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Colorado de Provençal walks
Visit and tour of Colorado Provençal via the ridges (official route)
Visorando Member
7.57 mi
+997 ft
-1,017 ft
4h 20
Moderate
Departure from Rustrel (Vaucluse)
The hike begins with a visit to the Colorado Provençal Belvédères trail (pedestrian rate), a listed site managed by the Colorado de Rustrel Association, and continues with a tour of the Colorado via the ridges (GR®) to discover views of other ochre quarries. The hike reveals all the nuances of ochre colours in these former open-air quarries.Please note! The Mille Couleurs car park is reserved exclusively for visitors to the two marked trails managed by the Colorado de Rustrel Association for a limited period of approximately 3 hours. If you wish to hike the Tour du Colorado via the ridges, you must park in the village and pay the pedestrian entrance fee for the Belvédères trail.
Tour of the Provençal Colorado in Rustrel (official route)
1.95 mi
+259 ft
-262 ft
1h 05
Easy
Departure from Rustrel (Vaucluse)
The hike reveals all the nuances of ochre colours in these former open-air quarries. Paid parking, giving access to the trails to all occupants of the vehicle. There is a pedestrian rate, if you do not use the car park, which allows you to obtain the leaflet with the map, the history of the site and the code for the mobile discovery app. Please note that the Milles Couleurs car park (paid) is only accessible to visitors to the two marked trails managed by the Colorado Association of Rustrel.
A colourful walk starting from the Rustrel Oil Mill
7.36 mi
+1,076 ft
-1,086 ft
4h 20
Moderate
Departure from Rustrel (Vaucluse)
Start the walk with a visit to the unmissable Colorado Provençal, then take a stroll through the hills in the triangle formed by the villages of Rustrel, Gignac and Caseneuve to admire the lavender fields and enjoy a beautiful view of the imposing Château de Caseneuve and the Grand Lubéron.This walk is a less tarmac-heavy alternative to the ‘Visit and Tour of the Colorado Provençal via the Ridges’ (official route)Best done early in the morning, in summer and in fine weather to make the most of the colours of the ochre cliffs and the lavender.
From Oppedette to Saint-Saturnin-lès-Apt
18.17 mi
+2,146 ft
-2,838 ft
10h 15
Difficult
Departure from Oppedette (Alpes-de-Haute-Provence)
This fifth stage takes you on a journey of discovery through the splendid Gorges d’Oppedette and, once past the Chapelle Saint Ferréol, visits the remarkable medieval village of Viens with its maze of narrow streets marked by the passage of centuries, before crossing the gleaming ochre landscapes of the Colorado de Rustrel, notable for its canyon-like scenery and fairy chimneys reminiscent of John Ford’s Westerns. The route reaches the hilltop village of Villars before continuing on to Saint-Saturnin-lès-Apt.
Tour of the Luberon
120.50 mi
+20,138 ft
-20,121 ft
7 days
Difficult
Departure from Fontaine-de-Vaucluse (Vaucluse)
Largely wooded, the Luberon attracts tourists with its ochre quarries, steep-sided gorges, monuments and hilltop villages with paved slanting streets that evoke the Provence of Daudet, Giono and Pagnol. The first three stages take place in the Luberon Regional Nature Park through the woods on the southern slope of the massif, visiting the medieval village of Oppède-le-Vieux and those of Mérindol, Cucuron and Vitrolles-en-Luberon. The fourth stage crosses over to the northern slope, passing through Céreste, Pont de Baou, the Priory of Carluc and Oppedette. The fifth stage explores the Gorges d’Oppedette, the medieval market town of Viens, and the ochre quarries of Rustrel and Villars. The sixth route crosses Gargas then Roussillon to explore its ochre quarries before setting off to discover the Gorges de la Véroncle. The final route heads to the beautiful village of Gordes, the Abbaye de Sénanque, Saumane-de-Vaucluse and the Fontaine-de-Vaucluse.
