Estérel Biological Reserve

On the Lac de l'Écureuil side, there is a beautiful hike in the Estérel, with magnificent rocks and pretty streams: it's a feast for the eyes.

Details

55033
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 14.81 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 5h 35 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 460 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 460 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 251 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 46 m

Photos

Description of the walk

To get to the Col de Belle Barbe car park, take the Route des Golfs de Saint-Raphaël in Agay, which leads to the Maison Forestière du Gratadis. Pass it and climb towards the Col de Belle Barbe.

(S/E) From the car park, take the path to the north. It turns right and climbs immediately. Follow the blue markings and stay under the pine trees. At the fork, keep to the right. The path winds through the rocks and arrives at Col Aubert, where it joins theGR®51.

(1) Take the path opposite which climbs to the Col du Baladou.

(2) At the pass, take the track on the left that descends slightly. After a straight section and two small bends to the left, look for a path on the right at a small esplanade.

(3) Take this path on the right which climbs up into the heath. This path climbs towards some magnificent rocks. Cross them and continue on the same path which descends into the Ravin du Perthus. Cross the stream.

(4) Follow the track on the right to the Pont des Cantines.

(5) Take the small path on the right that follows a small stream. It stays at the bottom of the valley, runs alongside the stream and leads to a track.

(6) Follow it to the right for 50 m, ignore the ford on the right and go around the reservoir on the left.
Stay along the water and at the end cross and start climbing the path through the heath. This path crosses several scree slopes and ends at a track. Follow it to the right to reach the Col des Suvières.

(7) Turn right and follow the track that leads to Baisse de Mathieu.

(8) Continue to rejoin the Baisse de la Grosse Vache.

(9) Go straight ahead at the crossroads and join the Baisse de la Petite Vache.

(10). Continue straight ahead until you reach the Col du Baladou.

(2) Descend towards the Col Aubert via the same route you took on the way up.

(1) From the pass, return by the same route you took to reach the Col de Belle Barbe (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 46 m - Col de Belle Barbe
  2. 1 : km 1.75 - alt. 113 m - Crossroads of the loop - Col Aubert (100m)
  3. 2 : km 2.25 - alt. 165 m - Col du Baladou (165m)
  4. 3 : km 3.28 - alt. 109 m - Fork in the road on the uphill path
  5. 4 : km 4.89 - alt. 74 m - Track in the Ravin du Perthus
  6. 5 : km 5.43 - alt. 85 m - Pont des Cantines
  7. 6 : km 6.53 - alt. 119 m - Trail junction
  8. 7 : km 8.3 - alt. 251 m - Col des Suvières (252m)
  9. 8 : km 9.67 - alt. 204 m - Baisse de Mathieu (195m)
  10. 9 : km 10.04 - alt. 202 m - Baisse de la Grosse Vache (201m)
  11. 10 : km 11.18 - alt. 205 m - Baisse de la Petite Vache (205m)
  12. S/E : km 14.81 - alt. 46 m - Col de Belle Barbe (45m). Near the - Agay (fleuve)

Notes

This hike is located in the Estérel Biological Reserve, where some areas are closed to bikes.
Please respect nature and do not pick or collect anything.

Worth a visit

Lac de l'Écureuil, Agay and its beaches, Boulouris.

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

4.3 / 5
Based on 46 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.2 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.2 / 5
Route interest
4.4 / 5
phidoux
phidoux

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 18, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

It is likely to be busier in summer, a time best avoided as there is little shade
Stunning views of the Estérel massif

Machine-translated

fandesrandos
fandesrandos

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 13, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Thank you to aninha for suggesting this route through the nature reserve. It takes a lot of effort to plan a route, and you need to be able to gauge its difficulty. I made the most of a lovely two-day spell of good weather to visit this beautiful, unspoilt and well-preserved natural area. It really helps you switch off. Thank you again for sharing this.

Machine-translated

CharbiCharbo
CharbiCharbo

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 24, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

very interesting route, but some junctions are poorly signposted:

Machine-translated

Guigui_la_bricole
Guigui_la_bricole

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 07, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The first part is not difficult but quite slow and demanding.
The trail is narrow in places and damaged by heavy rain in March/April. However, thanks to the rain, the natural surroundings are beautiful, with small streams running through the valleys and lakes and ponds full of water lilies and green-necked ducks swimming around. A very pretty route!

Machine-translated

Cricri83120
Cricri83120

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 09, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Hello, it's a shame the water lilies weren't in bloom.

Machine-translated

chesnel yvonnick
chesnel yvonnick

i didn't do it because of the weather

Machine-translated

gréwis
gréwis

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 10, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

a very beautiful walk, not too difficult and enjoyable

Machine-translated

Zerlo
Zerlo

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

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

A beautiful hike, not very crowded and very pleasant at the time (mid-April) when we did it. Lots of flowers and butterflies, some rare plants such as the royal fern, varied terrain with beautiful rhyolite rock formations. We even had a wonderful encounter with seven wild boar piglets.
The route is fairly easy to follow, even if there are two places you shouldn't miss:
- the first, at point 3: the path on the right is not very visible, even though it is well marked further on. There was a small cairn and it is just before a flat area on the right of the path.
- the second is in two stages at point 6: turn left before the stream onto a path marked with a yellow cross telling you not to turn, then, after walking alongside a beautiful reservoir filled with stunning water lilies, turn right into the valley. The path, which is not very clearly marked in the stones, becomes very good.
Enjoy!

Machine-translated

Espedaillac
Espedaillac

Hello, the entire Esterel Massif should be avoided in summer, except for early morning. There are numerous hiking trails and endless options and variations

Machine-translated

leopal
leopal

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 31, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike with magnificent views of the Mediterranean coast at Saint Raphaël, the Gulf of Saint Tropez and the surrounding mountains, including Pic de l'Ours and Mont Vinaigre. Be careful, as the route is not always reliable. It is quite a long hike, so you will need to be reasonably fit. (Take plenty of water if you do this hike in summer.)

Machine-translated

GIRELLI CAROLINE
GIRELLI CAROLINE

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 06, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very beautiful place, cork oak trees, chestnut trees.
Without a phone (and especially without a network), it would have been complicated, as is often the case...

Machine-translated

abreptio
abreptio

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 21, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

Hello,

Nice little pond, but the map is unreliable
The rest is uninteresting.

Machine-translated

Espedaillac
Espedaillac

Thank you, keep going! There are still many possibilities for you in the Esterel

Machine-translated

abreptio
abreptio

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 21, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

Hello,

Letang is quite nice
The vegetation has taken over the path between points 3 and 4, so we followed the trail
which was parish specific to Brittany and not very well maintained

Machine-translated

Espedaillac
Espedaillac

Thank you, keep on the path

Machine-translated

Other walks in the area

For more walks, use our search engine .

The GPS track and description are the property of this route's author. Please do not copy them without permission.