The hills of Lac du Paty

A beautiful walk among the pine trees and wild olive trees around Lac du Paty.
Moderator's warning on 06/04/2021: GPS or Visorando app useful for this hike; see comments at the bottom of this page

Details

2808741
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Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 9.90 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 50 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 352 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 350 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 459 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 228 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Park at the Trois Termes car park.

(S/E) Take the path at the back of the car park on the right, with your back to the road.

(1) When you reach a small esplanade, take the path on the right downhill and around the bend. Further on, cross the small ravine and continue on the path opposite.

(2) Leave the track on the right via the path leading to Lac du Paty. Cross the footbridge, take the path uphill opposite and then cross a track. Further up, join another track.

(3) Turn left.

(4) Leave the track and take the uphill path on the right. Keep going in the same direction. 200 to 300 metres further on, enjoy the view of the Dentelles de Montmirail and the Château du Barroux. Then descend towards the plain and the village of Caromb.

(5) Leave the path and turn left to reach the ruins of the Pré Fantasti manor house (path not shown on the IGN map). Stop for a moment around the manor house to read all the information panels, then continue along the path.

(6) Take the road on the right to reach the Paty valley car park. Cross the car park and go over the bridge.

(7) Immediately afterwards, take the path on the left and begin the climb back up. Further up, turn right to join a track. Follow it to the right for about 50 metres, then take a path on the left and continue straight ahead.

(8) At the crossroads, turn left, then right after about 100 metres onto a path that runs alongside the Malagrone stream.

(9) Turn right, cross a stream and follow the path opposite, even if it is not shown on the IGN map, still along the Malagrone stream. Further on, in rainy weather, admire the small waterfall below on the right. Just before a ruined building, turn right to cross the Malagrone stream and continue to the D19.

(10) To avoid taking the road, cross carefully and take the path opposite. After 100 metres, take the track on the left, which will take you back to the Trois Termes car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 449 m - Les Trois Termes
  2. 1 : km 1.37 - alt. 389 m - Esplanade, path on the right
  3. 2 : km 2.45 - alt. 312 m - Lac du Paty trail. Footbridge over the Brégoux (river) - a tributary of the Mède - Brégoux (rivière)
  4. 3 : km 2.95 - alt. 341 m - Track on the left
  5. 4 : km 3.15 - alt. 337 m - Path on the left
  6. 5 : km 4.13 - alt. 247 m - Path on the left towards the manor house
  7. 6 : km 4.67 - alt. 240 m - Road on the right
  8. 7 : km 4.9 - alt. 228 m - Path on the left
  9. 8 : km 6.57 - alt. 290 m - Crossroads, on the left
  10. 9 : km 7.42 - alt. 329 m - Junction, path on the right
  11. 10 : km 9.46 - alt. 436 m - Route D19
  12. S/E : km 9.9 - alt. 449 m - Les Trois Termes

Worth a visit

Enjoy the walk among the wild olive trees and the view of the Dentelles de Montmirail and the Château du Barroux, which you will see from several angles.
Lac du Paty, a reservoir, which is quite rare in our dry Provence region.
The ruins of the Pré Fantasti manor house, not for its architecture but for its history, which you can read about on the information panels.

Reviews and comments

3.8 / 5
Based on 33 reviews

Reliability of the description
3.5 / 5
Ease of following the route
3.5 / 5
Route interest
4.3 / 5
jlcrcfx
jlcrcfx

Overall rating : 2.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 21, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The description is rather vague. In the end, we only followed the suggested route very sporadically: we passed by the Aéropostale and the chapel on the way there, chose the path that runs alongside the lake, and took a completely different route back... In fact, it was a brand-new route that allowed us to explore the area around Lake Paty.

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Clopsinette
Clopsinette

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 05, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Beautiful hike with varied paths, tracks, trails, forest, heath... and beautiful views.
A GPS is necessary, as the description is not always sufficient.
The route is fairly shaded, which is good in summer.
Suggestion: park at the Vallon de Paty car park (point 7 of the hike) and start from there, so you can do the climb first and save the descent for the return journey... :=)

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User 10378183

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 20, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

delicate descent to Lake Paty: walking sticks are recommended
lovely picnic spot at Fanstasi meadow, with tables and benches and beautiful views

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saint victor
saint victor

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 27, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike with lovely views. You can picnic by the lake; there are tables there. However, as mentioned in the comments, I think a satnav is essential as there are lots of paths going in all directions. Thank you for this beautiful route.

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User 27515201

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 01, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Pleasant, shaded circuit.
It's a shame that you can't see much of the lake

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NoellyButterfly
NoellyButterfly

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 11, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

An excellent hike with magnificent views of Le Barroux and the entire plain, full of ruins, olive groves, and little paths winding through the hills—truly a pleasure! You can picnic near the lake on benches with tables.

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Stephane2812
Stephane2812

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 : No

We had a lot of trouble following the description.

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Nan84
Nan84

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 30, 2024
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Very busy route : No

A short walk in the woods, not difficult but not particularly interesting either (for me, at least...).
No problems finding my way with the GPS.

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Marie Meulle
Marie Meulle

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 07, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely, easy walk with beautiful views of Barroux Castle. Thankfully we had downloaded the map, as the route isn't always obvious.

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mano2607
mano2607

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 11, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

a beautiful, very pleasant hike. We ate by the lake at the tables provided.
At a few points it was a little difficult to find the path, but luckily we had the VISORANDO app on our phone, which was a great help.

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Bdg
Bdg

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 29, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike, but it was indeed difficult to follow the trail properly after point 1. It became easier after that, with a few difficulties on the way back. But there are magnificent trails in the woods and a breathtaking view of the Château du Barroux. Thank you for this walk, which took just 3 hours and 40 minutes, including time spent wandering around.

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Wjj
Wjj

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 25, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

Hello.
Pay close attention to point No. 2, as many trails intersect at this location. Combine the description, map, and GPS to ensure you are on the correct route. I was a bit disappointed with the view of Lake Paty, which was almost empty at the end of September.
Best regards
Wjj

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RPodor
RPodor

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 21, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk through the woods with some beautiful views.

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Francine84
Francine84

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 26, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Hike starting from the car park on the edge of the D13 (WP7) with tracking using the app's GPS.
A pleasant circuit sheltered from the wind, which is very welcome in winter on a day when the Mistral is blowing strongly. A pleasant route through varied landscapes. The very low level of the lake is worrying at this time of year and does not bode well for next summer.
Thank you to the creator of this file.

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Treck976
Treck976

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 07, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

From points 8 and 9, you must cross the small stream at the ruins and then continue on the left

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