Sainte-Victoire circuit: Puyloubier - Pic des Mouches - Saint-Ser

Date of walk : Sep 13, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

A very pleasant route.

The climb starts off tough with a steep incline and sunny exposure; it requires good physical condition (or time). Once you reach the ridge, the slope becomes more moderate and you can enjoy the shade and the breeze. The descent is perilous and difficult to follow without GPS tracking. Expect long, unstable scree slopes and an unnatural path, which can lead to mistakes on numerous occasions. Always make sure you follow the green trail. In particular, the trail follows scree slopes several times before breaking away from them completely, turning perpendicular and sometimes even climbing back up the slope. If you are not careful, following these long scree slopes will lead you to dead ends such as small cliffs. Note that once you arrive at Saint-Ser, you will follow a departmental road that is of no particular interest and can be dangerous depending on the conditions.

High-top shoes are essential and vigilance is required.

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Date of walk : Sep 14, 2025
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Clarity of route map : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : Not used / Not applicable
Busy trail : No

Hello,
as a new user of your application, I find the difficulty scale to be unrealistic.
What are the criteria and experience of the person who sets the difficulty level?
At our level (inexperienced hikers, about ten hikes per year), we found it very difficult.

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Too windy, hike to be repeated.

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Date of walk : Oct 22, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No

The descent via the green trail is quite challenging. Avoid in wet weather

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Hello marseille2

Annotated hike: warning.

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Date of walk : Apr 17, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

High-top shoes and walking sticks are recommended as the paths are rocky and uneven.
Descent via the green marked trail (from point 4) impossible: prohibition sign still in place, wildlife and biodiversity protection, beware of a possible fine of €135 per person.
The views are still very interesting.

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Date of walk : Feb 03, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : Yes

Very beautiful tour on 04/02/2024
Great weather: sunshine, no Mistral wind, clear skies
Beautiful view of the snow-capped peaks: Mercantour, Ecrins, Ventoux, etc.
Very good description
High-top shoes and walking sticks very useful, no water on the route
Descent not possible via the green marked trail: sign prohibiting access between 1 February and 31 July (to protect birds, butterflies, reptiles, etc.)
We complied... (fine of €135 per person)
We recommend this hike

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Date of walk : Jan 06, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

The description is accurate and the hike is magnificent.
However, the descent is very dangerous and the green markings are difficult to find, especially when the terrain is challenging and steep. If you stray just 10 metres, you are no longer on the right path and can find yourself in a very tricky situation.
Be sure to take the time to find the trail and everything will be fine. Don't be put off by the scree and other difficulties.
Not suitable for children.

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Date of walk : Dec 31, 2023
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : Yes

Very beautiful loop! Superb panorama at the summit.

The descent via the green trail offers a superb wild setting but requires careful attention. The signposting, which is conveniently dense (thanks to the signposters), is a great help. Walking sticks are useful, and you will need to use your hands for some easy rock climbing in several places.

After this challenging descent, you'll really appreciate the rest you get at the end on a small paved road...

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Date of walk : May 26, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No

For this circuit, it was noted in (4) that this is a tricky part of the circuit. I would like to confirm that this very stony and rolling section (as specified, it is true) is very, very tricky throughout the entire descent. There is no stability because the stones are small and there is a constant risk of falling and hurting yourself badly. Just so you know

Apart from this particular feature, the view from up there is magnificent, with a great spot for paragliders.

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Date of walk : Apr 08, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : Yes

An interesting route for getting a glimpse of La Sainte Victoire. This route is very busy up to the summit of Pic des Mouches. Be careful to do this hike in autumn or spring as the route faces south and there are not many shaded areas. We were unable to return from point 4 to the finish via the planned route as it was closed due to nesting. So I took a detour via the Col des Portes. A nice, well-shaded route. We rejoined the morning route at the Malivert oratory (point 3). Total elevation gain: 1,000 metres; distance: 13 kilometres; total walking time: 5 hours.

