Saint-Gens - Combe de Capellan

From the Hermitage of Saint-Gens, this trail climbs back up to the miraculous spring, then winds its way across the plateau along the historic Plague Wall trail and returns via the Combe de Capellan and the holm oak forests of the Monts de Vaucluse.

Details

128555
Creation:
Last update:
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 14.88 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 5h 50 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 558 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 551 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 662 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 252 m

Photos

Description of the walk

To reach Saint-Gens, head two kilometres south-east of Le Beaucet. There is a grass car park just before the Hermitage of Saint-Gens.

Yellow signposts
(S/E) From the car park, head back up towards the Hermitage and take the concrete road that climbs to the left of the buildings. Pass in front of the chapel and, at a crossroads 10 metres before an oratory, you will see the Saint-Gens signpost.

Red and whiteGR®91signposts
(1) Continue straight ahead towards Combe de la Fontaine, start the right-hand bend and turn left onto the second small path. Follow the signs for Rocher des Trois Luisants along the stony path that climbs up the valley.
At a large oak tree, leave the path on the right and continue until you reach the miraculous spring and its oratory nestled at the foot of a cliff.
Leave a path marked 7B on your left and turn right in front of the spring to go around the cliff. Continue climbing gently, leaving another path on your right (not very visible) and arriving about 500m higher on a flat area. Turn left and look for the Rocher des Trois Luisants signpost.

(2) Turn left towards Les Trois Luisants. The first cedar trees come into view, marking your arrival at the Trois Luisants crossroads.
Continue left on the flat track towards La Plaine. Leave the next track on the right and return to a crossroads (cistern).

Red, yellow and orange markings
(3) Follow the track on the left towards Croix du Pouracon, which is at the next crossroads 20 metres further on. Turn left again onto the path towards La Pouraque (note that the signpost is slightly below the path on the right). Pass the Croix du Jas d'Esprit junction, leaving the paths on your right and left. Continue along this wide path, ignoring all the paths on either side. Pass La Pouraque Ouest and cistern no. 125 to reach the La Pouraque signpost.

Yellow signpost
(4) Leave the path and turn left towards La Genestière. Walk through a forest of tall pine trees, pass the La Genestière crossroads and leave the path on your left. Continue until you reach the T-junction at the Mont Serein Sud signpost.
Turn left towards L'Agas. After 150 metres, leave a path on your left (not marked on the map) and turn right 10 metres further on onto a smaller path.
This trail alternates between short climbs, stony and slippery descents and long flat sections on a ledge above the Combe de Capellan.
Leave a path on your right that leads to La Genestière and continue along the valley with beautiful views at times. The path will turn north-east above the meadows, leave a path on your right and arrive at the Agas crossroads at a track.
Continue left towards Camp-Long, passing cherry trees, vineyards and a house to reach a small road at Camp-Long.

Red and white + orange markings
(5) Turn left towards Quinsan, pass between the houses and a wall, then continue on a path that leads into the oak trees.
At a fork, leave the path on the right and turn left. This path will pass through the bed of a dry stream for a good kilometre, then follow a fence and finally come out at the Quinsan crossroads in a bend.

(6) Turn left onto the paved but abandoned road that climbs steeply towards La Nauque. Before reaching the hamlet, leave the road on your left and come out at the letterboxes.
Turn left onto the road for 20 metres and turn left onto a stony path that leads into the forest.
Immediately after, turn left at the fork and cut across a path. Continue straight ahead until you reach a wide path at the La Nauque signpost.

(7) Turn right towards Carroufra, leave a path on your right and rejoin the tarmac road at house no. 312. Continue for 50m along the road and take the path on the left that goes around the property (incorrect route on the map). Continue to the right just after and after 100m, at a row of stones, leave the path that branches off to the right and take a sharp left turn. It crosses a path and comes out onto a tarmac road.
Continue left to find the Carroufra sign at the crossroads. Turn right onto the road towards Lou Planestèu and leave it after 50m to take a path on the right which rejoins the road a little further on.
Take the road on the right and, after the house, find a poorly maintained path on the right. Leave a path on the right and continue left to rejoin the road a little higher up.

(8) Continue on the right, the road will bend to the left and just before the next bend, leave it and take a path on the right. Immediately leave the path on the right, continue along a stone wall and leave the path on the right to go left onto a wide path (error on the map). It continues through the oak trees and arrives at the Lou Planestéu signpost.
Turn left towards Saint-Gens, descend along the ruins and a troglodyte farm to reach the Saint-Gens signpost.

