasure. Then the climb up through the woods is steep but short.
The entire horizontal section along the "Foulon aqueduct" is the most original part of the route in my opinion, even if following this large pipe is not to everyone's taste. The tunnels were dry (perhaps thanks to the work carried out?) and a smartphone torch is more than enough for the three longest ones.
No difficulties getting back down to the village.
Well done to the author for the perfect description of this walk.

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Bruno8
Bruno8
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 27, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The work should be completed by the end of the year, according to the workers, who strongly advised us to turn back, which we did. The autumn colours were very beautiful today.

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Mermoz
Mermoz
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 14, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The work is still not finished, and is far from complete.
A good half of the aqueduct (south side), with the old and new pipes still in place, remains quite tricky with passages over the pipe. Avoid if you are not a tightrope walker, especially in wet weather.

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RUELLO
RUELLO
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 31, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Hike completed this Sunday despite the heat.
The starting point could be at the church or near the cemetery, as there are car parks there. This means you can avoid the steep climb up from the village. But it goes without saying that walking through the narrow streets is a great way to discover this charming village in the hinterland.
I can confirm that the route is closed due to roadworks, which are expected to be completed by the end of September 2023. You can therefore continue climbing up to Gourdon. It takes about an hour to walk down from Gourdon to the car park (next to the fire station).
I will update this information in October 2023.

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Julia06
Julia06
• Edited:

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

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

The circuit has been closed since January 2023 and will reopen in September...

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Mathilde Delmas
Mathilde Delmas
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 29, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Please note closure at point 5 from 29 January 2023
Point 6 will be inaccessible for 8 months

You can continue hiking by climbing steeply to the beautiful village of Gourdon
And descend via the same route

Bar sur Loup/Gourdon round trip 13 km
Wear good shoes and don't be afraid of climbing

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JLC30
JLC30
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 20, 2022
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 that begins with a visit to the village thanks to the excellent route description. The climb through the forest is pleasant. The crossing of the Riou de Gourdon (unfortunately dry) before the point (4) is now via a new, secure wooden footbridge. At the point (5), we decided to climb up to Gourdon, as the Chemin du Paradis is very well maintained and makes the climb (+1/2 hour) pleasant and not too difficult. The village and the view are well worth the detour. To reach the point (6) rather than going back down the Chemin du Paradis to the aqueduct and following it, we followed the PR (yellow markings) which passes by markers 6-7-8-13 to 17-23-22, visible on the IGN map and on the ground. This return through the forest on a relatively gentle slope with beautiful views is very pleasant. The hike is 5 km long with a total elevation gain of 300 m.
We will do the hike again to test the aqueduct route and its tunnels...
Thank you for this route

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