The Pic d’Aurelle, the Grosses and Petites Grues via the Col de Cadière d’Azur

A beautiful 18km circular route in the western part of the Estérel Massif.
Three peaks are on the itinerary: the Pic de l’Aurelle, the Pic des Grosses Grues and the Pic des Petites Grues, each offering panoramic views. You’ll also pass through the Mal Infernet ravine, flanked by cliffs. To round off the walk, there are also lovely views of the Estérel from within.

Details

n°1666456

Creation:
11 Dec 2018

Last update:
18 Mar 2023

Last review:
01 Dec 2025

Activity: Walking
Distance: 11.29 mi
Average duration: 7h 40
Difficulty: Difficult
Back to start: Yes
Ascent: + 2,808 ft
Descent: - 2,799 ft
Highest point: 1,440 ft
Lowest point: 102 ft

Country: France
Area: Esterel
City: Saint-Raphaël (Var) (83700)
Start/End: N 43.475013° / E 6.92457°
IGN map(s): Ref. 3544ET, 3643ET
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Photos

View from the summit of the Pic des Petites Grues

Description of the walk

Park near Trayas railway station.

(S/E) Take the path running alongside the railway line on your left.
After about 300m, turn right onto the climb towards the Col Notre-Dame / Col des Lentisques. The path becomes quite stony.

(1) Ignore the fork to the right for Col Notre-Dame (the return route) and continue along the track on the left. The view opens out towards the sea. Reach the car park at Col des Lentisques.

(2) Follow the path on the left, running parallel to the tarmac road (ignore the crosses marking the end of the path). You’ll reach the junction with the path leading to the Pic d’Aurelle.

(3) Carry on to the left to reach the peak. Beautiful 180° view from the summit.

(4) Return to the previous junction via the same path.

(3) Follow the path, passing to the left of the large cairn. The path descends gently to a tarmac track at La Baisse des Sangliers.

(5) Cross the track and take the wide path which starts running parallel to the track, rising slightly. The path is flat and easy for about 2 km until you reach La Baisse Orientale.

(6) Turn left and head down quite steeply towards Mal Infernet.
At the bottom of the path, turn right without crossing the ford to take the Mal Infernet track.

(7) Turn right and wind your way along the bottom of the ravine, following the course of the river. Join the^GR®51. Stay in the riverbed to reach the concrete ford.

(8) Cross the ford. Caution: after heavy rain, the current can be strong.
Follow the^GR®51along the former Lac de l’Écureuil. You’ll reach another ford at the crossroads of the paths.

(9) Do not cross the ford but take the small path on the left which leads into the Ravin des Trois Termes. You will reach a new cairn. Cross a small footbridge made of two planks. It looks flimsy but is sturdy. You will reach another junction.

(10) Leave the Ravin des Termes path and turn right onto the path leading up towards the Baisse du Petit Collet Redon. The path is narrow and in places quite eroded. There are lovely views down towards the valley below.

(11) Turn slightly left onto the forest track. The path is almost flat and shaded. You’ll come to a cistern.

(12) Continue along the track. Turn slightly left to leave the woods. Carry on until you reach a junction with a sign for ‘Lac de l’Ecureuil’.

(13) Turn right – almost 180° – onto the tarmac track leading to the Col de la Cadière. This is the easiest part of the route. Enjoy the view of the peaks of the Grosses Grues, the Petites Grues and the Ours. Reach the Col de la Cadière.

(14) Take the first path on the left off the track leading up to the summit of the Pic des Grosses Grues. The slope rises steeply. Towards the summit, the zigzag path has almost disappeared. Try to follow it rather than heading straight up. The summit is occupied by a radio relay station. Views over the Bay of Cannes and all the main peaks of the Estérel.

(15) Turn right and begin the descent. The slope is steep and quite slippery for about 300 metres. Then head back up towards the Pic des Petites Grues. At the summit, there is a small viewpoint on the left.

(16) Descend, passing via the Crête des Petits Trayas. Follow the red and white markings carefully to navigate the rocks. You may need to use your hands at times to make the passage easier.
Reach the Col Notre-Dame.

(17) Walk a few metres further and take the small path marked ‘Gare du Trayas’ on the left.
The descent presents no particular difficulty. Return to the original crossroads.

(1) Turn left back onto the Col Notre-Dame / Col des Lentisques path you took on the way up. Continue down the slope to reach Trayas station (S/E).

