Cucuron Vaugines via La Chapelle de l'Ermitage

A magnificent hike with some very pretty views.

Details

47558098
Creation:
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 5.30 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 15 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 935 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 942 ft

  • ▲
    Highest point: 2,067 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1,214 ft

Photos

Description of the walk

Access to the starting point: from the village of Cucuron, take the road towards Vaugines, then turn onto the second road on the right (Chemin de l'Ermitage). Park at the end of the road.

(S/E) Take the yellow-marked path that climbs up to the Chapelle de l'Ermitage.

(1): Go around the chapel and take the wide forest track heading north-east until you reach a junction with another track.

(2) Take the track to the left, which continues slightly uphill (very beautiful views of Sainte-Victoire, the Durance plain and the Chaîne des Costes) until you reach a hairpin bend where there is an underground cistern (no. 27).

(3) Turn left onto a path that descends and follow it to a crossroads.

(4) Turn right onto a path lined with rocks and follow it for 150 metres.

(5) Leave this path by turning left onto a very narrow trail between two holm oak trunks. This trail, which is not very visible at first, continues through the undergrowth on the hillside, offering occasional beautiful views of the plain. Continue, keeping more or less to the left (south-west direction) and you will come out near a pumping station.

(6) Turn left, heading south, onto a tarmac track and join another track coming from the left.

(7) Turn right onto the small tarmac road and continue for a good hundred metres until you reach a fork.

(8) Continue left on the road (Chemin de Saint-Barthélémy), pass the cemetery car park and continue to the magnificent church of Vaugines.

(9) Go around the church and its small cemetery, then retrace your steps and take theGR® trail uphill towards Cucuron via the Ancien Chemin de Cucuron.

(10) If you make a short detour to the right at the top of the hill, you can admire the pretty calvary overlooking the church. Continue following the red and white markings ofthe GR® trail, which leads to the D56. Take care when following this road to the left for about 200 metres.

(11) Turn left onto Chemin de l'Ermitage, which will take you back to the car park where you started (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 1,325 ft - Chemin de l'Ermitage
  2. 1 : mi 0.38 - alt. 1,624 ft - Chapelle de l'Ermitage - Chapelle de l'Ermitage - Chapelle de l'Ermitage
  3. 2 : mi 1.12 - alt. 1,739 ft - Chemin de l'Ermitage sign - Chapelle de l'Ermitage - Chapelle de l'Ermitage - Chapelle de l'Ermitage
  4. 3 : mi 2.07 - alt. 2,060 ft - Cistern no. 27
  5. 4 : mi 2.29 - alt. 1,906 ft - Crossroads
  6. 5 : mi 2.35 - alt. 1,903 ft - Turn left between two holm oaks.
  7. 6 : mi 3.43 - alt. 1,411 ft - Pumping station
  8. 7 : mi 3.67 - alt. 1,280 ft - Road junction
  9. 8 : mi 3.74 - alt. 1,270 ft - Fork
  10. 9 : mi 3.95 - alt. 1,217 ft - Saint-Barthélémy Church (Vaugines) - Saint-Barthélémy Church (Vaugines) - Église Saint-Barthélémy de Vaugines
  11. 10 : mi 4.09 - alt. 1,283 ft - Towards the calvary
  12. 11 : mi 4.73 - alt. 1,224 ft - Chemin de l'Ermitage
  13. S/E : mi 5.3 - alt. 1,329 ft - Chemin de l'Ermitage

Always be cautious and plan ahead when you're outdoors. Visorando and the author of this route cannot be held responsible for any accidents occurring on this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

Reviews and comments

4.7 / 5
Based on 16 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.8 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.8 / 5
Route interest
4.6 / 5
fanmirando
fanmirando

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 31, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

a lovely walk with a beautiful view from the balcony

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User 1123056

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 18, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant walk.

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User 25775759

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : May 17, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Hello, a very pleasant walk with some lovely views.
Take care at number 5 (as indicated) as the start of the path isn’t obvious (between two holm oaks, but there are oaks everywhere); however, the rest of the route is straightforward.
In May, the Spanish broom is in fragrant bloom.

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User 28030959

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 11, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk!

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User 19826514

It takes a long time on the DFCI. Best avoided in bright sunshine.

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eygui84
eygui84

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 09, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A peaceful and pleasant walk offering beautiful views of the Durance valley. It's a shame that you have to walk about 200 metres along the road on the way back.

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User 24530747

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 25, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A superb walk! I missed the turn-off from the forest track onto the small path at point (5), but the Visorando app helped me spot my mistake. I completed the walk in two hours with a beagle who stopped every now and then to sniff around.

And thank you to everyone who said "park at the church in Vaugines."

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User 3140898

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 27, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The only downside was that we encountered a few hunters, which always stresses us out a bit. Otherwise, it wasn't very busy, but it was Saturday. It's possible that there are more people on Sundays

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phildaix
phildaix

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 14, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A magnificent walk, especially after the church in Vaugines, but also with spectacular views.
Yes, the easiest thing to do is to park at the church in Vaugines (point 9);
No particular difficulties.
Thank you for this beautiful walk.

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trombinoscope
trombinoscope

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 17, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

I think that for ease of parking, the start of the hike should be at the car park of the Vaugines chapel, which is on the route.
Thank you for this beautiful hike.

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Giselain
Giselain

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 10, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We set off from the car park in Cucuron. A slightly longer hike. To find the path between two oak trunks, we used a vaulted rock as a landmark. A very pleasant walk.

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Philippe Sarrey
Philippe Sarrey
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 17, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk north of Vaugines/Cucuron.

For easy parking, it is best to park your cars at point number 9, i.e. at the car park of the Vaugines chapel.
I'm also going to try this route in the opposite direction... i.e. 9, 8, 7, etc.

Thank you for the descriptions.

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Vieux Matou
Vieux Matou

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 22, 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 route offering magnificent views of the Durance valley. What's more, we were lucky enough to have clear skies, allowing us to see far into the Var and Bouches-du-Rhône regions.
The description is clear and helped us follow the route easily. The route is simple, even if the start is a bit challenging.
I would advise against parking at the starting point. If you are coming from Cucuron, continue left towards Vaugines and try to park a little further away (you will start the hike a little closer to the end of the route...).

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Marcelo-13
Marcelo-13

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 06, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Shorter hike than advertised: 2 hours 40 minutes with 2-3 short breaks for drinks... Very pleasant for a brisk walk and cardio, as 90% of the forest paths are "wide and passable" except for a few areas where the stones roll... Walking sticks are useful at this point...The views and the surrounding countryside are beautiful, as the description so aptly puts it.
The hunters I met at 11 a.m. on the trail, just as they were packing up without having seen a single wild boar all day, explained that this was because wolves had now settled permanently in this area of the Luberon... They had seen one that morning!
The problem of parking (non-existent) at the starting point has been reported. I set off from the church in Vaugines, towards Cucuron. This allows you to warm up on flat ground before the climb to the chapel. I highly recommend this (small) variation.

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FloFanon
FloFanon

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 16, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We completed the route in 2 hours and 23 minutes. The hike is enjoyable and not difficult at all. The views of the surrounding area and Sainte Victoire mountain along much of the route are very pleasant. However, be sure to walk to the village before getting back in the car. It's charming, and it's frustrating not to include it in the route. 👍
Enjoy your walk.

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