A circular walk to the Pic de l’Ours and Dent de l’Ours from the Col de l’Évêque

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A lovely walk in the Esterel Massif, well signposted and without any significant difficulty. Discover the reddish rocks typical of this massif. Enjoy the magnificent panoramic views of the Mediterranean Sea. Make sure you wear good walking shoes. Best done in fine weather to make the most of the magnificent scenery.

Details

n°72754631
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 5.58 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 30 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 1,093 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 1,109 ft
  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,575 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 446 ft
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Photos

Small stone towers on the Dent de l’Ours
The Dent de l’Ours
View of the Bay of Cannes from the Pic de l’Ours
View of the northern mountains from the Pic de l’Ours

Description of the walk

Access by car to the Col de l’Évêque car park. Plenty of parking spaces are available under the trees on both sides of the road.

(S/E) Start the walk by taking the tarmac road that leads uphill (the road with the ‘No Entry’ sign).

(1) Leave the tarmac road and take the GR®653A marked path, which starts in the vegetation on the right. This isn’t compulsory; you can continue along the road and join the trail a little further up.

(2) At the end of the small path, rejoin the tarmac road on the right to continue following the GR® markings and reach the Col des Lentisques.

(3) Take the tarmac road to the left for a few metres. Then leave the GR® markings and take the path on the right which climbs through the vegetation. Pass the water tank and continue along the path until you reach the tarmac road further up.

(4) Return to the tarmac road on the left and take a hairpin bend to the right.

(5) Leave the tarmac road and take the path on the left which climbs through the vegetation. It is possible to continue along the road and rejoin the route a little further up.

(6) Once you reach the summit of the Pic de l’Ours, enjoy a magnificent 360° panorama: a beautiful view of the Mediterranean Sea, a view of the forested mountains to the north, and a view of the Bay of Cannes to the east. (It’s also a great spot for a picnic.)
Head back along the tarmac road to the left for about 40 metres.

(7) Leave the road and take the small path on the right, just before the gate. At the first junction, leave the path on your right.

(8) At the next junction, take the path on the right which leads down through the vegetation, and follow it to the next junction

(9) Head straight on towards the Dent de l’Ours to see a small cave filled with little stone towers.

(10) Turn back after a few metres.

(9) When you reach the junction, take the GR® path on the left for about 1 km to the Col Notre-Dame

(11) There are numerous paths to choose from. Ignore the road to the left, the road straight ahead, and the path immediately to the right where the trail ends. Take the tarmac road on the right, which descends for about 1.5 km whilst you enjoy the magnificent panoramic view. This will take you back to the Col des Lentisques, which you passed on the way there.

(3) Take the road on the left, which circles round the Pic d’Aurelle. Follow it for about 2 km, once again enjoying the magnificent panoramic view of the Mediterranean Sea, until you reach the Col de l’Évêque (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 518 ft - Car park - Col de l'Evêque (159m)
  2. 1 : mi 0.28 - alt. 554 ft - Junction with the GR653A
  3. 2 : mi 0.64 - alt. 817 ft - Junction on the road
  4. 3 : mi 0.9 - alt. 863 ft - Junction of two circular routes - Col des Lentisques
  5. 4 : mi 1.39 - alt. 1,240 ft - Junction on the road
  6. 5 : mi 1.88 - alt. 1,421 ft - Junction on the path
  7. 6 : mi 2.03 - alt. 1,529 ft - Route
  8. 7 : mi 2.06 - alt. 1,545 ft - Start of the trail - Pic de L'Ours
  9. 8 : mi 2.16 - alt. 1,545 ft - Path junction
  10. 9 : mi 2.54 - alt. 1,263 ft - Access to the Dent de l’Ours
  11. 10 : mi 2.55 - alt. 1,263 ft - Dent de l'Ours
  12. 11 : mi 3.15 - alt. 1,063 ft - Col Notre-Dame
  13. S/E : mi 5.58 - alt. 522 ft - Car park - Col de l'Evêque (159m)

Notes

Good walking shoes.

Worth a visit

Pic de l’Ours

Dent de l’Ours

Panoramic view of the Mediterranean Sea

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.

Downloads
Open in the mobile app
Download GPX GPX
Download PDF PDF

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