The Opies and the Mont Menu from Eyguières

A fine, challenging circuit in rocky terrain. A few technical sections add spice to this route, as does the intriguing section passing through the two-ended cave on the Mont Menu. The Mont Menu ridge requires concentration and a sense of direction since the cairns are few and far between.
There is always a superb view in every direction: the Étang de Berre, the plain of the Crau, Aureille, the Alpilles, the Mont Ventoux, the Luberon and of course the cliffs of the Mont Menu.

Technical sheet

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 10.22 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 40 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Difficult

  • ⚐
    Return to departure point: Yes
  • ↗
    Vertical gain: + 601 m
  • ↘
    Vertical drop: - 597 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 493 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 97 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Park at the climbing school car park.

(S/E) Facing away from the cliff, join the road D17. Follow it to the right for 250 m.

(1) Take the path with white and red waymarks (the GR® 6) to the right for 2 km to reach an intersection beside a splendid vaulted sheiling and a long water trough for the livestock.

(2) Bear right up the track to the north, which is waymarked in blue, reaching a dry-stone wall after about 700 m. Take the path marked with cairns up to the right to reach Arpian's Cave, the small entrance to which is screened by the undergrowth.

(3) Return to the track and continue to the right, following the cairns and blue waymarks for about 400 m. It veers right and climbs to pass through the Barres Rouges rocks. Continue along the easy path for 400 m.

(4) The path with blue waymarks turns sharply right and leads back down into the Vallon des Glauges valley. It can provide a quick escape route in the event of bad weather.
On leaving the blue waymarks, head for the rocky ridge on the left, passing through at a cairn on a large rock.
Find a small path leading down gently through the scrub for 300 m to join the little track coming up from Aureille.
Variant: It is possible to continue straight on following green waymarks up the scree and over a rocky outcrop to the false summit of the Opies.

(5) This track is not waymarked. It is steep and includes many small sections of scrambling. On approaching the summit, one encounters recent blue waymarks leading to the former watchtower.

(6) The watchtower of the Opies (Aupiho in Provençal) was built at the highest point of the Alpilles, at 498 m. This small square tower was constructed in 1923 and was later used by the German occupying forces during the Second World War. It was used as a fire watch post in the 1960s but was then abandoned because of its inaccessibility. There are a few rusty remains of the electricity line on the south-facing slope. May be used as a shelter. A superb view in every direction.

Start the descent heading east, then due south towards the valley separating the Opies from its false summit, which is less frequented and is marked by a little metal cross. A long valley between rock walls separates these two summits. Follow this cool, shady valley to the Vallon de Lègue, where there is a good path.

(7) Bear right on an easy descent to the bottom of the fertile valley known as the Vallon des Glauges. Cross the road and continue on the path opposite through the scrub.

(8) Take the narrow, steep path up through the scrub, due south towards the summit. Follow the red waymarks to reach the cliff face.

(9) The path enters and passes through a cave (torch recommended). The entrance is spacious, but the way out is narrow, making it necessary to take off one's rucksack and crawl the last part on all fours. Continue on the waymarked path to the summit of the Mont Menu, ignoring a path heading off left at a clearing.

(10) Continue to follow the cairns along the ridge towards the south, negotiating a few rocky sections.
Care is needed to avoid losing one's way; a GPS device would be useful.

(11) The rocky ridge is broken by a large valley. Bear left, then drop into the valley and climb up the other side, then head right following the cairns, which become less frequent.

To complete the circuit, pick your way down the many easy paths on the ridge leading to the climbing school, then across a little bridge over the stream to reach the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 105 m - Climbing school car park
  2. 1 : km 0.45 - alt. 106 m - GR°°®°° 6 right
  3. 2 : km 2.23 - alt. 130 m - Path on the right
  4. 3 : km 2.87 - alt. 227 m - Arpian cave
  5. 4 : km 3.71 - alt. 364 m - Take the path on the left or go straight up.
  6. 5 : km 4.01 - alt. 343 m - Junction with a path leading up to the summit
  7. 6 : km 4.35 - alt. 493 m - Opies watchtower
  8. 7 : km 5.67 - alt. 185 m - Vallon de Lègue, right
  9. 8 : km 7.22 - alt. 171 m - Path on the right
  10. 9 : km 7.45 - alt. 230 m - Through cave
  11. 10 : km 7.69 - alt. 304 m - Mount Menu
  12. 11 : km 8.7 - alt. 240 m - Vallon
  13. S/E : km 10.22 - alt. 104 m - Climbing school car park

Practical information

Cap lamp not essential for the caves

In the nearby area

Arpian is the name of the brave boy who first explored this cave
The narrow entrance leads to a small chamber followed by a narrow passage and a large chamber.
In 1979, an archaeological dig found pottery shards together with human bones dating from the Bronze Age (1800-700 BC). Today, the cave is one of the sites of special scientific interest designated by the Alpilles Regional Natural Park since it provides favourable conditions for bats to breed, hibernate and feed.
Access has been forbidden to preserve the bats, which have been a protected species since 10/7/1976. Unfortunately, the barrier at the entrance has been torn down. It should be remembered that it is harmful to disturb the bats, especially during hibernation (mid-November to mid-March) and in the breeding season from mid-May to mid-August. The females raise only one batling per year.
Bats live on insects and are in difficulty because of insecticides.

The cave at the climbing site is accessible but should not be attempted on the cliff side without safety gear.

