Mont Sant'Angelo from Carogne

de fr

This circular route will take you through pleasant woodland at 1,200 metres above sea level, on Mont Sant'Angelo, which overlooks the Biguglia plain and the sea. Unlike the traditional trail that starts from Silvareccio, the departure from Carogne or Monte will take you off the beaten track on old, abandoned paths and trails and has the advantage of being circular.
(!) Old description, some paths seem to have disappeared, see reviews.

Details

n°736202
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 8.56 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 05 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Difficult
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 587 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 587 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,210 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 620 m
  • ⚐ Country: France
  • ⚐ City: Monte (20290)
  • ⚑
    Start/End: N 42.478691° / E 9.390983°
  • ❏
    IGN map(s): Ref. 4349OT
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Photos

summit
Sheepfold
Crossroads
Climbing site

Description of the walk

Park in the small square in Carogne or along the road to Monte.

(S/E) Take the D10 south to the crossroads before Monte.

(1) Leave the tarmac road and turn left onto the stone track. Close your eyes for 200 metres so you don't see the car wrecks lying around before you reach the natural undergrowth. Continue along this track until you reach a crossroads with a footpath.

(2) At this point, leave the track on the left, off the path, and go straight up into the undergrowth. In places you will find traces of an old logging trail, shown on the IGN map, but which is now impassable. Climb straight up through the undergrowth until you reach an area of scrubland where you will come to a well-marked trail at an altitude of 900 metres. This trail climbs south-east directly to the pass (944 metres) where it joins the trail from Silvareccio.

(3) Turn left (north). From this point to the summit, the path is well marked and clearly signposted in red.

(4) Near a sheepfold, a large shaded picnic table awaits you. The climb to the summit is behind you on the right.
The slope becomes steep but shaded as you reach the summit of Monte Sant'Angelo, where you can enjoy a superb view stretching as far as Italy on a clear day.

(5) Retrace your steps to the previous crossroads.

(4) Take the well-marked track on the right that descends to the plateau. You will come to a four-way junction.

(6) At this junction with another track, continue through the undergrowth opposite, following a poorly marked path that is signposted in orange in places. Cross through pleasant oak undergrowth, keeping north-west when you cannot see any signposts, until you come out onto an old track.

(7) Follow this stony, rutted track to the left, keeping to the wide zigzags that cross dense arbutus scrub.

(8) While a well-marked path branches off to the left along the hillside to join the first part of the circular route, enter the undergrowth on the right, following the steepest slope and scattered markers, until you reach Carogne (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 623 m - Place de Carogne
  2. 1 : km 0.76 - alt. 637 m - Track on the left
  3. 2 : km 2.81 - alt. 824 m - Leaving the trail
  4. 3 : km 3.19 - alt. 942 m - Silvareccio pass/trail, on the left
  5. 4 : km 4.26 - alt. 1,034 m - Sheepfold
  6. 5 : km 4.99 - alt. 1,210 m - Summit - Mont Sant'Angelo
  7. 6 : km 6.49 - alt. 950 m - Junction, opposite
  8. 7 : km 7.36 - alt. 853 m - Stony track, on the left
  9. 8 : km 8.06 - alt. 735 m - Undergrowth on the right
  10. S/E : km 8.56 - alt. 623 m - Place de Carogne

Notes

This is an all-terrain hike that requires good footwear but is not particularly difficult physically. However, you will need to pay close attention to find your way: take a good map and compass or a GPS with the GPX track.

As on all trails in Corsica, be aware of the risk of fire! During fire season, only undertake this hike when there is no wind. Wind fans the flames and the fire will spread faster than a hiker can move.

Worth a visit

Carogne: enjoy its cool water fountain and stroll through its two charming little streets to the old church below the houses.

Monte: visit this small village, the main town of the commune, and its cemetery at the end of the rocky outcrop.

Reviews and comments

4 / 5
Based on 9 reviews
Reliability of the description
3.8 / 5
Ease of following the route
3.7 / 5
Route interest
4.6 / 5
Nicorsu
Nicorsu

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

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

Relatively easy hike, with no technical difficulties.
At point 2 on the map, turn left towards the "climbing site".
Following the various trails and walks recently organised from the village of Monte, there are signposts
along the entire route, making it easy to follow.
Therefore, do not rely on the comments below, which are no longer relevant as the markings are very easy to follow.

