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Park in the Chauméry valley car park.
(S/E) The hike begins by crossing the broken wall on the left. Follow theGRP® 2013 for the first 500 metres. Yellow and red markings.
(1) Then leave theGRP® and follow the path on the left towards La Croix de Saint-Marcel, marked in blue.
after 200 metres, turn left towards the cross. The trail, marked on a flat stone, is quite steep until you reach the summit. Go to the fork and climb left to the Roc de la Croix. The view is magnificent over Marseille, the Huveaune valley, the Garlaban massif and the Sainte-Baume massif.
(2) Retrace your steps to the fork and take the path towards Col Galvaudan (south). The path is still marked in blue. It winds downhill and passes under the trees in the scrubland.
Then cross an enigmatic wall in the middle of the hill, probably the boundary wall of an old property. The path then climbs again and goes around a peak (390 m) on the right. It leads you to the Col Galvaudan.
(3) Turn left and follow the DFCI track for 50 to 100m. You will come to the ruins of Jas Henry (a sheepfold) and the remains of terraces that were once used for farming.
Then turn right onto a path marked with a brown line and a blue dot. Head south to reach the Source des Eaux Vives. It is visible from afar as it is located under two cypress trees.
(4) Take the path on the left that follows the Eaux Vives stream, marked by a brown line and an arrow pointing towards La Barasse.
Note: in some places, the vegetation is a bit overgrown, so I recommend wearing trousers to protect your shins.
On the left side of the path, I saw some ruins that could be those of a drystone shelter. At the bottom of the Barasse valley, cross a small dam and join a DFCI track.
(5) Turn left onto the DFCI, where the signs are yellow and red again.
Note that about a hundred metres after the dam, there is a hopper on the left that was used to mine the bauxite just above.
Note: if you're not afraid of the dark, a small path leads to the mine.
Continue along the valley until you reach the shooting range, which is located in the old buildings of the aggregate and sand companies. Continue straight ahead to rejoin the road at the old lime kilns that were part of the Pechiney-Ugine-Kuhlmann factory, where bauxite was produced.
(6) Follow the road straight ahead.
(7) Then turn left onto Chemin Pic Foch and continue along Chemin de la Maque to reach the Vallon Chauméry car park (S/E).
When we reached point 3, Col de Galvaudan, we couldn't find the trail, even with our GPS. We followed the track to find the route back down the valley. It was a shame because the landscape is very interesting.
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