The Tanneron ridges in mimosa season

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This is a well-known and popular circular route, best done when the mimosa is in bloom between January and March. The route is clearly marked with abundant, easy-to-read yellow signs, so it is impossible to get lost. The route alternates between shady valleys and ridges illuminated by mimosa trees. However, it should be avoided after heavy rain as there are several fords to cross. It is a relatively long hike but accessible to most walkers.

Details

n°18672082
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 14.25 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 5h 20 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 455 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 458 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 486 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 146 m
  • ⚐ Country: France
  • ⚐ District: Tanneron (83440)
  • ⚑
    Start/End: N 43.582224° / E 6.872607°
  • ❏
    IGN map(s): Ref. 3543ET, 3643ET
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Photos

The Tanneron ridges
mimosas
Vallon de Verrière
Mimosa forest near the village of Tanneron.

Description of the walk

Park in the car park at the Tanneron tennis courts.

(S/E) Take the road towards the village. At the entrance to the village, you will come to a crossroads with several directions.

(1) Turn left onto the road signposted Crêtes du Tanneron. At the hairpin bend, continue left onto the track and reach another hairpin bend.

(2) Continue straight ahead on the path and follow the numerous yellow markings. You will reach a crossroads at another hairpin bend.

(3) Turn right and continue slightly downhill. Cross the Ruisseau du Gros Vallon de la Verrerie twice, then follow it on its right bank to reach the D38 road.

(4) Take it to the left for about 100 metres, then leave it before the bridge by taking the track on the left. Begin the climb up the Vallon de l'Aubarie. You will reach a junction of tracks marked by a cairn.

(5) Take the track on the left. Follow a fairly steep climb to reach the hamlet of Les Farinas.

(6) Continue straight ahead on a paved road and you will soon reach a bend before the entrance to the hamlet of Les Grailles.

(7) Turn right onto the track. Be careful here: this section is not signposted, as it avoids the tarmac road. Pass quickly under a tunnel of mimosa trees before starting a fairly steep descent. Further on, rejoin the tarmac road.

(8) Take the road on the right and follow the yellow signs. Drive alongside a magnificent property and enjoy beautiful views of the sea. You will reach the Piste de la Verrerie crossroads. This is a DFCI track.

(9) Take it on the left and keep on it. Enjoy the wild mimosa hedges here. Continue downhill to reach the Vallon de la Verrerie.

(10) Leave the DFCI track and take a track on the left that runs along the left bank of the stream. Then, at the lowest point, you will reach a ford.

(11) Cross it, keeping to the right. Then follow the yellow markings to climb gently back up to the car park at the Tanneron tennis courts (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 317 m - Parking at the Tanneron tennis courts.
  2. 1 : km 0.46 - alt. 335 m - Multiple crossroads
  3. 2 : km 1.07 - alt. 269 m - Hairpin bend
  4. 3 : km 1.85 - alt. 186 m - Hairpin bend
  5. 4 : km 3.25 - alt. 150 m - D38
  6. 5 : km 4.69 - alt. 250 m - Crossroads cairn
  7. 6 : km 6.65 - alt. 457 m - Les Farinas
  8. 7 : km 7.26 - alt. 459 m - Les Grailles road
  9. 8 : km 8.09 - alt. 402 m - Road junction
  10. 9 : km 8.85 - alt. 352 m - La Verrerie trail
  11. 10 : km 12.01 - alt. 249 m - Vallon de la Verrerie
  12. 11 : km 12.94 - alt. 216 m - Fording
  13. S/E : km 14.25 - alt. 317 m - Parking at the Tanneron tennis courts.

Notes

There are no water sources along the route. In winter, it is very cold in the valleys, so dress accordingly. You may get your feet wet when crossing streams, so bring a change of socks for when you arrive.

Worth a visit

(S/E) Admire the mimosa crops on the outskirts of the village.
This hike is designed to enjoy the spectacle of mimosa in bloom between January and March, depending on how early the crops are. There are also many eucalyptus trees.
Please note: picking mimosa is prohibited.

