Sainte-Victoire: the Pic des Mouches with a return via the Pas du Clapier

Beware, this is a very difficult hike. We unintentionally hiked in the opposite direction to the one proposed by this route and we have no regrets There is a climbing section and the ground is very slippery. Depending on the season, part of the walk is closed to protect natural species, with the risk of a fine... What's more, the hike is much longer than planned... It took us 8 hours and on strava it says that we did 1000m of d+ and 16km in total...

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A physical and slightly technical walk, but a very pleasant one.
The green markings for the first 2 km are hard to follow, and the route easily merges with game tracks or small scree slopes that form the base of the mountain. Remain vigilant and don't hesitate to turn back, as marks are frequent.
The route is magnificent and offers great views, but I found it a little technical: quite a lot of handholds on the way up, climbing and scree on the way down.

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Great hike on Saturday 8 June.
Reminder: the green trail no. 17 - Relais de St Ser / Pic des mouches via the Tine valley
and the black trail no. 15 - Chapelle St Ser / Col de Vauvenargues are closed from 1 February to 15 July.
We took the red path no. 16 towards the Col de Ser and at the junction we followed the dotted red line towards the Pic des Mouches.
Very pretty chapel of St Ser with a small group of wild goats.
The climb is very steep but not difficult. Watch out for scree from any walkers (or goats) above.
The whole route is very well signposted.
The Pas du Clapier is also well signposted on the ridge between 2 cairns with a green marker and its name.
The descent seems vertiginous but simple, with some risk-free de-escalation (at least for those who are not afraid of heights and are comfortable on rock).
The path is very well marked with clear green tracks.
Then back along the brown trail.
There were 2 of us - Total time: 6h20 / Travel time 4h00 - 13 km / D+ 990

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Warning: the Vallon de la Tine is closed until 15 July. We were obliged to climb up via the brèche du col de St Ser above the chapel; be careful on this route to take the correct path down to the pas du clapier (point 4) as we made a mistake and the application took a little time to point it out to us and we could no longer climb back up!
exceptional views from the top

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Very nice walk, with a magnificent viewpoint

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Hello,

The green BRAMEFAN path (the first big climb) was closed.
As an alternative, and because I knew the way, I climbed the very steep path above the Ermitage de St-Ser.
This route is currently closed from 1 February to 15 July.

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An easy start from the car park. You follow the route and the green markings... but after 2 km... nothing. :-(
We had to turn back even though we were just a few metres from the summit. It's a shame we had to go back and forth.
On the other hand, the view is magnificent!

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It's true that the start of the route is quite complicated in terms of markings, but fortunately a few cairns are there to remind us of the waymarkers. And the return journey was the same, brown markings are not ideal on dirt tracks 🤣
But in no way is this Visorando's fault 👍
Really top hike with good difficulties, breathtaking views. It took 4.5 hours to complete.

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Indeed the start of the route is quite complicated in terms of markings, fortunately a few kerns are there to remind us of the markings. And the return journey was the same, brown markings aren't ideal on dirt tracks 🤣
But in no way is this Visorando's fault 👍
Really top hike, breathtaking views. A leisurely 4.5 hour walk.

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A very pleasant walk with an incredible view from the Pic des Mouches. Vertiginous passage in a few places but with the help of a chain to climb up. The path is quite rocky.

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A lovely hike, fun and aerial. Not at all busy that day.
The signposting seems to have been recently repainted, with well-marked general paths and plenty of cairns.
The green path at the start is forbidden because of the reproduction of sensitive species, but the hike is fine if you take the red path instead (the one on the way back) to reach the crete, at which point a small diversions becomes necessary to reach the Pic des Mouches.
The green path from the crete to the foot of the cliffs is effectively invisible but easy to find thanks to the 2 cairns as specified in the description, beware of a slightly technical descent at the start.
Quite a bit of wind (especially on the crete) and a few shaded sections made the high heat of the season bearable.
For enthusiasts, much of the route is well suited to running.

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Superb hike, but be careful on the circuit, there are some fairly complicated sections, but the rest is fairly straightforward. Be sure to follow the signs? Have a good hike

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Superb itinerary, thank you. Very varied, magnificent views.
Well, I hadn't checked (despite the link) and the green route is closed until June. So straight on above the Chapelle to Baou de l'Aigle, then back to Pic des Mouches, also very good.
Good walking.

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A very pleasant but sporty circuit not to be taken lightly. It's important to manage your effort carefully (descents and scree).
Be careful, the track starts behind the refuge and passes the rockfall on the right.
14km and 1100 positive approx 6h30
thank you for the route

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The route is pretty tough, climbing with hands mandatory 20 % of the route, but it's safe: rock quality rather good and markers well placed, though you have to search for some of them. The view is superb, this route will be one of my favorite.