Pic de Courmettes via the Saint-Barnabé plateau and Puy de Tourettes.

de fr

A superb hike starting in the karstic and ruiniform landscapes of the Saint-Barnabé plateau. You will walk between deep sinkholes and the limestone chaos of the "village nègre" (black village). The peaks of Puy de Tourettes and Pic de Courmettes offer splendid panoramic views.

Details

n°9681051
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 13.44 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 5h 20 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 531 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 529 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,267 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 943 m
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Photos

The chief's tomb opposite Puy de Naouri on the Chemin du Puy de Tourrettes

Description of the walk

From Vence, drive up to the Col de Vence via the RD2. After the pass, turn left towards Saint-Barnabé and park in the municipal car park on the left.

(S/E) Turn back to the junction of the tracks and the road.

(1) Take the track on the right that heads west and then immediately turns south-west. Walk a few hundred metres.

(2) Leave the track and head right, generally westwards and off the trail, onto the plateau, finding the best route.

(3) Visit the "Village Nègre" or "Village des Idoles". Continue off the trail towards the west and join a track.

(4) Continue in the same direction and arrive at the junction with marker 254, where you will meet theGR®51.

(5) Do not follow theGR® but take the track on the left that heads south and climbs towards the summit of Puy de Tourettes.

(6) At Puy de Tourettes, turn right.

(8) Continue straight ahead along the ridge to reach Pic de Courmettes.

(7) From Pic de Courmettes, return via the same route until you reach the foot of Puy de Tourettes.

(8) Turn right heading due east off the trail along the mountainside and join a clearly marked trail.

(9) Follow this trail to the right to continue your journey more comfortably.

(10) Don't miss the dolmen known as "La Tombe du Chef" (the Chief's Tomb) a few metres to the left, then continue to marker 176, which marks a four-way junction.

(11) Turn left to take the path heading north towards Saint-Barnabé. You will reach another crossroads at marker 261, where you will rejoin the GR®51.

(12) Turn left and follow the GR® to the car park where you started (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 969 m - Saint-Barnabé car park
  2. 1 : km 0.39 - alt. 973 m - Marker 262, junction of the circular route.
  3. 2 : km 0.91 - alt. 969 m - Abandoning the trail
  4. 3 : km 2.26 - alt. 949 m - Village Nègre
  5. 4 : km 2.71 - alt. 948 m - Track crossing
  6. 5 : km 3.18 - alt. 944 m - Beacon 254
  7. 6 : km 4.96 - alt. 1,267 m - Puy de Tourrettes - Puy de Tourrettes
  8. 7 : km 6.89 - alt. 1,238 m - Pic de Courmettes - Pic de Courmettes
  9. 8 : km 8.29 - alt. 1,168 m - Junction
  10. 9 : km 9.25 - alt. 1,177 m - Trail junction
  11. 10 : km 9.96 - alt. 1,090 m - Dolmen of the Chief's Tomb - Dolmen de la Tombe du Chef
  12. 11 : km 10.35 - alt. 1,028 m - Beacon 176
  13. 12 : km 11.89 - alt. 967 m - Beacon 261
  14. S/E : km 13.43 - alt. 969 m - Saint-Barnabé car park

Notes

Please note that some sections are off-trail, particularly on the Saint-Barnabé plateau and on the southern slope of Puy de Tourettes, and there are no tracks or markings apart from a few cairns. Follow the GPS track carefully while finding the best route.

Also beware of fog, which can roll in quickly as the west side of the Pic de Courmettes is blocked by vertiginous cliffs.

The Courmettes estate is a 600-hectare private site managed as a nature reserve. The site is open to the public from sunrise to sunset.
The following rules must be observed in order to preserve the exceptional natural diversity found on this site and to respect the conservation work of the A Rocha association, which manages the site, as well as the work of the shepherds:
- stay on the marked trails (3 trails)
- camping and fires are prohibited
- picking plants and collecting minerals is prohibited
- Dogs are prohibited
- Mountain bikes and horses are only permitted on DFCI tracks
- Motorised vehicles (including trial bikes) are prohibited
- Picnics are only permitted on the lawns in front of the building (the other lawns are mowing lawns)
- Rubbish must be taken away with you
Livestock and guard dogs are present on the site, so please enquire before setting off on a trail!
https://www.courmettes.com/infos-pratiqu...

Worth a visit

Wild peonies in the second half of the ascent of Puy de Tourettes in late May/early June. Wild strawberries in the same area a little later in the season.
Dolmen "la Tombe du Chef" (the Chief's Tomb) about 400 m before marker 176 on the left at the foot of a large isolated tree.

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

4.3 / 5
Based on 7 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.2 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.1 / 5
Route interest
4.7 / 5
LO06670
LO06670

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 15, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

The trail is not easy to follow, but it is possible to stray a little. Between 8 and 9, we did not cut off-trail but followed the dotted lines on the map.

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Ricsan
Ricsan

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 18, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We got lost when we left the road at the start... then the trail wasn't easy to find... we managed to find it again... but the route was very nice...We couldn't find the trail that went along the mountainside on the way back... no problem, we kept climbing and at the crossroads further up... we picked up the trail again and everything went well... a very pleasant hike...

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vernedd
vernedd

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 22, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

beautiful flowers and lovely view

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galli06910
galli06910

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 15, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Hello, I turned back at point 8. I couldn't make it to Les Cormettes because a flock of sheep was grazing there, accompanied by sheepdogs.

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tebon
tebon

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 24, 2022
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike!
To avoid walking off the trail, we took the track that starts behind the car park and leads to point 4. On the way back, we stayed on the trail at point 8. We climbed back up to the summit of Puy de Tourrettes and took a good trail on the right that joins point 9 and continues to point 10.

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LEVEUGLE
LEVEUGLE

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 27, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Excellent hike. Very beautiful panoramic views.
However, there are no signposts. The path is not always easy to find.

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galli06910
galli06910

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 15, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

I got caught in the fog and mist. This isn't the first time. It's a hike that has to be done in the morning before the wind changes direction and brings back the mist and fog from the sea every afternoon.
Be careful: the path leading to Pic de Courmette starts off flat on the right before reaching Puy de Tourette. Climb up to Puy de Tourette via the same path trodden by numerous hikers. Do not attempt to go off-trail on the mountainside.

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