Walks near Colorado de Provençal
From Apt to Sivergues via the Rocher des Druides
6.27 mi
+2,106 ft
-630 ft
4h 45
Moderate
Departure from Apt (Vaucluse)
This first stage is mainly uphill, leading to the foot of the western part of the Grand Luberon ridges. Halfway through, there is a descent to pass by the foot of the Rocher des Druides and the hamlet of Roscalière, followed by a climb back up. It is possible to avoid this detour and thus shorten the stage.
From Saint-Saturnin-lès-Apt to Gordes via the Gorges de la Véroncle
16.68 mi
+2,257 ft
-1,690 ft
9h 40
Difficult
Departure from Saint-Saturnin-lès-Apt (Vaucluse)
This sixth stage crosses the wooded slope of Perréal Hill before reaching the village of Gargas and winding through the farmland of the Urbane Valley, then climbing up to the pretty village of Roussillon, where you can allow an hour to visit the old ochre quarry, with its magnificently coloured landscapes of cliffs and fairy chimneys. The route returns to the cultivated fields and enters the narrow Gorges de la Véroncle – a little gem waiting to be discovered – before heading up the Ravin de Vézaule to reach Camping des Sources.
From Céreste to Apt via the plain, Auribeau and Saignon
13.87 mi
+1,532 ft
-2,051 ft
7h 45
Difficult
Departure from Céreste (Alpes-de-Haute-Provence)
The final stage of this route is long and varied. The first section takes place on the plain at the foot of the Luberon ridges, which were traversed in the opposite direction during the second stage. We then gain altitude, climbing successively to the villages of Glorivette, Castellet-en-Lubéron and Auribeau, the latter two boasting a rich heritage. We then descend all the way, passing through the beautiful village of Saignon along the way.
From Sivergues to Vitrolles via the Luberon ridges
13.06 mi
+2,159 ft
-2,703 ft
7h 55
Difficult
Departure from Sivergues (Vaucluse)
This second stage is both long and superb! First, you climb the highest point of the Luberon, the Mourre Nègre, alternating between steep paths and gently sloping tracks. Then, you follow the ridges from west to east, always on open terrain with sweeping panoramic views. The (long) descent to Vitrolles is shaded.
From Vitrolles to Céreste via Montjustin
9.01 mi
+915 ft
-1,312 ft
4h 55
Moderate
Departure from Vitrolles-en-Lubéron (Vaucluse)
The third stage is the shortest of this route. After a very pleasant walk along a track at the foot of wooded hills, we take a narrow path that allows us to cross from the southern to the northern side of the massif. We then climb up to the pretty village of Montjustin, before descending via a ridge offering superb views.
From Vitrolles-en-Lubéron to Oppedette
16.74 mi
+2,434 ft
-2,405 ft
9h 50
Difficult
Departure from Vitrolles-en-Lubéron (Vaucluse)
This fourth stage begins with a route halfway up the wooded slope of the Vallat de Pissaire before entering the Ravin du Gancet and then crossing the Aiguebelle valley to reach the hilltop village of Montjustin. The route follows the ridge of the hill separating this valley from that of the Encrême and descends to reach Céreste, situated at their confluence. It crosses the remarkable Pont de la Baou before revealing, nestled in the woods, the medieval Priory of Carluc. It climbs the side of the valley and swings over to that of the Grand Vallat, then ascends its sunny slope towards Sainte-Croix-à-Lauze, from where it reaches the top of the Cavalon valley before descending it to reach the village of Oppedette.
From Cucuron to Vitrolles-en-Lubéron
15.61 mi
+3,950 ft
-3,337 ft
10h 35
Difficult
Departure from Cucuron (Vaucluse)
This third stage takes you through the forests on the southern slopes of the Grand Lubéron. From Cucuron, the route climbs gently northwards across fields, then rises steeply up the wooded flank of the Montagne du Grand Lubéron and, following various valleys, reaches the bare ridge at the small pass of Basse Cabrière, east of the Mourre Nègre, the highest point of the massif. It winds along the ridge and, at its end, drops down the northern slope, then, skirting Mont La Grand Colle, returns south via the Vallat de la Combe d’Apt, before reaching Vitrolles-en-Lubéron.