Trail of the Passes from the Maison Forestière du Roussiveau

Mountain bike route on wide tracks with no technical difficulties and superb views throughout the route.

Details

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  • Mountain biking
    Activity: Mountain biking
  • ↔
    Distance: 25.86 km
  • ◔
    Duration according to the author: 2.5 hrs 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 512 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 519 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 466 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 50 m
  • ⚐ Country: France
  • ⚐
    Area: Esterel
  • ⚐ City: Saint-Raphaël (Var) (83700)
  • ⚑
    Start/End: N 43.469327° / E 6.840738°
  • ❏
    IGN map(s): Ref. 3544ET

  • ◶
    Type of surface:
  •  
     
     5% Road  95% Byway
  • ⇧
    Bike carrying: No
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy
  • Hour-by-hour weather

Photos

Description of the route

To reach the start from Agay, head towards Valescure and the Estérel massif via the D100. Look out for a sign indicating a caravan site on the right. Turn towards the campsite immediately after the sign (dead-end road) and follow the road to the end (campsite entrance). Then continue straight ahead onto the small road (closed from 9 pm to 6 am) and follow it for approximately 3 km to the car park.

(S/E) At the top of the car park, take the track on the right which runs alongside the fence of the Maison Forestière de Roussiveau. Follow it to a fork with a bridge on the right.

(1) Cross the Pont du Perthus and continue to the Col du Mistral roundabout.

(2) Ignore the first turn-offon the right and continue on thesecond. Head towards the Col du Baladou.

(3) Continue along the main track to the left until you reach the Baisse de la Petite Vache.

(4) Continue along the main track, which veers to the right, and reach the Baisse de la Grosse Vache.

(5) At the junction of four tracks, continue straight ahead and you will soon reach the Baisse de Mathieu.

(6) Continue along the main track, which veers to the right, and carry on to the Col des Survières.

(7) At the junction, take care! Make sure you take the track that climbs to the left. You will reach the Baisse Violette, where there is a DFCI water tank.

(8) Continue along the main track to the left. Pass a new water tank and ignore the side tracks on either side until you reach the junction at the Maison Forestière de la Duchesse.

(9) Continue straight on and stay on the main track. You will reach the Col de l'Aire de l'Olivier, where there is a DFCI water tank.

(10) Please note: take the second track on the left and ignore the Piste du Perthus.

(11) When you reach a wide fork with a water tank, turn right and continue along the main track to the Maison Forestière des Charretiers.

(12) Take the track leading downhill to the right.

(13) At the Carrefour de la Colle Noire, stay on the main track straight ahead.

(14) Pass in front of the Maison Forestière des Malavalettes.

(15) At the junction with the Castelli track, continue straight ahead and ignore the bridge on the right. Continue to the car park at the Maison Forestière du Roussiveau (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 89 m - Maison Forestière du Roussiveau
  2. 1 : km 2.01 - alt. 54 m - Perthus Bridge, on the right
  3. 2 : km 3.04 - alt. 92 m - Col du Mistral (92m)
  4. 3 : km 4.5 - alt. 165 m - Col du Baladou (165m)
  5. 4 : km 5.88 - alt. 205 m - Baisse de la Petite Vache (205m)
  6. 5 : km 7.02 - alt. 202 m - Baisse de la Grosse Vache (201m)
  7. 6 : km 7.41 - alt. 204 m - Baisse de Mathieu (195m)
  8. 7 : km 8.77 - alt. 251 m - Col des Suvières (252m)
  9. 8 : km 10.39 - alt. 361 m - Baisse Violette
  10. 9 : km 14.24 - alt. 390 m - Maison Forestière de la Duchesse
  11. 10 : km 16.58 - alt. 371 m - Col de l'Aire de l'Olivier
  12. 11 : km 17.7 - alt. 402 m - Major fork, right
  13. 12 : km 19.5 - alt. 277 m - Maison Forestière des Charretiers
  14. 13 : km 21.31 - alt. 174 m - Colle Noire junction
  15. 14 : km 22.23 - alt. 182 m - Maison Forestière des Malavalettes
  16. 15 : km 23.28 - alt. 79 m - Junction with the Castelli track
  17. S/E : km 25.86 - alt. 89 m - Maison Forestière du Roussiveau

Notes

No water along the route. Make sure you bring your puncture repair kit.

Warning! Access to the Estérel massif is restricted from 21 June to 20 September (risk of forest fires).

Reviews and comments

4.7 / 5
Based on 5 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.8 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.8 / 5
Route interest
4.4 / 5
Cavattuyt
Cavattuyt

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

Travelled on gravel. The descent from the Duchess's forest house is quite rocky, more suited to mountain biking, but it's still passable.
Very beautiful scenery.

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NLE
NLE
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 08, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A mountain bike ride that doesn’t present any difficulties but offers beautiful scenery and views. I noticed that some people had done the route on gravel bikes. That’s not a problem on the uphill section, but in my opinion the downhill section isn’t really worth doing on a gravel bike (there are a few large stones and some fairly steep sections, so it’s nicer to have a bit of suspension 😀). You might as well enjoy the thrill of the descent after a fairly long climb!

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Koni
Koni

Overall rating : 4.5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 03, 2025
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

I followed the route using a GPS with the GPX track.
The route is better suited to a gravel bike than a mountain bike... there are no technical difficulties and the descents are on tracks (admittedly with a few stones in the way, but it’s a far cry from a mountain bike descent), there are no single tracks...
The location is fabulous, a complete change of scenery.

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spirob
spirob

Correction of my previous comments, which may have been misleading:
READ
1) The practical and descriptive information seems very brief to me (a short tourist ‘guide’ regarding the Duchesse Forest House would be welcome ).
2) It is important to note that, according to the Forestry Commission, the track between markers 10 and 15 is, in principle, off-limits to mountain bikes, even though there is a degree of ‘tolerance’.

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spirob
spirob

Overall rating : 4 / 5

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

A lovely way to enjoy the magnificent views all along the route.
A friend and I took this route in fine weather, with a temperature of 24°C.
We were riding a conventional mountain bike and an e-MTB respectively (both full-suspension) and found the route not too technically difficult but challenging (given the large rocks and the succession of uphill sections: typical for the Esterel). The ride took 2 hours and 20 minutes, which is in line with the description.
Two constructive comments, however:
1) The practical and descriptive information seems very brief to me (a short tourist ‘guide’ regarding the Duchesse Forest House).
2) It would be important to note that, according to the Forestry Commission, the track between markers 10 and 15 is, in principle, off-limits to mountain bikes, even though a degree of ‘tolerance’ exists.

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D'JEAM
D'JEAM

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 27, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A really enjoyable route with some lovely views; the track is quite stony but not too difficult and not very technical for experienced mountain bikers.

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