Oppède le Vieux - Le Petit Luberon

Hike in the Petit Luberon, after visiting the Sainte Cécile garden and the old medieval village.
The first part is very steep with a tricky section on a ledge, but it is doable and should not be attempted in wet weather.

Details

42954
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 12.87 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 5h 45 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Difficult

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 715 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 717 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 723 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 183 m

Description of the walk

Departure from the paid car park in Oppède le Vieux.

(S/E) Pass through the Sainte-Cécile garden to reach the village centre. The hike starts on theGR®06and is then marked in yellow.

(1) Opposite the square, take the road on the right (GR®06) and 50m further on, turn left and follow the signs for Tombereau. Go down the stairs. Follow theGR®6.

(2) After the property, turn left onto theGR®06, which you quickly leave at the point where it turns right at a 90° angle. Follow the Combrès valley. The trail is marked in yellow. Head south towards La Jassine.
This is the start of a long climb over rocky terrain, sometimes on ledges. Continue to the ridge, carefully following the markings and cairns.

(3) Once on the ridge, turn left, leaving the path that passes Bastidon du Pradon on your right, and after 2 km you will reach a junction.

(4) Turn left and follow the cairns through the box trees towards Ménerbes. Continue downhill until you reach the Poudarigue sign.

(5) Turn left towards Le Vieil Oppède, following the yellow markings.
The return to Oppède-le-Vieux is through the woods via a series of small ascents and descents, arriving at the foot of the village.
Take the steps that climb up to the left into the village and return to the square.

(1) After visiting the village, turn right to return to the car park at the starting point (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 204 m - Parking at the entrance to the village
  2. 1 : km 0.45 - alt. 239 m - Village square
  3. 2 : km 0.94 - alt. 183 m - Fork in the road after Tombereau
  4. 3 : km 4.07 - alt. 693 m - Arrival at the ridge at La Jassine.
  5. 4 : km 6.16 - alt. 714 m - Intersection with the path towards Ménerbes.
  6. 5 : km 8.51 - alt. 310 m - Poudarigue sign
  7. S/E : km 12.87 - alt. 202 m - Parking at the entrance to the village

Notes

Good walking shoes.
Check whether the paths are open.
Dangerous in case of rain in the first part

Worth a visit

Villages of Gordes, Roussillon and its ochre quarries.
See Fontaine-de-Vaucluse and its springs.

 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.

Reviews and comments

4.5 / 5
Based on 25 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.4 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.5 / 5
Route interest
4.8 / 5
Gusciglio Salvatore
Gusciglio Salvatore

Hello, this hike will take place in July 2024.

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annabellle
annabellle

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 02, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Thanks for this beautiful itinerary, a little technical at the start. Be careful, there are 10 metres that are tricky for those who are afraid of heights, but otherwise it's great!

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Pedro1957
Pedro1957

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 14, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Not many people today, apart from one trekker...

Nice hike, it climbs well but is doable for experienced hikers. Good shoes are recommended as the descents are rocky and slippery
There is a slightly technical climb and a 20-metre ledge with a clear view of the drop below, but it's not impossible, even for people who are slightly afraid of heights. In short, it's doable for people who are reasonably fit, but you need good equipment.

The last two climbs and descents are, as mentioned in a previous post, leg breakers

However, from the car park on the watch app, the route is 15 km, 13 on Decathlon Coach and 17 on a pedometer...

The actual time was 3 hours 40 minutes for us and 5 hours 7 minutes including all stops, food and admiring the views

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ronsard41
ronsard41

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

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

Very beautiful route, beautiful views. Perched village with a castle, a wonderful discovery.

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lebourc
lebourc

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 04, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

We had a great hike and came across several people training for a trail run.
The first part is very physically demanding but well worth it for the amazing views of Oppède, Mont Ventoux, Ménherbe, etc. Once at the top, there is a long trail through the cedars before tackling the descent and a few challenging climbs to remind us of the start of the hike.

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Ricou
Ricou

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 06, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike of moderate difficulty.
Beautiful views and a real change of scenery in the valley.

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JODIDO
JODIDO
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 25, 2021
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

I had done this hike in January of this year and had fond memories of it.
A friend came to see me in Gordes, and as we had to go back to work at 2.30 p.m., we drove to Oppède le Vieux.
After a stroll through the village and a climb up to the Notre-Dame d'Alidon church and the castle, we joined the GR trail to climb up to La Jassine. The weather was magnificent, with sunshine, blue skies and not a cloud in sight. It was a nice, somewhat challenging climb to get to La Jassine. We stopped for lunch next to the Bastidou du Pradon. Then we went straight down to Oppède-le-Vieux, as we didn't have enough time to do the whole loop. The sign said 2.8 km, but the distance seemed wrong. It took us an hour to get back to the car, which we had left about 1 km from the pay car park.
A lovely 3 hour 15 minute walk, 11 km, with an elevation gain of around 600 metres.

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brayman
brayman

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 25, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Between 2 and 3, the climb is superb (not recommended in rainy weather or for anyone prone to vertigo)
It's also a bit of a leg-breaker... and we cheated afterwards!
Picnic at the Pradon bastidon and descent via the GR 6/97 (several slippery scree slopes)
Route shortened to 7/8 km, which was nice on this very hot day.

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JLDeconfin
JLDeconfin

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 18, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very nice sporty buckle!

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JODIDO
JODIDO
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.5 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 24, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Great hike, quite physically demanding in the first part.
The weather was perfect: sunshine, blue skies, no clouds and a fairly moderate Mistral wind.
It took a while to find the trailhead near the square.
At one point, I mistakenly climbed up to a cave instead of staying on the main trail, as there were no markings at the junction of the two trails. The terrain was very steep and slippery.
There was a short section on fairly exposed ledges before reaching the ridges.
Lunch break at the small unmanned lodge "La Bastidou du Pradon" with two other very friendly hikers.
Long descent before reaching the Poudarigue sign.
The last section goes up and down, but it's not difficult.
Visit to the village and its medieval walls before returning to the car park (free on this day)
13 km, approximately 750 m elevation gain, 5½ hours in total.

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Fluryjc
Fluryjc

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 13, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Superb route completed today in 6 hours.
Also available on this website under the name "le-vallon-de-combres"
Check it out for reviews

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tatou0207
tatou0207

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 31, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very nice random climb, it takes a long time in the shade, perfect for very sunny days. At the end of the course, two nice climbs really make your legs burn. Don't miss the Ascension Justus at the castle and the church. Thank you

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krieger norbert
krieger norbert

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 15, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

It's a beautiful hike, a bit physically demanding, but the reward is worth the effort.
The GPS track is excellent and allows you to complete the loop without any problems.
Box tree moths are attacking the box trees, and the caterpillars are hanging along the path, which isn't very pleasant. Soon all the box trees will be gone...

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Fpy
Fpy

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 24, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

The description could be a little more detailed, because without GPS, it's not very clear.
Point 4 is easy to miss. At the end of point 3, you should add: intersection marked by a large cairn marked with a P (to echo the comment from 24/09/18).
Otherwise, it's a beautiful hike

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swann160
swann160

You're probably right, I'm sure I'm largely to blame for getting a little lost. I had some trouble with the map connection. But I figured it out and ended up enjoying it

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