Waypoints

S/E : mi 0 - alt. 112 ft - Car park - Gare SNCF du Trayas
1 : mi 0.48 - alt. 400 ft - Turn left towards the Col des Lentisques
2 : mi 1.05 - alt. 860 ft - Col des Lentisques
3 : mi 1.32 - alt. 873 ft - Pic d’Aurelle junction
4 : mi 1.5 - alt. 1,047 ft - Pic d'Aurelle (323m)
5 : mi 2.02 - alt. 817 ft - Baisse des Sangliers (249m)
6 : mi 3.17 - alt. 869 ft - Baisse Orientale (270m)
7 : mi 4 - alt. 112 ft - Mal Infernet Trail - Agay (fleuve)
8 : mi 5.22 - alt. 167 ft - Ford at the Mathieu ravine
9 : mi 5.76 - alt. 246 ft - Junction towards Ravin des trois Termes
10 : mi 5.94 - alt. 259 ft - Junction towards Baisse / small pass Redon summit
11 : mi 6.7 - alt. 807 ft - Baisse du Petit Collet Redon (240m)
12 : mi 7.28 - alt. 837 ft - Col des Replats (261m)
13 : mi 7.62 - alt. 978 ft - Return to Col de la Cadière
14 : mi 8.49 - alt. 797 ft - GR51 - Col de la Cadière
15 : mi 8.96 - alt. 1,440 ft - Sommet des Grosses Grues
16 : mi 9.45 - alt. 1,352 ft - Sommet des Petites Grues (413m)
17 : mi 9.99 - alt. 1,063 ft - Return to Trayas station - Col Notre-Dame
S/E : mi 11.29 - alt. 102 ft - Car park at Trayas station

Notes

Best done in fine weather to enjoy the panoramic views.
Avoid hot weather as much of the route is exposed.

(5) The alternative route, taking the path on the right at Baisse des Sangliers, is also pleasant and leads to the same point.

(14) An easier alternative is to take the^GR®51from the Col de la Cadière, then the^GR®653Ato the Col Notre-Dame.

Reviews and comments

4.8 / 5

Based on 3 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.7 / 5

Ease of following the route
5 / 5

Route interest
4.7 / 5

Picson06230

01 Dec 2025 at 09:17 3600

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 08, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A superb hike offering beautiful views in all directions depending on where you stand.
The crane section, particularly the descents, requires caution and sometimes the use of hands for those who are unsure.
Repeat depending on the weather; clear skies allow for better viewing.

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ayla_b

15 Jun 2021 at 12:35 7200

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 03, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk with some stunning views. The walk is fairly straightforward up to stage 9, then gets a bit trickier from stage 10 onwards, before becoming a little easier again from stage 11, only to get tricky once more towards the end – but it’s well worth it. We (obviously) recommend wearing suitable footwear and taking plenty of water and sun cream for this walk. We did it on 3 June 2021 and it was still fairly quiet. It took us exactly 7 hours and 23 minutes.

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henri57

12 May 2019 at 12:05 7200

Hello,

There are hardly ever any signs or markings at many of the junctions… which is a shame.

It’s true that with Visorando you often go off the beaten track, so there are no signposts.
Visorando does not recommend relying on signposting as this can be altered or removed… whereas landmarks on the ground provide consistent information.

Visorando provides a detailed route description and an IGN map at a scale of 1:25,000. And if waymarkings are essential for you, Visorando offers a virtual waymarking system: a GPS app.

This tool, offered free of charge by Visorando, allows you to verify waypoints and thus dispel any doubts regarding your direction.

See you soon

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jeje90

06 May 2019 at 10:36 7200

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

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

Hello,

We went on this walk to get back into the swing of things. The scenery is lovely, especially once you reach the summits of the Grosse Grues, with a panoramic view of the snow-capped Alps in the distance and the sea not far away. The first part of the walk is fairly straightforward; it’s a gentle, steady climb that’s suitable for children, and there’s little risk of getting lost even without a map.
The second part, once you start descending back down to around 0 metres, is fairly easy; however, we had to check the map and our GPS more than once as the directions weren’t very clear… particularly where it mentions Lac de l’Écureuil, a bridge made from two wooden planks, and so on. There are almost never any signposts or markings at the numerous junctions… which is a shame. After that, the path is straightforward, flat and unremarkable until the start of the climb leading to the summit of Les Grosses Grues. This direct ascent (which can also be done via switchbacks, making it less strenuous) is a bit of a leg-burner, but you reach the top quickly! And there’s a magnificent view of the landscape with the Alps in the background. You head back down, then climb again from -200 to +200, and so on. Finally, it’s a fairly quick descent back to Trayas station. It took us about 5 hours, including two short breaks to take photos of the scenery. So it can be done quite quickly if you’re short on time!

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