A physical loop hike along Sainte-Victoire, a climb to Prieuré Sainte-Victoire / Croix de Provence through Bau Cézanne and going back through "le Gouffre de Garagaï" and "les deux Aiguilles".
Calculated time: 4h05[?] 
Distance : 7.04km
Vertical gain : 736m
Vertical drop : 731m
Highest point : 894m
Lowest point : 309m 
Difficulty : Extreme
Back to starting point : Yes
Walking
Area : Sainte-Victoire (Massif) 
Location : Saint-Antonin-sur-Bayon
(13100)
Starting point : N 43.523848° / E 5.565078° (S/F) Start from Pont de l'Anchois car park and take the forest trail that goes east.
You'll come across Red waymarks, follow them up a smooth slope towards Refuge Cézanne.
(1) A few dozen metres after the shelter, you'll come across the GR9 (Red and White waymarks). Follow them to the right over roughly 100 metres.
Yellow Waymarks
(2) A Yellow waymarked path heads off to the left, take it, rapidly tackling Saint Victoire foothills.
(3) 'Pas de la Savonnette', is a vertical slab of roughly 10 metres that you'll need to climb with arm strength and a chain. You can go around this slab via a Yellow dotted waymarked path.
The trail becomes more and more mineral and at times quite steep, bordering rock climbing. A good deal of areas demand the use of your hands.
Red and White Waymarks
(4) Reaching the ridge marks the end of the Yellow waymarks. Regain the GR9 which goes along the ridge a few dozen metres below and head right.
Go past Prieuré Sainte-Victoire on the left and follow the GR towards the cross. Leave the Red point waymarked path head up to the Croix de Provence to the right and continue on the GR.
No waymarks
Leave the GR to follow the ridge for a hundred odd metres, you'll arrive above the Gouffre de Garagaï.
Green and Black Waymarks
(5) Head down the abyss, be careful the rock is quite slippery, and follow the trail that goes across large slabs.
Black Waymarks
(6) Let the Green waymarked trail head off to the right and continue to follow the black waymarks. The waymarks can be faint at times but the path is quite obvious. Towards the end, the vegetation increaces in density and you'll come across a Brown waymarked trail.
Brown Waymarks
(7) Head to the right and follow the Brown waymarks along the foot of the cliffs. A sign indicates the way to the Oppidum Untinos, keep to the brown trail.
No Waymarks
Let the Brown trail head off to the right and take the trail to the left, this trail will meet up with the trail taken at the beginning.
Red Waymarks
Follow the Red waymarked trail going left and head down towards the car park (S/F).
Waypoints :
D/A : km 0 - alt. 310m
1 : km 1.08 - alt. 440m - Refuge de Cézanne - Refuge Cézanne
2 : km 1.16 - alt. 452m - Pas de la Savonnette
3 : km 1.64 - alt. 617m - Pas de la savonnette
4 : km 2.26 - alt. 839m - End of the yellow waymarks, the GR junction
5 : km 2.44 - alt. 868m - Prieuré de la Sainte-Victoire
6 : km 2.8 - alt. 892m - Gouffre de Garagaï
7 : km 3.08 - alt. 765m - Follow the Black waymarks
8 : km 4.2 - alt. 505m - Brown waymarks
D/A : km 7.04 - alt. 310m
A very difficult hike, with aerial passages and other areas demanding a minimum climbing skills.
Only for trained hikers.
N.B: access to the mountain range can be regulated from June 1st through to September 30th. More info: http://www.bouches-du-rhone.gouv.fr/Actu...
We advise taking IGN maps with you on this walk. Click here to buy : 3244ET.
Visorando and this author cannot be held responsible in the case of accidents or problems occuring on this walk.
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+711m
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Before you start, make sure access to the massif is allowed because a regulation is applicable from 1 June to 30 September which and can limit access hours. See the link below:
http://www.paca.gouv.fr/files/massif/
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