 Always stay careful and alert while following a route. Visorando and the author of this walk cannot be held responsible in the event of an accident during this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

Reviews and comments

4.4 / 5
Based on 33 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.4 / 5
Clarity of route map
4.1 / 5
Route interest
4.8 / 5
Les2Mi
Les2Mi

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of walk : Nov 18, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : Yes

Very nice walk. 360° views from both the Tour des Opies and the ridges of Mont Menu.
The route is not very difficult, but quite technical for people who are not used to climbing on rocky terrain. Note that the terrain can become slippery after rain.
From the start, the route is fairly well described and the route up to the Tour des Opies is easy to find and follow. Just follow the blue tracks (some of which have been added recently).
The descent to the east side is also easy to find. The climb up Mont Menu was easy to spot as the green dots have recently been added. It was easy up to the cave that you cross, then the markings are less easy to find, especially as several paths run along the ridges and the Cairns have sometimes been demolished.
The hike was sometimes intuitive and the GPS was useful for checking that we weren't leaving the tracks.
All in all, a very fine, technical hike.
Note that the time given of 4h30 must be increased when the hike is done by a group of dozens of people; this is linked to the time needed to cross certain passages.

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Bathema
Bathema

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of walk : Nov 10, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

Not technical. I have a total knee prosthesis and I managed it. A hike for experienced hikers though. The climbs are steep and full of stones and rocks. Splendid scenery

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Sergio 13
Sergio 13

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of walk : Nov 04, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

A lovely hike in two areas: Les Opies and Mont Menu between the pretty villages of Aureille and Eyguieres. Avoid starting off on the road and the first part of the hike on the GR trail is not very exciting. On the other hand, the climb up to Les Opies is very pleasant and quite demanding. The panorama from the small tower at the top gives a superb view of the whole area. The descent is made through pretty little valleys between the limestone rock of the hills and the vegetation, which has survived the fires. At the end of the descent, you pass by an ancient Roman villa, which can be seen in its entirety from the caves of Mont Menu. The ascent to Mont Menu and the passage through the caves are really very nice, but be careful with your head as the ceiling can be a little low...
The signposts on the ridges and at the end of the route are a bit random, but there's no chance of getting lost - just follow the cliffs and pay attention.
A very nice hike.

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nanou13430
nanou13430

Very nice hike on 24 February. The passage through the cave and then the ridges was magnificent with a panoramic view 🤩.

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Nat et phil
Nat et phil

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Feb 23, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

A very nice, varied and fun hike, with beautiful 360° views. On the ridges of Mont Menu, we followed markers with both green dots and cairns. We made very little use of the GPS.

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Virginie1351
Virginie1351

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of walk : Dec 26, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

Hiking today. Honestly, I don't understand the previous opinions. I did it with the GPS track and the explanations without any problems in 3h40 with a 10min break at the tower. And from point 9, as soon as you're in any doubt, there are either cairns or dots of green paint that are just perfect for finding your bearings. The hike is brilliant, super fun between the cave and the path on the ridges. Just magnificent 🤩
Thanks to those who maintain these paths and allow us to discover such landscapes.

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Helene16
Helene16

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of walk : Dec 22, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

Very poorly signposted and dangerous in places. Although we were good walkers, the lack of proper signposting at the end was a real ordeal (at nightfall, mea culpa). Even our 2 GPS units were on the floor. We recommended setting off in the morning to make the most of it, with a GPS watch, and on a windless day. Otherwise very beautiful

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bruken
bruken

Limited by time, we only did Mont Menu, leaving from the car park at the start of the Domaine des Glauges road (the return point of the proposed itinerary) and following the Coste Ferre ridge to the north of Mont Menu (after Mt Menu, red markers and cairns to guess). We returned via a path that runs parallel to the D25 near St Pierrre de Vence and which catches up with the Glauges trail, making a round trip via the caves at the foot of Mont Menu, accessible via a well-marked path on the left, at the start of the Glauges trail.

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YASSDU
YASSDU

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of walk : Oct 09, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

Superb hike
Lots of nice surprises and a magnificent setting.
The route is difficult to follow but the GPS is very well done.

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vire
vire
• Last modified:

Hello Marc
Access to the massif is restricted because of the frequent fires during the heatwave.
The ridges of Mont Menu require a bit of intuition but a few cairns allow you to follow them without markers.
This hike is best done in cool weather.

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marcmoine
marcmoine

Overall rating : 2.7 / 5

Date of walk : Jul 05, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Clarity of route map : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No

Hiking in very hot weather. Very steep ascent followed by a long, physical descent. Very nice hike in the first part up to the cave we crossed.
Then a galley galley despite the use of the Visorando application.
End of hike done "by intuition" as he put it !!!!!

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prootrando
prootrando

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of walk : Apr 29, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

Very good for the first part, we opted for the direct variant. It was great, although a bit steeper.
On the other hand, the second part (after the grotte traversante) is a pain to find (even with the app) because there are goat tracks everywhere and so you have to navigate with the GPS all the time. Otherwise, the route is great, but it would be easier if there were painted markings. I did it with my 10 and 12 year olds and they had a great time.

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jpg13490
jpg13490
• Last modified:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of walk : Apr 07, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

A varied and panoramic route. You have to be careful on the ridge after Mont Menu to follow the path, but there are no particular difficulties.
The only difficulty was the presence of a herd of sheep on the path to the north of the sheepfold: the patous totally blocked the way and I had to go around them to the west to rejoin the route from Aureille.

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Saurat Vincent
Saurat Vincent

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of walk : Mar 07, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

A very nice, well-described walk, although it was difficult to find the path (which isn't really a path) at the end of the route, which is mentioned in the description (the end of the route is reached by intuition...).

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trombinoscope
trombinoscope

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of walk : Feb 12, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No

A very nice, fairly sporty hike
The second part, Mont Menu, was new to me. A GPS is needed for this part as the paths are sometimes difficult to find (thanks to the people who marked the route with cairns).
I brought a group of 10 people
Thank you for this beautiful hike in the Alpilles.

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