Le Rocher des Deux Trous (The Rock with Two Holes)

At the heart of the Alpilles Regional Nature Reserve, a small easy hike on good paths. The route takes you to the picturesque Rock with Two Holes painted by Van Gogh during his stay in Saint-Paul de Mausole from May 1889 to May 1890. It offers vast panoramic views over the two slopes of the Alpilles. To the south, in clear weather the view stretches to the Mediterranean, to the north over the Montagnette, the Gard, the Mont Ventoux, etc.

Details

141164
Creation:
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 6.92 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 40 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 252 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 245 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 348 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 98 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Park in front of the Monastery of Saint-Paul de Mausole.

GR Trail (White-Red) /PR (Yellow)
(S) Opposite the entrance to Saint-Paul de Mausole, take the Chemin des carrières on the right. Go alongside the outer wall of the monastery.

PR Trail (Yellow)
Take the first path on the right which leads to the valley of Saint-Clerg (1) . Up to the top of the valley, the circular walk will be signposted by the botanical trail waymarkers. First, go alongside a small olive grove and then past some old stone quarries (below).
After a hairpin bend, ignore the small path to the left. Go through the gate. On your right, you will see the wire fence of the Ancient site of Glanum (2) .

You are in the relatively shaded valley of Saint-Clerg, which is appreciated in hot weather. Ignore a path climbing gently to the left. Go through a small rocky gorge and pass by the nearby ruins of a chapel. Ignore two paths which leave to the left. After a sharp bend and a good climb, you will join a small tarmacked path which leads to the Caume plateau (3).

Not waymarked
Don't take the route, instead take the path immediately on your left which slopes steeply. Ignore the two footpaths on your right and continue up to the top of this hill, where you will see a cairn.
From this 360° panoramic viewpoint (the view we've been aiming for), you will see: "Le Rocher des Deux Trous" down below. Go down the steep and rocky slope towards the rocky outcrop (the two holes are not visible at this level). You will meet a path. Continue straight on to go around the rock and admire the two holes formed by erosion. You can take some beautiful photos through these natural orifices.
Return to the track which we then take due south. It leads to the tarmacked route which we left earlier. Don't re-join this route, but instead continue onwards, taking the path on the left. It ends at the intersection of the route and a track which goes downhill (4).
GR6 Trail (White-Red)
Take the track on the left (Gaudre de Valrugues). After going downhill for a good distance in zigzags (the valley goes downhill steadily), cross through a small rocky gorge. At this point, the track is quite rutted as a result of torrential rain a few years ago. The track has never been restored.

Go through a gate (5), ignore the track crossing our route which descends straight on, alongside the properties. You will reach a crossroads of the waymarked paths (6).

GR 653D Trail (White-Red) / PR (Yellow)
Take the trail to the left, ignoring the other two paths on the left. Further on, the path is bordered on the left by low stone walls and shaded by magnificent oak trees, go through the two wooden gates.

At the small tarmacked path (7), take the right. Staying on it, it leads directly back to your point of departure by re-joining a section of the path we followed on the outward journey (1).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 103 m - Car park in front of the Monastère Saint-Paul de Mausole
  2. 1 : km 0.14 - alt. 109 m - To the right, the Saint-Clerg valley
  3. 2 : km 0.49 - alt. 122 m - Roman remains - Site de Glanum
  4. 3 : km 2.22 - alt. 276 m - Tarmac road, climb the footpath to the left
  5. 4 : km 2.78 - alt. 310 m - Rocher des Deux Trous (Saint-Rémy-de-Provence)
  6. 5 : km 3.36 - alt. 287 m - Down the track (Gaudre de Valrugues)
  7. 6 : km 4.88 - alt. 144 m - Go straight through the barrier
  8. 7 : km 5.81 - alt. 107 m - At the crossroads, turn left
  9. 8 : km 6.09 - alt. 103 m - Tarmac road, turn right
  10. S/E : km 6.92 - alt. 103 m - Car park in front of the Monastère Saint-Paul de Mausole

Notes

Worth a visit

Glanum site. site de Glanum
The botanical trail (plan more time if you want to read all the inscriptions on the plaques).

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

4.7 / 5
Based on 139 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.8 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.7 / 5
Route interest
4.8 / 5
User 29092415

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 27, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Some uncertainty regarding the final route to the Rock of the Two Holes.

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Seve19
Seve19

A lovely little hike with a stunning view – the only downside was that there were loads of mosquitoes 😱

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User 12874140

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 20, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk before visiting the cloister

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User 28787945

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 14, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A really lovely walk!! We always enjoy doing it time and time again

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Seve19
Seve19

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 13, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A lovely little hike with a stunning view – the only downside was that there were loads of mosquitoes 😱

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souche.jeanlouis
souche.jeanlouis

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 13, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful walk, made easy with the Visorando smartphone app.
Wonderful landscapes and unforgettable memories of the 360° panorama from the "cairn hill" and the uniqueness of these two holes in the rock.

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User 3956769

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 11, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A lovely walk with a magnificent view at the top and an incredible scent (honeysuckle?) that accompanies you all the way. Quite crowded on a Saturday with spring-like weather (in October)

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Edn
Edn

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 29, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful route with superb views at the highest point of the climb in the first part. However, the hike could be classified as "moderate" due to two slightly difficult sections during the climb. Otherwise, a very beautiful hike.

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glemouee
glemouee

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 15, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : Yes

Hike with beautiful views of the Alpilles and the Baux Valley, but the first part between Glanum and the Deux-Trous rock is very busy, even outside the high season (we did the walk in mid-September). In this same first part, it should be noted that the climb might deserve a rating slightly higher than "easy" due to its density and certain passages through the rocks. In any case, thank you to the creator(s) of this loop for sharing their walk.

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User 25984226

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 02, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

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Mario Simard
Mario Simard

Overall rating : 5 / 5

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

A very pleasant walk with beautiful views.

Thank you La Drovers' road.

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Jairaison
Jairaison

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 04, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A very pleasant walk. We did this walk in the morning, with lots of joggers on the less steep part and walkers and hikers on the other. Beautiful views from the summits, particularly from the two rocks.

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Baco13
Baco13

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 05, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A well-marked route, with breathtaking views once you reach the rock. No great difficulty.

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Françoise.B
Françoise.B

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 30, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Very nice walk, ideal weather for the All Saints period, magnificent scenery at the summit and shady paths. Not difficult, but a little more demanding at the summit. A few stony sections at times. Very clearly laid out route.

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renardmi
renardmi

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 24, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant, somewhat mythical walk to the Rocher des deux trous, immortalised by Van Gogh and painted when he was at the Saint Remi clinic.
The climb is interesting with the botanical trail and the names of the plants. The finish is a little frustrating because of the small terrace and lack of view, especially if there are a lot of hikers. The descent is less pleasant, with its clutter of cables and broken pipes.

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