Chemin de Roques Hautes from the Bimont dam

This short loop from the Bimont dam allows you to visit Roques Hautes. It is very accessible, even for families. You will see a marble quarry, numerous busy meadows and, of course, a beautiful view of the Sainte-Victoire mountain.

There are a few changes to the route in the reserve, see the notices

Details

173273
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 6.46 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 30 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: No
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 216 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 259 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 379 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 263 m

Photos

Description of the walk

(S/E) From the Bimont Dam car park, head towards Roques Hautes, crossing the dam first, until you reach the picnic area.

(1) The loop itself starts here, so you can turn right onto the "tiring" path (steep climb). At a crossroads, keep left until the next one.

(2) Take the path that climbs to the left towards the quarries.

(3) Cross the quarry and continue, ignoring the paths on the right.

(4) Cross the small bridge on the right for a wilder path! At a fork, turn left and join a path.

(5) Turn left and then immediately right to follow the wide path. When it forks, take the right fork. You will come back to the fork you passed on the way there.

(1) Return to the dam car park (S/E) by following the same route you took on the way there.

Waypoints

  1. S : km 0 - alt. 358 m - Parking - Barrage du Bimont
  2. 1 : km 0.82 - alt. 370 m - Start of the loop
  3. 2 : km 2.78 - alt. 320 m - Turn left towards the marble quarries
  4. 3 : km 3.11 - alt. 299 m - Visit the quarry on your left
  5. 4 : km 3.81 - alt. 264 m - Cross the small wooden bridge
  6. 5 : km 4.14 - alt. 274 m - Turn left
  7. E : km 6.46 - alt. 315 m - Bimont Dam car park - Cause (rivière)

Worth a visit

At the point (3), you can visit the quarry area on your left, which was abandoned around 1900. There is plenty of climbing for experienced climbers. According to the latest information, access to the quarry (and, of course, climbing on the marble wall) is prohibited. Unfortunately, you will only be able to see part of it from behind the barriers.

Reviews and comments

4.5 / 5
Based on 25 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.3 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.5 / 5
Route interest
4.8 / 5
Apoghi
Apoghi

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 23, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Easy and pleasant hike. Clean marble picnic tables.

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Hélène chartier
Hélène chartier

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 23, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Very enjoyable hike. We were lucky to have good weather despite the cold for this time of year. Magnificent view of Sainte Victoire

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Thies974
Thies974

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 19, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Great! A very good route with my dogs (on leads to protect wildlife)... beautiful scenery..
The only downside was that the end of the route had been changed by the nature reserve... follow the blue dots or marked trails!
I'd definitely do it again!

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Lucianoriol
Lucianoriol

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 19, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very beautiful walk, especially during the time of year we chose, with morning mist lifting as we progressed, revealing the cross on Mont Sainte-Victoire against a magnificent blue sky.
No particular difficulties, with most of the route on wide tracks.... downside = a bit crowded on Sundays (walkers, joggers and mountain bikers)

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BCC
BCC

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 02, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely, easy walk, not very busy during the week and outside school holidays, even though we did come across other walkers on the many paths in the area. The duration of the walk (2½ hours) seems overestimated to me because, despite being over 70 years old, we walked for exactly 2 hours, extending the circuit with a loop to the south-east (see IGN map). We joined the GR de Pays Marseille Metropole to the south, then headed east to climb back up to Pont 2. There were no technical difficulties, the landscapes were varied and there were beautiful views of Sainte-Victoire and Bimont.

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Celine and family
Celine and family

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 06, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A challenging route to navigate. Without a map, it is impossible to find your way. There are no landmarks along the way. The scenery is magnificent.

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Visorando55
Visorando55

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 11, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Already completed in 2021, this is a pleasant short hike with beautiful views of Sainte-Victoire.

Takes 1 hour 45 minutes, to whet your appetite.

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Gerard13
Gerard13

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 14, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

An easy walk, very quiet during the week and off-season (but it must be the opposite at weekends and in summer).
Very pretty views of Sainte Victoire, especially when turning clockwise to enjoy the view while walking.
I downloaded the .gpx file and it was very accurate.

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barbbu
barbbu

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 05, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

We used ojeannot's description, which was great until number 5, which was a bit vague, but we got there in the end. We'll be back.
Thank you

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mdajl
mdajl

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 29, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very pleasant hike. The directions provided by a previous hiker (2017) were very helpful. The hike took less than two hours. There weren't many people around, but it was off-season.
Thank you for this hike.

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pat/mimi
pat/mimi

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 02, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A short trip in the morning. A very good outing. Nothing but fun!

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gldbcp
gldbcp

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 22, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

On Sunday 21 March 2021, the car park was very full at 10 a.m. When we left, cars were parked everywhere in complete chaos! So make sure you arrive early on Sunday morning. However, the site is large, so once you pass the barrier, you will find a less busy path and a huge clearing where you can play with the children.
Otherwise, the landscape is stunning, with Sainte Victoire and the lake in the foreground. It's like a postcard.
Thank you for sharing this hike.

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chloe1507
chloe1507

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 22, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Very good hike, fairly easy climb

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Julien de Pélissanne
Julien de Pélissanne

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 13, 2021
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 for the whole family, with a lovely picnic area halfway along the route offering views of Sainte-Victoire.

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robertjo
robertjo

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 17, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

There are far too many mountain bikes on this trail!!!

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