Tres Crous from Belvédère

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A challenging hike to reach the Tres Crous viewpoint, characterised by its three crosses and the panoramic view of the Vésubie valley stretching all the way to the sea.

Details

n°43552080
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 8.46 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 7h 10 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Very difficult
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 3,780 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 3,776 ft
  • ▲
    Highest point: 6,283 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 2,700 ft
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Photos

Tres Crous
Tres Crous
Very steep climb through the forest
Fountain Path

Description of the walk

Park at the entrance to the village of Belvédère. The route starts directly from the village, heading towards the Gordolasque valley.

(S/E) Walk back up through the village towards the centre (Rue du Samint). At the Placette du Perrier, turn right and take the steps on the left, then right. You will reach the junction with Rue Saint Esprit.

(1) Turn right, then take the Chemin de la Fontaine path, which climbs and leads away from the village towards the Chapelle Saint-Jean.

(2) At the junction (marker 264), turn left then climb, following roughly the crest of the ridge. Reach a road, take the path descending to the left and you will soon reach marker 290.

(3) Follow the forest path to the right, which climbs gently up to the junction at marker 289.

(4) Take the path climbing to the right towards the Croix du Serre. At the road, descend slightly to find marker 439.

(5) Continue along the path which climbs very steeply, following the crest of the ridge for a while through the forest.

(6) At marker 302, continue climbing steeply towards Les Tres Crous and head for the next junction.

(7) Ignore the path leading down to the left and continue the climb to Tres Crous.

(8) Enjoy the view and the three distinctive crosses. For the return journey, continue climbing to marker 301.

(9) Then turn left and follow a very short circular loop to return to the fork you passed on the way up.

(7) At the junction, leave the route you have already taken and take the path on the right which descends gently until it reaches a track near a DFCI water tank.

(10) Continue left along this track and, at the hairpin bend that follows, follow the path opposite. Cross the track you left earlier and rejoin it further down. Follow it to the right until you reach a junction.

(11) Continue to the left and at the three-way junction that follows, keep left to join a path that branches off to the right.

(12) Take this path and join a path further down.

(13) Head left and rejoin the route you previously took at marker 289.

(4) Follow the path back and return to marker 290.

(3) Turn right onto the road leading downhill, then take the path on the right and head towards the junction with Rue Saint-Esprit in Belvédère.

(1) Continue along the route you took on the way out and arrive at the entrance to the village (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 2,707 ft - Village Belvédère - Vésubie (rivière)
  2. 1 : mi 0.24 - alt. 2,759 ft - Crossroads of the circular village loop
  3. 2 : mi 0.73 - alt. 2,933 ft - Crossroads (marker 264) - Gordolasque
  4. 3 : mi 1.19 - alt. 3,182 ft - Junction for the A/R route, marker 290
  5. 4 : mi 1.82 - alt. 3,425 ft - Crossroads of the circular loop. Marker 289
  6. 5 : mi 1.92 - alt. 3,655 ft - Marker 439. Towards Croix du Serre
  7. 6 : mi 2.77 - alt. 5,059 ft - Marker 302
  8. 7 : mi 3.1 - alt. 5,784 ft - Crossroads of the 3 Crosses circular loop
  9. 8 : mi 3.31 - alt. 6,181 ft - Tres Crous
  10. 9 : mi 3.39 - alt. 6,283 ft - Marker 301
  11. 10 : mi 4.46 - alt. 5,299 ft - Track near a DFCI water tank
  12. 11 : mi 5.18 - alt. 4,564 ft - Crossroads
  13. 12 : mi 5.44 - alt. 4,485 ft - Path on the right
  14. 13 : mi 6.39 - alt. 3,301 ft - Junction
  15. S/E : mi 8.46 - alt. 2,710 ft - Village Belvédère

Notes

Take water, food, a windbreaker, a fleece and let someone know if you’re setting off alone.
Between the (7) and the (10), on the descent, there is a fountain where you can fill up with water if needed.

The climb from the Croix de Serre to the Tres Crous, although short (around 2 km), is very steep indeed, at around 35%; the physical difficulty of the hike is limited to this section.

Reviews and comments

4.3 / 5
Based on 4 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.5 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.3 / 5
Route interest
4.3 / 5
JPhi1972
JPhi1972

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 05, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Hello,
Hike completed on 5 August 2025. It's a beautiful hike, very challenging on the way up. The previous reviews are completely accurate. The way back is very good, but you need to be careful because it's very easy to lose your way. Fortunately, with GPS tracking, it's not too difficult, but without it, it would have been very complicated.
Best regards to all

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Helen44780
Helen44780

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 05, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A hike with gradients of up to 47% over several hundred metres.
It’s in the woods so it’s shaded, which is just as well as there’s no water along the route.
A splendid view when you reach the three crosses, and if you continue off-trail uphill, it’s magnificent.
I love hiking but I’m not really that fit, yet with the right mindset, anything is possible.
This is the first in a series of seven hikes to follow, covering a total of 100km in the Mercantour mountains with 7,000m of elevation gain. Belvédère is a lovely little village with evening entertainment in the summer.
Ideal for starting points not far away (20 mins max by car).
Thanks to Visorando, as there are no signposts on any of our routes in the Mercantour

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thierrymalaval
thierrymalaval

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 16, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The route took place on Saturday 16 March in glorious sunshine.
Up to an altitude of 1,551 metres, we made good progress despite the increasing amount of snow.
At this altitude, we put on our crampons and continued up to 1,800 metres.
We were sinking into the snow up to our knees, so we decided to head back down the same route.
For a 1,000-metre climb and a distance of around 10 km, it took us 3 hours and 40 minutes.
A very beautiful hike, slightly marred by the depth of the snow towards the end (we’ll do it again in a better season)
Belvédère is a very pretty village well worth a visit.

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Colettinicolas
Colettinicolas

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 28, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely hike,
Extraordinary views across the whole of the Mercantours
Indeed, for those who are fit,
Be careful on the return route through the forest to Belvédère
The path and markings are barely visible
are almost non-existent for short sections of the route.

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