The Roman Dam and Zola Dam at the start of Le Tholonet

A short circular walk taking you to the ruins of the Roman dam and then along the Zola dam.

Comment on Monday, 24 March 2025.
>Please note: the path between (1) and (3) is private property: there is a barrier and no trespassing. Go via the cemetery.

Details

29147046
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 5.15 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 20 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 292 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 284 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 305 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 186 m
  • ⚐ Country: France
  • ⚐ District: Le Tholonet (13100)
  • ⚑
    Start/End: N 43.523687° / E 5.514492°
  • ❏
    IGN map(s): Ref. 3143ET, 3244ET
  • Hour-by-hour weather

Photos

Description of the walk

Car park next to Le Tholonet cemetery: to get there, leave the D17 at Moulin de Cézanne.

(S/E) From the car park, take the road that climbs to the right of the cemetery and quickly turn left onto the path marked in yellow.
After 250 m, leave the main path and follow the trail marked with yellow dots that climbs to the left. Follow the yellow dots until you reach a path at an open fence.

(1) Take the path that descends to the left for about 800 m.

(2) You will see the ruins of the Roman dam.
Cross the ford over the Cause at the dam and continue along the path that climbs up to a fence.

(3) Go around the fence and take the fairly steep path on the right. Follow it until you reach the track that leads to the Zola dam.

(4) Continue right on the track and pass in front of the AEP* Zola house where there are two picnic tables. Continue on this path which climbs up to the dam.

(5) Cross the dam (information board), continue along this path which runs alongside the lake and arrive at a high point. Enjoy the view of the dam lake. Continue along the flat path, then downhill, following the sign for Le Tholonet in 45 minutes.

(6) At the next crossroads, at an altitude of 300 metres, turn right (yellow round sign) until you reach the fork you passed on the way there.

(1) Return to the path you took on the way out and turn left to reach the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 210 m - Parking at Le Tholonet cemetery
  2. 1 : km 0.53 - alt. 275 m - Crossroads of the circular
  3. 2 : km 1.14 - alt. 188 m - Ford on the Cause - Barrage romain
  4. 3 : km 1.62 - alt. 207 m - Palisade
  5. 4 : km 2.28 - alt. 288 m - Arrival on the trail. Towards the - Barrage Zola
  6. 5 : km 3.18 - alt. 221 m - Zola Dam on the - Cause (rivière)
  7. 6 : km 3.97 - alt. 297 m - Path
  8. S/E : km 5.15 - alt. 210 m - Parking at Le Tholonet cemetery

Notes

(2) After heavy rain, you may need to take off your shoes to cross the Cause.

  • For your information, AEP stands for Associationdes Excursionnistes Provençaux(Association of Provençal Hikers), which formerly owned this house near the Zola dam and called it the Zola refuge.

Worth a visit

At the start: Cézanne Mill.
Along the route: Roman Dam and Zola Dam.
Nearby: Bimont dam.

Reviews and comments

3.9 / 5
Based on 12 reviews

Reliability of the description
3.8 / 5
Ease of following the route
3.6 / 5
Route interest
4.3 / 5
furaxofmarseille
furaxofmarseille
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 26, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The "temporary" ban on passage between points 1 and 3 was still in effect.

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ChZambaux
ChZambaux

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 09, 2025
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

At present, it is not possible to pass between points 1 and 3 (marked in red), but according to the signs on the barriers, this is only a temporary closure.

Let's hope that this section will reopen soon, as there is no other access to the Roman dam, which is truly a remarkable site.

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moliere8
moliere8

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 24, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Please note: the path between 1 and 3 is private property: there is a barrier and no trespassing.
Go through the cemetery.

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AB062613
AB062613

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 28, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The path at the beginning is difficult to find
The colour of the markers is missing

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Crapet
Crapet

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 10, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A beautiful hike to avoid in hot weather. The markings are sparse and there are many secondary paths, which can lead to minor errors when trying to find the right route. But the old Roman dam and the Zola are interesting.

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FFP
FFP

Good evening and thank you for your patience. Yes, we went to Garlaban for the engravings, the cave, etc.

