Mazaugues – Pivaut ice house

A lovely hike up to Pivaut ice house (1880), which has been beautifully restored.

Details

238802
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 14.19 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 5h 00 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 331 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 336 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 691 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 372 m

Photos

Description of the walk

(S/E) Park on the way out of Mazaugues (83136), 800m after the village on the road to Sainte-Baume. There is a large car park on the right.

Cross the road (be careful) and take the path immediately opposite you, Chemin Saint Victor, (tarmacked at the start) which climbs up quite steeply in places. Follow this path for 1.8 km until you reach a crossing with another footpath.

(1) Turn right and keep walking uphill as far as the fork at point 568.

(2) Continue along the right-hand path until you reach another fork a little further on.

(3) Turn left and keep following the track ignoring any other turnings until you reach a crossing about 300m after point 687.

(4) Walk down the wide track to the right until you reach the D95 road.

(5) Walk left down the road for a few dozen metres.

(6) Turn left onto the wooden path on stilts leading to Pivaut ice house.

(7) Take a look around the ice house, then walk around the outside of the ice house to the left to see one of the old pools where the ice was once made, up behind the ice house. Take the same path back down until you reach point (5).

(5) Cross the road and take the path downhill to the left (rocky in places) until you reach the D95.

(8) Continue straight on along the edge of the road for a few hundred metres until you reach a track to the left as you come out of a right-hand bend in the road.

(9) Leave the D95 and take this track along the flat.

(10) At the fork, take the left-hand path and then bear left at the following two forks. At the last fork, bear right to reach the D64.

(11) Take the D64 to the right. Turn left at the junction with the D95 and follow this road to the car park you started out at (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 386 m - Parking alongside the D95
  2. 1 : km 1.78 - alt. 518 m - Crossroads, turn right
  3. 2 : km 2.46 - alt. 568 m - At junction 568, turn right
  4. 3 : km 2.62 - alt. 568 m - Fork, turn left
  5. 4 : km 5.87 - alt. 688 m - Crossroads, go right
  6. 5 : km 7.07 - alt. 611 m - D95, left for a few dozen metres
  7. 6 : km 7.22 - alt. 619 m - Turn left onto a plank path
  8. 7 : km 7.41 - alt. 636 m - Pivaut cooler
  9. 8 : km 9.23 - alt. 474 m - D95, straight ahead along the road
  10. 9 : km 10.37 - alt. 435 m - Leave the road, take the track on the left
  11. 10 : km 12.53 - alt. 375 m - Fork, turn left
  12. 11 : km 13.17 - alt. 372 m - D64, turn right
  13. S/E : km 14.19 - alt. 386 m - Parking alongside the D95

Notes

There is no water source on this walk. All of the uphill climb takes place on the way to the ice house.

Worth a visit

In Mazaugues, if the Ice Museum is open, it is worth having a look around to understand the region’s ice industry.

Reviews and comments

4.5 / 5
Based on 41 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.6 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.6 / 5
Route interest
4.2 / 5
User 4182149
• Edited:

A lovely walk; the first section through the woods presents no particular difficulties. The Pivaut ice house is well worth a visit and makes for a nice spot to take a break. On the way back, apart from the waterfall and a lovely viewpoint, there’s nothing else of interest, especially as you’re walking alongside a road. Be careful: the descent on the way back is quite stony.

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Provence49
Provence49

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 04, 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. A challenging climb and a very stony descent. Make sure you choose the right season to see flowers and water in the streams. Walked in April

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gisyl
gisyl

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

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

A lovely, easy walk for older people, though it does get a bit long towards the end.

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User 7531518

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 02, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant hike, a route with remarkable scenery.

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castellas
castellas

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 19, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

With an external visit to certain ice houses in Sainte-Baume

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rando7
rando7

Lovely hike in magnificent scenery in glorious sunshine.
There was one small problem: after the Pivaut ice house, the route of the hike was on the edge of a hunt in action.
No problem! the pivaut ice house is very beautiful.

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marquounet
marquounet

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 21, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

21/07/2024 overcast but pleasant walk, especially the uphill section to the glacier ....Damage very little water...no waterfalls...quiet return without difficulty. 1 km from Mazaugues violent storm to add a little spice!!!!

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Chantal&Olivier
Chantal&Olivier

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 03, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Quite a pleasant walk up to the 8th, after that it was a bit daunting.

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Carlos Carlito
Carlos Carlito

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 21, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant walk on the first part to the Glacière de Pivaut and the waterfall just after the little bridge. Nice place for a picnic and a rest. The return journey is a little less pleasant by road.

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JO. CHAPELIER
JO. CHAPELIER

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 26, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Nice walk on the way back, avoiding the tarmac, with lots of parallel paths, but be careful on the D64 section to reach the parking area.

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The best 83
The best 83

I didn't get the chance to do this walk.

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randoleshautes
randoleshautes

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 25, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant walk with a well-restored pivaud cooler, but keep a close eye on the last kilometre, which is on the road.

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GG13
GG13

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 03, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely, shady walk in the first part, on slightly more exposed paths on the way back, but still charming.
You can avoid the road altogether by taking the path on the left down to the valley at hill 464, then the first path on the right towards the Agas valley. You can rejoin the itinerary path by turning off at hill 395 towards hill 407, or continue down the Agas valley as far as the D64 road.

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rendominique
rendominique

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : May 29, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A very pretty route. Small gradient. A few sections in slightly hot sunshine. Very nice shady forest. You can limit the number of tracks by cutting across paths.

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Rct92
Rct92

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 26, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant walk, especially the first part up to the glacier. The climb is steady and easy. It is generally done in the shade. The way back is less pleasant. The stony path winds under a power line. Note that you can easily avoid the tarmac section by taking one of the many parallel paths.

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