Reviews and comments

4.5 / 5
Based on 73 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.6 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.7 / 5
Route interest
4.1 / 5
User 4419975

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 16, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk.
Well signposted and true to the descriptions.
However, the short descent is quite stony, so make sure you have good shoes.
Passages through the gorge are passable, despite the high water level
The mimosa trees in bloom are a sight to behold

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Hervénat
Hervénat

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 22, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A lovely walk, easy to follow as it’s well signposted and matches the description. We completed it in four hours; it was quite busy in places

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Denis Lubrano
Denis Lubrano

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 23, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A superb hike during the mimosa blossom season. An enchanting experience for the senses. The hike is long but ultimately not too tiring.

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MARYSE45
MARYSE45

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 18, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

I was in Tanneron for the day, for the mimosa, but I was hesitating between two hikes, so this is what I decided to do, and honestly, I had a blast 💛.

I arrived at 9:30 a.m. at the car park for the first hike (D92 - No. 45645721 Route du Grand Duc - Mandelieu) and there were only a few cars there (it was packed and full of cars on the side of the road when I left at 11:30 a.m.).
On this short 6 km circular loop, I can confirm that the mimosa is very beautiful:
- on the track leading to the picnic area (S/E --> 1)
- between points 6 and 7.

For the second circular loop (No. 18672082 - Les crêtes du Tanneron au temps du mimosa), not wanting to do the whole loop, I took the opposite direction, S/E --> 7 (13 km round trip), alone in the world, with a good part of it in the mimosa 👍.
In this direction, there is a short climb on a ravined path cluttered with branches on both sides in the mimosa tunnel (points 8 to 7 in this direction), but the effort is rewarded 💛.
Don't hesitate to go up to Pégomas 🚘 from Tanneron, with mimosas all along the D309.
I'm surprised to read that some people were disappointed; perhaps it depends on the year and the flowering date. After all, Tanneron is renowned as the area with the most mimosa flowers in France!

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User 28400730

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 26, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very beautiful route. A few simple technical sections, but made slippery by heavy rain in the previous days.

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Fabrou
Fabrou

Overall rating : 4 / 5

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

A very beautiful hike; the mimosas were not all in bloom this year at this time; it would have been better to do it 10 to 15 days later.
Next time, I'll call the Tanneron town hall to find out how the flowers are doing, as I imagine it varies from year to year.
Crossing the fords was no problem; there wasn't much water.
You really have to do it in the direction described (anti-clockwise) because the rockiest and steepest part is on the way up.

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Patrice de Nice
Patrice de Nice

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 16, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pretty route surrounded by mimosas. There is a fairly long section on a fairly wide path which can become tedious towards the end. Personally, I did it in trail mode, so this section went by quickly.

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Mond
Mond

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 10, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

The flowering mimosas can be admired between points 6 and 10. The rest of the route takes place in the forest and in fairly narrow valleys. The fords are easy to cross and there are four of them after point 3, not two.

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cordoba
cordoba

A beautiful hike with mimosas in bloom and an easy-to-follow trail.

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ritou 50
ritou 50

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 10, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hello
Hike to do during the mimosa blossom season. Only part of the hike is through mimosa trees; the rest is a bit rocky.
Best regards

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Adeavey
Adeavey

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 02, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very beautiful hike through mimosas with stunning views. The hike is long but not difficult. I walked at a fairly fast pace and took a short break to eat, and it took me 3.5 hours in total, less time than indicated.

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cordoba
cordoba

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 03, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A lovely stroll under the flowering mimosas

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bernard coulomb
bernard coulomb

For those who are disappointed by Tanneron, I recommend the Balcons de Cavalière hike , with a forest of mimosas in full bloom during the first kilometre and a passage through another tunnel covered in flowers at the end.
Cavalière is located between Le Lavandou and Cavalaire.

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Laurence du Béal
Laurence du Béal

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 17, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Opinions seem divided on this route. Having travelled it when the mimosas were in bloom (on 13 February), on a day when it didn't rain, without encountering too many people and without getting my feet wet at the various fords, I was quite happy with my day!

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bernard coulomb
bernard coulomb

You must have missed the 800-metre descent, a veritable tunnel of mimosas in full bloom! A truly immersive experience.

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