Mont Cimet via the southern ridge

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A superb hike in the Mercantour National Park, with a beautiful ridge leading to a summit over 3,000 metres high. Le Cimet, neighbouring Le Pelat and about thirty metres lower, offers a magnificent panorama on a clear day. The hike starts from the Vieux Brec bridge on the Col de la Cayolle road.

Details

n°1473951
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 13.03 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 6h 45 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Difficult
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 1,052 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 1,051 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 3,012 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 2,061 m
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Photos

Le Cimet
Le Viso
Final climb to the summit
Descending from the Paris-Saigon Cross

Description of the walk

The starting point for the hike is on the D902 road, at the Vieux Brec bridge (altitude 2063), 3.7 km by car from the Col de la Cayolle (Alpes de Haute Provence side). Parking is available just before the bridge, next to the road.

(S/E) At the bridge, follow the track westwards (GR® 56 "Tour de l'Ubaye").

(1) Take the marked trail that climbs to the left of the track just before a hut.

(2) At the fork (altitude 2461), leave the path that branches off to the right towards "Col des Esbéliousses" and continue straight on towards Petit Col de Talon.

(3) At Petit Col du Talon (2678m), leave theGR® 56 which descends towards Lac du Cimet and take the stony path northwards which leads to Cimet via the southern ridge.

(4) From Mont Cimet, descend via the western ridge to the Paris-Saigon flight cross.

(5) Then descend southwards, off the trail, towards the altitude 2672. Descend carefully, following the cairns, down the slope which is very steep at first. It gradually becomes gentler and a little grassy.

(6) After altitude 2672, continue south and cross a flat area that is ideal for taking a break or having a picnic. Join theGR® 56 (shared with theGRP® du Tour du Haut Verdon) a few metres further on, after stepping over any meltwater streams if necessary.

(7) Follow theGR® 56 towards Lac du Cimet, which it overlooks. Continue uphill towards Petit Col du Talon.

(3) From the Petit Col du Talon, return via the same route as on the way out to the Vieux Brec bridge (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 2,061 m - Pont du Vieux Brec. Near - Bachelard (rivière)
  2. 1 : km 0.96 - alt. 2,177 m - Cabane
  3. 2 : km 2.91 - alt. 2,461 m - Fork in the road - Elevation 2461
  4. 3 : km 4.3 - alt. 2,676 m - Petit Col de Talon
  5. 4 : km 6.23 - alt. 3,010 m - Le Cimet
  6. 5 : km 6.62 - alt. 2,900 m - Croix du Paris-Saignon
  7. 6 : km 7.49 - alt. 2,652 m - Elevation 2656
  8. 7 : km 7.82 - alt. 2,583 m - GR56 Tour de l'Ubaye
  9. S/E : km 13.03 - alt. 2,061 m - Vieux Brec bridge

Notes

There are no water sources along the route.

This route passes through a protected area, which may be subject to special regulations:

 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.

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Reviews and comments

4.8 / 5
Based on 11 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.9 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.6 / 5
Route interest
4.9 / 5
sybille.delfly
sybille.delfly

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 12, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Hike completed on 12 October 2025 with my son.
Le Cimet is every bit as impressive as its big brother, Le Pelat.
Much less crowded, but Le Cimet is a very beautiful summit.
There are a few technical sections when descending via the memorial cross marking the site of the Paris-Saigon plane crash.

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sybille.delfly
sybille.delfly

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 12, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hike with my 18-year-old son, an annual ritual we have established since his 17th birthday.
At 18, he wanted to mark the occasion and chose to aim for the peaks.
Le Cimet is every bit as good as its big brother, Le Pelat.
There are some more technical sections.
We set off from the old Brec bridge, heading for the small Talon pass to climb towards Le Cimet via the southern ridge and crest.
We descended to the memorial cross marking the site of the Paris-Saigon flight crash to reach Lake Cimet.
The descent was technical in places and not sufficiently marked.
No marmots in sight, despite very pleasant weather for 12 October, only a few chamois.
Le Cimet is less frequented than Le Pelat, yet offers a breathtaking 360-degree panorama.

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fab77
fab77

Overall rating : 5 / 5

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

I agree with the previous comments overall.
Hike completed in July 2024, the first part is very easy to follow.
The last part of the climb before the summit is slippery, with lots of rocks. You then follow the ridge; a few cairns help you follow the path to the summit, but it's not obvious. The descent from the summit is unpredictable, with few cairns and no real path.
One section is really tricky for a few metres. It may be possible to avoid it.
The GPS track on my watch helped me a lot when the path and cairns were no longer visible.
The last part to reach the lake is very easy.

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fab77
fab77
• Edited:

Hello
Is it possible to do the route (the circular one) in the opposite direction to avoid the steep slopes on the descent after the summit?
Kind regards.

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Gerfaut13
Gerfaut13

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 16, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Beautiful hike. At the start, there were lots of sheepdogs, not very aggressive but they still forced us to take a detour. Gradual, fairly long climb. Beautiful view of the nearby Pelat, the Trou de l'Aigle, etc. Mineral atmosphere.

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rplg83
rplg83

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 11, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful route, with views of the entire Mercantour and Viso mountains from the summit...
The descent down the crumbly slate requires a bit of care.
There are few parking spaces, but there is a larger car park 500 metres further down, overlooking two magnificent waterfalls.
Be warned, the lakes were infested with mosquitoes.

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JF
JF

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 20, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Date of hike: 19 July 2022.
Nothing to report, easy to follow, beautiful but challenging hike with magnificent views.
The descent after the Paris-Saigon cross is not well marked, but the return to Lake Cimet is not really a problem.

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jl1309m
jl1309m

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 12, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

The ridge requires a little caution as the terrain consists of small, loose stones, especially on the descent. Take your time. The scenery is magnificent. No technical difficulties.

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DanielANDRE
DanielANDRE

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 07, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very beautiful hike that is a little less crowded than Pelat.
You need to be very careful on the steep part of the descent below the Paris-Saigon cross.
Highest point 3020m (the summit) and not 2995m as indicated!

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ploviso
ploviso

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 14, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A very beautiful, fairly challenging walk.
There was a problem on the descent from Mont Cimet: to get back onto the GR 56, we had to veer to the left because the cairns became very few and far between or even disappeared altogether, and the path indicated on the GPX route took us to a ridge where it was difficult to see the exit. The recent heavy rains had undoubtedly altered the landmarks and the path, which in any case did not seem very clear on the IGN map.

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ARMENGAUDFREDERIC
ARMENGAUDFREDERIC

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 02, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Very beautiful aerial hike on the southern ridge, especially at sunrise.
Lots of chamois on the descent after the cross.
The start via the track is less pleasant than if you take the path along the balcony a little above, at the edge of the road in the large bend before, which joins the shepherd's hut higher up.

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nonoin
nonoin

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 16, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Difficult descent via the cross

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