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Patrick Fratani
Patrick Fratani

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

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

The route is no longer up to date. I went off-road to find my way back through the scrubland. You have to follow the climbing access route for 200/300 metres before leaving the track. After that, I know the area a little.

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gOOn
gOOn

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 22, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

🚧 Warning: trail issue 🚨
From point 2 onwards, it is not possible to follow the route. Even on all fours, it is impossible to get through the scrub, which must have grown too thick since then 🥺 I had to find another route/detour of 3-4 km to reach point 3
The trail is very unpredictable and sometimes does not follow the paths.
The return through the woods is a bit monotonous. I would have preferred to take the same route back, but at least it's in the shade 🥵
Apart from that, the views are breathtaking 🤓😎 magnificent views of the valley, the sea and the villages 👍🏻

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Huerga
Huerga
• Edited:

Overall rating : 2.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 21, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

The trailhead is marked more than 150 metres after the intersection of the path in the undergrowth, indicated by a faint orange-red mark. We followed the signs and made our way through the undergrowth to climb back up the rock face. If you follow the trail in this direction, be sure to wear trousers and a jacket, and above all, do not bring children who are likely to panic when engulfed by juniper and arbutus trees.
The markings are still folkloric and sometimes quite curious (swarms of dots then nothing, different colours). The path has not been cleared and there are brambles, especially in the second half of the descent.
There are other routes to reach the summit of San Angelo (Silvareccio, etc.). If you want to take this route (do you have a cousin who lives in Carogne?), do the tour in reverse.

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medrando
medrando

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 20, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

After reading the comments, we were a little put off by the off-trail section with machetes at the beginning. So we decided to do the second part as a round trip (taking 8 to 5).

Overall, it was a nice hike. The start (for us) wasn't very appealing because the trail was overgrown with brambles in places. But this unpleasant section didn't last very long. Then we wound our way through the undergrowth.
Overall, the trail is well marked. Most of the second part is under wooded cover, so even if you set off a little late, the sun is bearable.

The view once you arrive is magnificent.

A slight variation for the descent: take the yellow-marked path that connects points 4 and 6 on the map directly. It winds through the scrubland, following goat tracks and the dry stream bed. You will be brushed by the bushes all along the way (watch out for a few thorns). It's pleasant on the way down, but I wouldn't recommend it for the climb. The yellow markings on the ground are very clear, so there's no risk of getting lost.

For your information, here are the statistics for our route
Duration Author's duration: 3h35m41
Distance: 6.99km
Elevation gain Elevation gain: 592m
Elevation loss: 600m
Highest point: 1,267 m
Lowest point Lowest point: 667m

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mjaumain
mjaumain

I should have read the comments before setting off, we would have gone the other way. The section in the undergrowth was completely impassable unless you had a machete.
We tried to continue along the forest path, but we encountered a group of pigs with very young, frightened piglets that had no way of leaving the path. So we decided to turn back.
We'll try the other side next time.

Enjoy your hike.

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Jojotis
Jojotis

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 28, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike!
We did it with snow all over the trail but without snowshoes or crampons, just wearing hiking boots!
Amazing scenery and views!
Highly recommended!

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marijoA
marijoA

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 17, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Thank you for this work.
I am familiar with this route, which differs from that of Silvareccio or Loreto.
Worth discovering
Mj di Porri di Casinca

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damien.hartmann
damien.hartmann

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 05, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

The off-trail section is complicated and technical, with steep slopes and lots of ferns and brambles. Long trousers are essential, and I would even recommend a long-sleeved top. As another comment mentioned, the descent down the dry stream bed is difficult, and your calves will remind you of this the next day.
In any case, a day later, this walk filled me with fond memories, including the superb view from Saint Angelo, but also the wide variety of environments we passed through, and a few pigs and cows along the way!

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edugardin
edugardin

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 11, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Hi,
Very nice hike. But I don't know where we went wrong, but the exit from the trail (Waypoint 2) to tackle the slope and find the Silvareccio trail was chaotic. We did everything with the GPS because the path is not maintained. At the same time, it takes you to one side, which is pretty cool.
The descent via the second route isn't very pleasant, in fact it's quite difficult. There are lots of rocks, as we're in the remains of winter torrents.
Nevertheless, it will remain an excellent memory. Take a map and GPS. Otherwise, go via Silvareccio, which is better marked.
Another great thing is that everything is on the western slope and in the woods, so it's in the shade in the morning.

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