(1) Turn right and go down the concrete road to the Hermitage and the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 356 m - Car park in front of the Hermitage of Saint-Gens
  2. 1 : km 0.31 - alt. 389 m - Saint-Gens signpost
  3. 2 : km 1.65 - alt. 640 m - Rock of the Three Shining Ones
  4. 3 : km 2.91 - alt. 632 m - Cistern
  5. 4 : km 4.81 - alt. 593 m - The Pouraque
  6. 5 : km 8.62 - alt. 329 m - Camp-Long
  7. 6 : km 10.99 - alt. 252 m - Quinsan signpost
  8. 7 : km 11.97 - alt. 423 m - The Nauque
  9. 8 : km 12.95 - alt. 400 m - Return to the road and turn right
  10. S/E : km 14.88 - alt. 356 m - Car park in front of the Hermitage of Saint-Gens

Worth a visit

The Hermitage of Saint Gens. At the bottom of the remote valley where Saint Gens lived for many years, there are two chapels. The one dedicated to the saint, known as the Grande Chapelle, is the size of a church but was originally a small building, erected around 1131, shortly after the death of the hermit saint, on the site of a pagan place of worship.
A little further on is the Chapel of the Tomb, built in 1680 on the ruins of an ancient chapel and on the spot where Saint Gens' body originally rested.

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

4.8 / 5
Based on 39 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.8 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.7 / 5
Route interest
4.7 / 5
edmondguevara
edmondguevara

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 09, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

We met other small groups on the route and others coming from a neighbouring route.
Beautiful trail run

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eygui84
eygui84

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 14, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Very beautiful route, especially in the Combe de Cappelan. An easy route for athletes or those in good physical condition. The only downside is that the section on the DFCI trail to reach La Pouraque is a bit long and monotonous.

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bernard coulomb
bernard coulomb

photo

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bernard coulomb
bernard coulomb
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 28, 2025
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Sports training for climbing, on a varied route.
Numerous Iberis plants on the path overlooking the valley (see photo)
No problems with GPX.

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Maryse84
Maryse84

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 04, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant hike as it takes place almost entirely in natural surroundings.
The directions are very clear up to point number 7, but I had doubts at several points along the way about which path to take. The markings are not always very visible.
Although I found myself in the middle of a hunt, I didn't see any animals.

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Annick84
Annick84

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 30, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Hike undertaken by a group of friends, all in their seventies and more or less good walkers. As is often the case with Visio, following the route was no problem. The Combe des Capelans remains challenging, but the variety of landscapes makes you forget the effort. We spotted two wild boars and, in hindsight, shuddered to think what our reaction would have been if they had charged at us on the way down..

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RAOULX13160
RAOULX13160

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 12, 2024
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. We followed the GPX route and everything went very well. It is of moderate difficulty with an IBP rating of 67 for those who use it. It offers very different terrain, including a fairly long and technical descent that can be tricky in wet weather.

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eric76
eric76

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 16, 2024
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

thanks for sharing
nice hike, fairly shaded.
no particular difficulties
i agree with a comment about the distance, it's almost 17 km

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Matthieu84
Matthieu84

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 28, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

We did this hike out of season to enjoy some peace and quiet, and that's exactly what we got.
There are a few interesting places to see (the Saint Gens fountain and the Capellan ravine). It's worth making a short detour to visit the lookout point (2 km round trip). Unfortunately, the rest of the hike is a bit monotonous.

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ferrier
ferrier

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 26, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

This hike went very well for us, but due to the very steep descent into the Capellan valley, it is not suitable for families. I would not recommend it for children or people who are not sure-footed

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PIERRE MONNIER
PIERRE MONNIER

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 24, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike starting from the peaceful Hermitage of Saint Gens, with its chapel and miraculous spring. Beautiful shaded trails. Fairly steep ascents and descents. Beautiful views of Mont Ventoux and the Dentelles de Montmirail. A few aerial passages requiring a little caution but no difficulty.
Thrills on the menu: a face-to-face encounter with a huge wild boar on a narrow path. The animal should have run away when it saw us... But no! We backed away (without taking our eyes off it) and took refuge behind some trees.
After about fifteen minutes, we decided to make as much noise as possible so that it would finally deign to slowly disappear into the forest. It made it very clear that it was the master of the domain.
We highly recommend this beautiful hike.
PP and MM

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briget
briget

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 07, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Very beautiful hike completed on 06/07/2023,
easy route to follow with lovely views of Mont Ventoux and plenty of shade.
Would definitely do it again with a little less mistral wind!

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Derbez Joëlle
Derbez Joëlle

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 14, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

very beautiful hiking trail, but the return trip was very technical and challenging, especially the descent from the threshold. Thank you for this hike

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HUPAT
HUPAT

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 05, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

a very beautiful hike

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AUJAMES Denis
AUJAMES Denis

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 29, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hike completed in beautiful, cool weather. The first part consists of a nice climb to warm up your legs. But once you arrive, a beautiful panoramic view awaits you. Then it's just a succession of plateaus, small descents and woodland. Don't miss the balcony trail over the Capellan valley. It's simply magnificent.
In short, a superb hike.

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