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At Le Châtelard, park in the car park near the Maison du Parc / Tourist Office, close to the sports grounds.
(S/E) Continue along the road, passing the sports facilities on your left. At the Sentier des Maîtres du Mont Déserté sign, continue along the tarmac path. At the intersection, keep to the right, at the yellow directional signs, follow the Sentier des Maîtres du Mont Déserté (les Granges) and pass close to the retention basin on your right. Look for the green hand sign and a triangular information sign on the left, high up. Continue along the path.
Green Hand markings on a yellow background, generally well visible but not always in the right place
(1) At the Les Granges signpost, follow the Sentier des Maîtres du Mont Déserté trail to the right. At the next two intersections, keep to the right, cross the dry riverbed and turn right. At the intersection, follow the trail to the left and then climb the switchbacks.
(2) At the Chez Garins signpost, Totem du Sentier des Maîtres du Mont Déserté: "Histoires de glissements depuis la nuit des temps" (Stories of landslides since the dawn of time), leave the track (for the return journey) on the left and follow the signs on the left for Sentier des Maîtres du Mont Déserté, Boucle des Garins and Refuge des Garins, and cross a cattle grid. This is the start of the second circular loop. Further on, leave the Refuge des Garins on your left (or make a short return trip) and cross another cattle grid, then ignore the yellow-marked trail that branches off to the left. After a hairpin bend to the left, cross another cattle grid, ignore aGR®® detour that branches off to the right and enter the Nant des Granges National Forest.
(3) Ignore the paths that branch off to either side and continue along the track. Look for the totem pole "Le grand maître des temps anciens" (The Grand Master of Ancient Times). Further on, note the totem pole "Le maître des eaux" (The Master of Waters) and the hydraulic structure on the right. Pass a pond, then the ONF hut.
(4) At the intersection of tracks, continue to the right. Pass the totem pole "Le maître des sous-sols" (The Master of the Underground). Ignore a path on the left and then cross a small canal. The route crosses many of these in this upper section.
(5) At the intersection with a track on the right, continue straight ahead (note the path on the left to take on the way back, under construction in September 2022). You will arrive at the reforestation area.
(6) Leave the path to and from the third circular loop on your left and continue straight ahead, passing the totem pole "Le maître de la forêt plantée" (The Master of the Planted Forest) and the rain gauge. The route then continues uphill to and from the top (optional) to discover many more small canals.
(7) Turn around at the intersection at altitude 1281 on the map. Return to the intersection after the totem pole.
(6) Follow the path to the right, noting the Blue Tree on the left in the reforestation area and an overturned totem pole in a ditch on the left (perhaps it will have been righted by now). Ignore the path (back) on the left and stay on the trail. Cross the dry bed of the Nant des Granges stream, then descend the path, which winds its way down in wide loops, crosses the Nant des Granges stream again and arrives at an intersection.
(8) Turn right for a round trip to the totem pole "Le maître de la pente" (The Master of the Slope), and further if you want to play the game.
(8) Back at the intersection, follow the path straight ahead which winds upwards, rejoins the path taken at the start of this third circular loop, then the intersection.
(6) Turn right, following the reverse route of the outward journey, until you reach the junction with the track leading off to the left.
(5) Then turn right onto a path: it was under construction when we passed through (September 2022) and was not fully marked. It winds downhill and joins an intersection at the second totem pole, "Le grand maître des temps anciens" (The Grand Master of Ancient Times), which concludes the series of totem poles. Follow the path to the right and join a track.
(9) Follow it to the right, reach the intersection and the Chez Garins signpost, and leave the green trail markers.
GR®® red and white markings
(2) Follow the street towards Le Châtelard. You will soon reach the Parking des Garins signpost (geo-site sign and Sentier des Maîtres du Mont Déserté trail) and continue towards Le Châtelard. At the end of the car park, the trail starts at a small iron cross. Further on, cross a road and continue straight ahead. Open and close a few electric fences (handles) as the trail continues among the cows. You will arrive at the hamlet of Chez Viviand.Follow the directional signs and leave the GR®® markings.
Yellow markings
(10) Follow the signs to Le Var on the left. On this section, you will again need to open and close electric fences (handles). Cross the Ruisseau du Petit Mont stream and take the opportunity to assess its flow to decide whether it is worth going down to the waterfall, bearing in mind that you will have to climb back up. At the fork, keep right and at the next signposts, continue towards Le Var until you reach a road.
(11) Follow the road towards Cascade du Var for a return trip (optional).
No markings
(11) On the way back, continue along the road until you find a path on the left, towards Vieux Bourg.
GR®® Red and White Markings
Leave the road and take this path (GR®®) on the left, towards Vieux Bourg.
Yellow markings
(12) At the intersection, leave theGR®® and turn right towards Belvédère, Sentier arboré . This is a balcony trail featuring an original quiz. We give you the answers to questions that have disappeared... At the Sentier botanique sign, take a sharp left turn to go directly down to the Maison du Parc car park (S/E).
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Difficult 
Very difficult 