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Date of walk : Mar 14, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

Certainly very busy in the summer.
However, there is a strict limit on the descent of the Pic des Mouches,
which is off-limits during the spring nesting season.

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Date of walk : Nov 14, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : Yes

Hello, beautiful hike starting from the village of Puy-Loubier
Quite steep going up, allow two hours to reach the Pic des Mouches.

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Date of walk : Nov 09, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

Hike completed with a variation for the descent. I will therefore not comment on the green trail. However, I will still give the description a "very good" rating as it seems to be well written.

The weather forecast initially predicted cloudy skies at 2,000 metres, but unfortunately this was lowered to below 1,000 metres the next day. There was no precipitation and the wind was forecast to be light. So there were few surprises for me, as I expected the forecast from the previous day to be wrong.
The sun dried the south-facing slope in the morning, which had been wet from the storm during the evening, perfect for the descent in more or less weathered limestone with a few slab sections (routes that are probably very busy usually). It's not good when it's wet, even with the best shoes in the world! ^^
Obviously, don't go there if it's just rained and the rocks are wet!

The signposting is very good, I've rarely seen so many markings on a hike. Especially as it's very busy and the path is very well marked. Even on the alternative route we chose, apart from one point where you could miss a red mark. Otherwise, it's almost over-signposted.

We did the red route downhill after the Bau de l'Aigle, starting from the Col de St Ser, to the St Ser hermitage, then down to St Ser (where the green route joins, if I remember correctly, but I didn't see the junction).

Total time: ~5 hours 15 minutes, but with a break of over an hour at the summit to wait for the forecast clear skies and 30 minutes for a bite to eat at the St Ser hermitage. It's an easy walk, and I often stop to enjoy the view before finding myself back in the clouds.

The climb to the Pic des Mouches is an easy walk, not very steep unless you're not used to the mountains, but quite long as it's in the woods for much of the ridge to the summit.
The Bau de l'Aigle caught my eye, so I finally continued along the ridge, with a short section protected by a chain, to reach the summit and then descend to the Col de St Ser to take the red-marked alternative route.

The route I chose, marked in red, is more technical and quite steep, half of it on scree slopes with a gradient of between 35 and 40° and half on slabs. Two tricky sections on slabs, one of which is quite vertical and exposed, are "protected" by a chain. A third very short section just before reaching the hermitage is also secured by a chain, which is a little less vital here but useful for those who are less sure-footed. Finally, if you are afraid of this last section, you will have turned back at the previous ones ^^
If you are with children or people who are prone to vertigo, a rope may be a good idea. If you have any doubts, don't attempt it! Or you may prefer to go the other way.

In any case, it's much more fun than the path between the oratory and the peak.

The view cleared completely below about 800 metres, which was a real treat.

Like many hikes, this one is obviously best enjoyed in good weather. But I was patient enough to wait for the forecast clear skies at the end of the morning, and I was rewarded with a magnificent view to the south and a beautiful "sea" of clouds. The north remained cloudy, but never mind. I hope to return one day, perhaps to climb it.

Downside: The end of the loop back to Puyloubier along the road, which fortunately is not very busy at this time of year.

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Date of walk : Feb 02, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

Great hike, very well described by the author. Steep climb at the start up to the oratory but no particular difficulty, descent a little more complicated: it's easy to follow the most obvious "path" (the continuous descent), which led me to the top of a cliff that cannot be crossed without equipment. As the green trail is regularly marked, I would say that if you can't see any paint for 100 metres, it's best to turn back.
There are superb views throughout the climb and from the top over all the Provençal mountains, and impressive views of the Sainte-Victoire cliffs during the descent.
This descent is prohibited from 1 February to 15 August to protect the nesting of protected species (I didn't see the sign at the top but the ones at the bottom are impossible to miss, I'd say I was within the tolerance margin (2 days).
The only downside is the 2 km of asphalt at the end.
Best done at the beginning of winter (permanent southern exposure) and on a windless day (it's quite windy at the top)

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