Montagne des Louquiers

A short, easy climb to a peak in the Haut Var with a 360° view and the chance to see some megalithic ruins. A beautiful walk through the heath.

Details

197428
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 7.14 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 55 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 305 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 303 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,134 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 836 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Access: from the village of Mons (near Fayence) on the D56, turn left onto Chemin des Louquiers and follow it for about 2.8 km. Cross the bridge and park on the left, going up the private track (elevation 838 on the IGN map).

(S/E) Take this track, which climbs with two hairpin bends at the start, and continue north-east then north until you reach a fork.

(1) At the fork, turn left onto the track and continue until you reach a sharp right-hand bend (elevation 940).

(2) Join the yellow trail coming from the Saint-Pierre Chapel. Turn right to continue along the track (yellow markings), passing the cistern on your left.

(3) At the crossroads just after, turn right onto the well-marked track for 100m, then leave it to see the ruined dolmen on your right (cairn).

(4) Once at the dolmen, return to the track and turn right. 50m further on, leave the yellow markings on your left (another dolmen about 1km away on the map - not verified) and follow the clearly visible stony track opposite.

(5) At the fork, continue left for 1.2 km to cross the Plan de la Colle and arrive at a flat area where there is a fork marked with a cairn (elevation 1094).

(6) Turn right towards the south onto the uphill track. Cross the summit sharp limestone pavement (watch your ankles) to reach the triangulation point at the end of the summit and enjoy the view. Don't forget to sit on the stone throne...

(7) Return via the same route to the fork.

(5) There, take the track on the left which climbs slightly southwards and soon turns into a well-marked path that crosses the forest downhill (be careful, there is a tree lying across the path, which can be bypassed by the scree on the left).

The path widens as it approaches the track taken on the way up, which it joins at the fork.

(1) Turn left and descend the track back to the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 838 m - Start of private track
  2. 1 : km 1.22 - alt. 935 m - Fork
  3. 2 : km 1.32 - alt. 941 m - At the junction with the yellow markings, turn right
  4. 3 : km 1.71 - alt. 978 m - Crossroads
  5. 4 : km 1.85 - alt. 973 m - Dolmen
  6. 5 : km 2.09 - alt. 975 m - Junction
  7. 6 : km 3.07 - alt. 1,093 m - Junction, cairn
  8. 7 : km 3.79 - alt. 1,134 m - Geodetic point, viewpoint
  9. S/E : km 7.14 - alt. 836 m - Start of private track

Notes

There is no water on the route (but there is a fountain on the outskirts of Mons heading north on the D563 with a rest area). Avoid hot weather and cold winds in winter. Wear shoes that protect your ankles.

It is possible to start at the Chapelle Saint-Pierre, north-east of Mons, to join the route described at point (2). However, this will add 6km to the hike (round trip).

(5) Alternative: hikers who wish to do so can follow the same route as on the way there, continuing straight ahead at this intersection and then joining the trail at point (3).

Worth a visit

Visit the village of Mons, the dolmens, the Roman aqueduct at Rochetaillée and the villages of the Haut Var

Reviews and comments

4.1 / 5
Based on 22 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.1 / 5
Ease of following the route
4 / 5
Route interest
4.2 / 5
framarie73
framarie73

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 10, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Pleasant hike with beautiful views. Please note that this area is very exposed with no shade

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Gilbert Fournier
Gilbert Fournier

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 20, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A storm has uprooted many trees, which we have to go around.
Much of the route passes through a beautiful forest. The view is magnificent.
I extended this route by adding the summit. Be prepared.

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Mario Simard
Mario Simard

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 15, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk.

At the summit, the shepherd kindly accompanied me so that I could walk among the 400 or so ewes, five Patou sheepdogs and two sheepdogs. All the while, he patiently answered my pertinent questions as a novice, such as "is it true that a sheep that falls on its back may not be able to get up again?". Answer (without much conviction): it can happen...

I returned via the shortcut between points 5 and 1. The path is indeed in poor condition, especially towards the end. I regretted not having a small folding saw and pruning shears with me, as an hour's work would have solved most of the problem.

Thank you, André.

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pubjmarie
pubjmarie
• Edited:

fine, but after stage 5, the path becomes overgrown and starts to get blocked. Bring a small machete to clear the branches for future use. This section is not clearly marked and the Visorando app does not give directions, so it is not always easy to find your way

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maitre
maitre

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 19, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A 360° panorama reveals Corsica on the horizon, shrouded in mist.

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JM Hosanski
JM Hosanski

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

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

We recommend following the same route on the way back and not taking the suggested shortcut, as it is poorly signposted, poorly maintained and hard on the legs (full of brambles)

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pincemaille
pincemaille

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 15, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant walk with superb views at the summit.
The only downside is that on the way back from point 5 to point 1, the path quickly disappears and you find yourself deep in the woods and brambles. Without GPS, it's impossible to find the trail.

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PERRET Alain
PERRET Alain

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 14, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The dolmens towards the Plan de la Colle were not found: no markings.
We enhanced the route by descending the Lourquiers mountain on the western side (marked with three red dots), which joins a road leading back to Mons. (recommended by a local resident we met during the hike).

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leopal
leopal

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 16, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike with a truly superb view at the end.
Be careful when descending at point 5, however. Do not go up on the left as the path disappears into the woods, brambles and undergrowth, making it impossible to reach point 1. We turned back. Continue along the same path as on the way up.

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Schwest
Schwest

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 29, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Steps 2 and 3 are incorrect: the path indicated is not accessible; you have to climb up the track and it is not possible to do the circular indicated...

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84yeti
84yeti
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 24, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A short, easy hike that is very easy to find and follow. Avoid days with strong winds or high temperatures, as the second half of the route is exposed. The view from the summit is magnificent, and there is plenty of space to enjoy a peaceful picnic, even when it is busy.
On the way back, I recommend returning to point 2 and taking the yellow-marked trail that descends on the other side, allowing you to reach your car via a more pleasant path than the uphill track

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ALAINEVA
ALAINEVA

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 04, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Very beautiful panorama, definitely worth seeing

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mariannick06
mariannick06

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 09, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

It's a beautiful hike with a magnificent view at the end. The description lacked precision and we had to turn back several times to make sure we were on the right track (fork, point number 5).
However, the description for getting to the starting point was perfect.

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gillesgiroud06
gillesgiroud06

Overall rating : 2.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 05, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average

First fork on the outward journey invisible.
Return route not found.
No markings on the ground. Thank you Visorando for the detailed description.

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michel.gagnac@wanadoo.fr
michel.gagnac@wanadoo.fr

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 10, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Magnificent view of the islands off the coast of Cannes

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