La Pierre d'Avenon in Bormes-les-Mimosas

The Saint-François car park in Bormes-les-Mimosas is the starting point for this hike. Once on the ridge, this route offers splendid views of the Hyères harbour, the Bormes harbour, the Hyères Islands, Cap Bénat and far beyond towards the Alps. The Pierre d'Avenon, a crystalline chaos, is an exceptional promontory from which to enjoy a 360° view of the landscape. The route is marked in blue for most of the way. Most of the route is shaded by Mediterranean vegetation consisting of oak and arbutus trees. It presents no technical difficulties, although some short sections are quite steep among the rocks. The hike ends with a visit to the Chapel of Constance before descending to the village via the Way of the Cross, marked by a few oratories.

Details

67250666
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 12.84 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 5h 15 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 559 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 557 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 456 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 144 m

Photos

Description of the walk

The only parking available is behind the Saint-François de Paule Chapel. The car park of the same name is very large and free outside the tourist season.

(S/E) When leaving the car park, turn right and head north. Follow the D41 in the same direction until you reach the cemetery.

(1) Leave the road and continue on the right along the downhill track. Pass in front of the quarry and continue straight ahead, staying on the main path until you reach the BLM18 cistern.

(2) At this Y-junction, continue on the right-hand track, which slopes slightly downwards. Cross the ford, which is usually dry, and pass under the high-voltage power line.

(3) Immediately afterwards, take the steeply ascending path on the left: this 600-metre stretch with a 150-metre elevation gain is the most difficult part of the route. You will come out onto a small private road along the ridges. Take this road to the right for about 150 metres.

(4) At a property gate, look for the small path on the left, which is not very well marked at the beginning, leading to the ridge. Before the fence, turn left to see the Pierre d'Avenon. This crystalline chaos is an ideal vantage point for a 360° view of the landscape.

(5) Turn around and resume the route on the left.

(6) At the crossroads, turn left.

(7) Take the path on the left, then keep left and at the next intersection continue to the Col de Landon.

(8) Take the small uphill track opposite for about 250 m.

(9) Turn onto the small path on the left uphill:GR® White and Red + Blue markings. This path leads to a wide track on the ridge, which you should take to the left. Continue on this track for about 2.5 km. Although shaded, it offers beautiful views of the sea and the Alps.

(10) At elevation 376, turn left and begin the descent along a beautiful track.

(11) Keep left and continue downhill to the RD41.

(12) Cross it carefully, take the small path opposite downhill to theGR® markings on the beautiful Vallon d'Entre la Colle track and continue left towards the Col de Caguo-Ven.

(13) Continue to the right along the Constance DFCI track. After about 400 m, turn left to reach the Notre-Dame de Constance Chapel.

(14) Pass by the small viewpoint and then return to the village via the Way of the Cross, marked by oratories.

(15) At the top of the village, at the castle ruins, enjoy the beautiful view.
Go down the Traverse du Château staircase, come out onto Avenue des Lauriers Roses and turn left to reach Place Gambetta at the corner of Saint-Trophyme Church. Turn left and, when you reach the Saint-François de Paule Chapel, turn right to reach the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 145 m - Saint-François de Paule Chapel car park - Église Saint-François-de-Paule (Bormes-les-Mimosas)
  2. 1 : km 0.68 - alt. 184 m - Cemetery
  3. 2 : km 2.3 - alt. 195 m - BLM18
  4. 3 : km 3.21 - alt. 268 m - Uphill path on the left
  5. 4 : km 3.79 - alt. 410 m - Barrier
  6. 5 : km 4.01 - alt. 436 m - Pierre d'Avenon (Bormes-les-Mimosas)
  7. 6 : km 4.54 - alt. 450 m - Crossroads, on the left
  8. 7 : km 5.08 - alt. 450 m - Intersection
  9. 8 : km 5.59 - alt. 380 m - Col de Landon (380m)
  10. 9 : km 5.8 - alt. 399 m - Uphill path on the left
  11. 10 : km 8.72 - alt. 373 m - Altitude 376 metres
  12. 11 : km 9.37 - alt. 294 m - Path on the left
  13. 12 : km 9.87 - alt. 219 m - RD41
  14. 13 : km 10.7 - alt. 229 m - Col du Caguo-Ven (230m)
  15. 14 : km 11.76 - alt. 315 m - chapelle Notre-Dame de Constance
  16. 15 : km 12.42 - alt. 175 m - Castle ruins, viewpoint
  17. S/E : km 12.84 - alt. 145 m - Saint-François de Paule Chapel car park - chapelle Notre-Dame de Constance

Notes

Good shoes and walking sticks recommended. No water points on the route.
Check whether parking is free depending on the time of year.

Worth a visit

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

4.8 / 5
Based on 5 reviews

Reliability of the description
5 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.8 / 5
Route interest
4.6 / 5
JJPLS1937
JJPLS1937

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 03, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Beautiful route, very flowery. Trail muddy due to the weather in previous days.
We shortened the hike a little by leaving one car at the starting point at the cemetery (this avoids walking on the road) and another at the finish point at the Cague-Ven pass. We'll save the visit to Notre-Dame de Constance for next time.

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bernard coulomb
bernard coulomb
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 12, 2026
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful network of secluded paths, sometimes deeply hidden in dense vegetation, and wider, more relaxing trails that occasionally open up to sweeping panoramic views. The floral explosion of mimosas on the outskirts of Bormes makes it easy to distinguish between the two most common species of acacia: dealbata and pycnantha (see photos). We often forget to note the extravagances in the gestural development of this fascinating cork oak, which is particularly vibrant on this route. I hope you will forgive me for this very personal tribute to one of my favourite trees.
No tracking issues with the GPX track integrated into MAPS.ME.

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User 19640847

not yet completed

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VIKING5083
VIKING5083

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 30, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike that I would describe as fairly easy (although it is preferable to be in reasonably good physical condition), undertaken in very good weather. No particular technical difficulties. Short (and safe) passage through the rocks to reach the Avenon stone. The route is varied, with diverse landscapes and magnificent panoramic views of the coast to the south and the snow-capped peaks of the Mercantour to the east.

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LSG1955
LSG1955

Overall rating : 5 / 5

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

Very beautiful route with lovely views

The climb isn't that difficult, it takes 20 minutes

We are 74 and 69 years old and had no difficulty

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itinerant83
itinerant83

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 23, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A good alternative to the three-pass route. But the climb is steep, especially with the dampness of the trail last Friday. At point 4, the barrier is a chain between posts. The GPS track is very useful because our small group missed a fork twice due to inattention. Fortunately, the signal put us back on the right track. The views are beautiful when the weather is good. There are currently lots of mimosa flowers in bloom at the start of the route. Worth doing again when the sun is shining.
We didn't encounter anyone before arriving at the chapel. If it's busy, park in front of the cemetery. You'll need to walk back along the road between the multi-storey car park and the cemetery.

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