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mes randos michel
mes randos michel

No worries, we also have occasional hikers who come regularly when they are in Aix; two Bretons and an American couple who live in France for six months of the year.
If you're in Aubagne, I recommend going to see Louis Douard's engravings at Garlaban.
Best regards

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FFP
FFP
• Edited:

Hello again
No, thank you, I don't go to clubs. I live in Aubagne and am now in France for only a few months a year.
However, I OWE YOU AN APOLOGY. I replied about your hike, when the one I attempted was trail 1159039, total immersion in the little sea and its dam. Your question about the swimming pool just rang a bell.
It's exactly the same as mine, but in reverse.
Best regards

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mes randos michel
mes randos michel

Sorry, I can confirm that it's true that sometimes these paths can be a bit messy because there are lots of "parasitic" tracks in all directions, but I'm used to visiting these areas in search of unmarked and unfrequented tracks, and I don't see what you mean by "the pool".
However, if you would like to walk with our AEP club in Aix, there are lots of people your age. There are outings for all levels during the week and at weekends, except on Wednesdays (babysitting the grandchildren!).
Best regards, Michel

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FFP
FFP
• Edited:

PLEASE IGNORE THIS REVIEW. I CHOSE THE WRONG HIKE.
Hello Michel
Perhaps you need to be more specific, especially after crossing the canal. I'm not the only one who got lost. We met three couples who were looking for their way. The ranger we spoke to told us we weren't the first. We got lost. That's all.
For your information, I am no longer a beginner. I am 72 years old and started hiking and climbing at a very young age, mainly in Ubaye and Les Écrins. Now, with a bad knee, I am looking for easy, well-marked walks.And you can't tell me otherwise: there are no markings for a good part of the way back, and on the way to the swimming pool there are no signs at all. I have my own theory on the subject: climbing up the steep slope, I actually followed some markers planted in the ground that must mark the boundary of a private property.The owner may have got fed up and demolished the sign. But that's just a theory. So I downloaded "Ma Rando" to follow real routes, which are fewer in number but well marked. All the best, because I'm sure you're a good bloke and you'll think of me in your future descriptions. Kind regards, //Boss

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mes randos michel
mes randos michel

You have to be "strong" to get lost on this kind of easy walk, even without a description. It's within everyone's reach.

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FFP
FFP

Overall rating : 2.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 20, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

HELLO. Despite the efforts made by the narrator of this rondo, I would like to point out that the markings are virtually non-existent. At the start, opposite the swimming pool, the post is in ruins and there are no yellow dots visible except on a second post 10 metres along the track.But the yellow dots are in the other direction, so I retrace my steps and try climbing 90 degrees from the swimming pool along the white markers on the ground with a blue line (this is what the writer should have indicated).Halfway up, I discover yellow circles and I think to myself, "OK, this is fine." Then it's fairly well explained, except for the little path where you have to cross a threshold over the small sea. It's not on the left as indicated when the path goes up; it's not that one, but halfway up, a small path that doubles back to arrive at the same uninteresting place.The trouble starts after the dam and the house with the tables, which I know because I've been there before via Binious. Except that after 100 metres, finding the path on the left is a miracle because it's very poorly explained. Anyway, after snooping around, I retrace my steps and find the path. I follow the canal and that's where the trouble starts.Instead of talking about excavation, which is a little further away and is the path I took, it's a lost cause. You have to climb up where the canal wall is broken and go right. I know this because I never found it by going a little higher and catching up with the ridge line, no 180-degree path as indicated in point 5.After struggling to find dead-end paths and exhausted, we returned with hikers and their GPS, but due to a complete lack of signposting, we got lost again and decided to interrupt the walk and retrace our steps back to the AEP house and the picnic tables to rest.We returned via the dam. At the dam, there was a ranger on duty to whom we recounted our misadventure. He strongly advised us not to take any Visio Rando paths not listed by the local council, such as the one indicated on my map, and to stay on the paths marked in yellow or red or red and yellow or even green.Conclusion: AVOID THIS WALK, or go to the Zola Dam, making sure you don't miss the start (see above), and return by the same route. Thank you for reading. FFP

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mes randos michel
mes randos michel
• Edited:

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 26, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : Yes

For your information, AEP does not stand for Adduction d'Eau Potable (Drinking Water Supply) but Associationdes Excursionnistes Provençaux(Association of Provençal Excursionists), which once owned this house near the Zola dam and called it the Zola refuge. This translation made us laugh at the AEP club.

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Oya79
Oya79

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 06, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

An easy hike with plenty of shade, which we really appreciated. The Roman ruins were very interesting. We lost our way twice, but the GPS helped us find our way back. Thank you for this suggestion.

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JMS-13
JMS-13

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 26, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Easy and very pleasant hike. The Romain dam is worth seeing.
Mostly shaded hike.

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