The California Plateau

Start from the car park opposite the orientation table.

(S/E) Head for the steps to the left of the car park and climb them.
At the top of the stairs, on your right, you’ll find the first signpost indicating the micro-walk; the entire route is marked with these types of signs, which are unmarked and sometimes well hidden! (It can be fun to hunt for the signs with the children!).
So follow this sign by turning right (heading east) onto the path that leads into the woods.
Continue along this path for just over 1 km (with information boards all along the way) to reach the Chemin des Dames observation tower.

(1) Enjoy the view from the top of the tower (around 120 steps to climb, but it’s well worth it).
Once you have come down from the tower, take the path heading north (directly in front of you when you are to the left of the tower). This path does not appear on maps but it does indeed exist.
Continue along this path until you reach the boundary marker (the marker is hidden in the vegetation).

(2) At the junction, turn left and continue along this path through the forest and then across an open area until you return to the top of the stairs and the starting point. (At the top of the stairs, you will see a head, the remains of a sculpture that was vandalised a few years ago).
Return to the car park via the steps (S/E).

No special equipment is required for this very short walk, other than a pair of shoes suitable for walking in the forest.

During the walk, you can learn more about the Chemin des Dames thanks to the information boards placed along the path.
View of the nearby valley from the top of the tower, close to the old Craonne cemetery in the heart of the forest (please respect the site; it remains a cemetery, despite its derelict appearance).
Near Vauclair Abbey and the statue of Napoleon Bonaparte.