Botanical Trail and Saint-Sixte Chapel

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A circular walk to reach the Saint-Sixte Chapel and descend via the Bréziers road. The highest point offers a stunning panoramic view of the Bréziers valley and the Durance valley, with the peaks of Céüse, Bure and Mont Colombis in the background.

Be careful, there are two options for the end of the route: either via a wide track and then the road (safer but longer), or go ‘off-trail’ tocut across fields and a stream to reach the D951 road (shorter but more difficult).

Details

n°45698254
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 5.80 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 45 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 370 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 362 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 986 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 694 m
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Photos

Serre Gibier
Bréziers Valley.
Panorama of Céüse Bure
Saint-Sixte Chapel

Description of the walk

Coming from the north, take the D900B to Remollon then turn right onto the D951. Cross the Durance river then the canal, and park on the left 1 km further on (botanical trail – Beaufort).
From the south (La Motte du Caire – Alpes de Haute Provence), head to the small village of Bréziers then continue towards Remollon. Park in the car park on the right (botanical trail – Beaufort).

(S/E) From the car park, take the start of the botanical trail. Leave the road quickly by taking the path on the right, which climbs up the right bank of the Beaufort ravine. Follow the yellow markings towards the Chapelle Saint-Sixte.

(1) At the junction, leave the botanical trail by turning right. Continue the climb towards the chapel. The trail, which is steep in places, crosses two ravines to reach the pass.

(2) Climb up to the right to the Chapelle Saint-Sixte: about 10 mins there and back. The view from the top of the rocky outcrop is well worth the detour.

(3) Retrace your steps back to the pass.

(2) Go through the fence and cross the field heading south-east (Bréziers). Join a stony track at the edge of the clearing. Quickly cross the Ravin de Saint-Sixte and continue the descent along the track towards Les Achards. Arrive near the Saint-Sixte torrent.

(4) Cross the Ravin des Champous and then the Ravin des Gragettes. Finally, cross through the hamlet of Les Achards.

(5) From here, there are two options.

  • Either continue along the track to the hamlet of Champsaurs (village of Bréziers) and return to the starting car park via the D310 then the D951. This is safer but longer, and the return journey is less picturesque (add 2 km, so 45 mins).
  • Or cut across the fields and stream to reach the D951 road. This is shorter but off-trail, so reserved for hikers who enjoy a bit of a slog!

For the “short” option (route choice), take the path on the right leading towards the fields. Cross a copse to reach the last field before the river. Then head down to the Bréziers stream to fords it and climb back up to the tarmac D921 road opposite.

(6) Turn right (north) and follow the road carefully back to the car park at the start (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 694 m - Botanical Trail car park
  2. 1 : km 1 - alt. 785 m - Botanical trail abandoned
  3. 2 : km 1.73 - alt. 953 m - Col Saint Sixte. Return to the chapel
  4. 3 : km 1.86 - alt. 986 m - Chapelle Saint Sixte
  5. 4 : km 3.01 - alt. 804 m - Saint-Sixte torrent
  6. 5 : km 3.72 - alt. 827 m - Les Achards
  7. 6 : km 4.44 - alt. 786 m - RD951
  8. S/E : km 5.8 - alt. 694 m - Botanical Trail car park

Notes

Picnic tables are available at the Chapelle Saint-Sixte and just beyond, below the field, as you cross the pass towards Les Achards.

The slopes of this mountain are mostly wooded, with a mix of deciduous and coniferous trees. On the steepest slopes, garrigue or heathland vegetation grows. Locally, patches of meadows or cultivated fields break up the wooded areas.

Note: there are two options for the end of the route: either via a wide track then the road (safer but longer: total elevation gain 400 m, 8 km, total time: 3½ hours), or go ‘off-trail’ tocut across fields and a stream to reach the D951 road (shorter but more difficult). Please note that the end of the route (short option) crosses the Bréziers torrent. Do not attempt this in wet weather, and certainly not if there is a risk of a storm, as the water can rise very quickly and reach dangerous levels in a short time.

Worth a visit

The Chapel of Saint Sixtus is dedicated to the24th Bishop of Rome, elected Pope in 257 and martyred in 258 along with six of his deacons. The chapel is known as a place of pilgrimage for the people of Bréziers. Ideal for a break (picnic tables), the site offers a beautiful view over the Bréziers valley (a Natura 2000 site) as well as the peaks of Céüse, Bure and Mont Colombis.

Reviews and comments

2.4 / 5
Based on 4 reviews
Reliability of the description
2.5 / 5
Ease of following the route
2.3 / 5
Route interest
2.5 / 5
User 8950423

Overall rating : 1 / 5

Date of your route : May 03, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Route interest : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Very busy route : No

The final section of this route is completely impassable and dangerous.
- The option to “take a wide track to the hamlet of Les Champsaurs (village of Bréziers) and follow the D310 then the D951” simply doubles the distance of the ‘basic’ route and is not a viable alternative unless it is marked as the reference route.
- And the option to “cut across fields and a stream to reach the D951 road. It’s shorter but it’s off-trail.” which is the "option" represented by the route (which, let’s be clear, should not be the case, as it encourages hikers to take unnecessary risks) involves far more than just going off-trail and is not feasible given the significant water flow that has occurred in the area as well as the density of the vegetation.
In short, it is better to take the return route to reach the chapel.

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diggi
diggi

Hello User 8232436,

I’m sorry you were disappointed by this hike

Regarding the end of the hike, I clearly stated in the description that from point (5) there were two options:
- Follow a wide track to the hamlet of Les Champsaurs (village of Bréziers) and take the D310 then the D951 (, the easier route).
- Cut across fields and a stream to reach the D951 road. This is shorter but off-trail.

I hope that future hikers will be better able to distinguish between these two options so they can choose the one best suited to their needs!

Machine-translated

User 8232436

Overall rating : 1 / 5

Date of your route : May 02, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Route interest : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Very busy route : No

The end of the hike is extremely dangerous, looking rather like a wildlife crossing… It’s better to stick to the botanical trail – it’s safer and better signposted! The climb up to the chapel is well worth it for the view, but the winding path is quite steep and difficult, and can feel a bit exposed in places.

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User 10429063

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 08, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The chapel site is equipped with tables where you can take a break and have a snack before starting the descent.
As the route is circular, the return route follows the winding district road for the last few kilometres. Please remain cautious and vigilant on this section of the road.

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geneviéve.bossy
geneviéve.bossy

We couldn’t find the spot where we were supposed to leave the botanical trail (on the way there) – it was a very steep ravine! We found ourselves in a very steep, impassable ravine... We made our way back down to the Beaufor road, followed it to the other entrance of the botanical trail, where it’s well signposted and much more pleasant... But it was well worth the effort (incredible views)...

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diggi
diggi

Yes, it’s true that the Botanical Trail is getting a bit old. But there are still some yellow markings left, which I think are enough to follow the trail. And this only applies to the start of the route, as you leave it fairly quickly (point 1).

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geneviéve.bossy
geneviéve.bossy

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 20, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The markings were faded or non-existent along the botanical trail. Fortunately, we found the start of the return path, which took us to the pretty chapel and the stunning viewpoint, and we returned via the same route.....

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