The shortest trail to climb Mont Ventoux
Half-day
This guided hike up to the summit of bald-headed Mont Ventoux (1,911m / 6,270ft) is one of the most beautiful walking route up to the “Giant of Provence”. Starting from the Mont Serein ski resort, around 1,400 m high on the north-facing slopes, it is only 3 miles long, but with an elevation gain of 1,730 feet. Under the leadership of your local guide, you walk constantly uphill, mainly through a mixed forest of pines, firs, larches and beech trees: a real alpine atmosphere. But the last kilometer is very different: you move forward across an endless scree up to the top ridge: a lunar ambiance, this time !
Walking time : 2.5 hours (ascent only ; for the full loop, see “the ascent of the north side” )
Rating : challenging (significant elevation gain and scree hiking)
Season calendar : from May to November
Point-to-point hike.
Breathtaking viewpoints over Haute Provence
and the southern Alps
Half-day
Starting from a mini ski resort located on the south-facing side of the Lure mountains (1,826m / 5,990ft) in Haute Provence (Provence highlands), east to Mont Ventoux, this walking route takes you through a mixed beech and fir forest, up to the ridge and its fantastic vistas: from up there, the landscape opens up onto the valley on the other side and onto a large number of Alpine peaks, on the horizon: northward, from the left to the right, the Vercors, the Ecrins; eastward: the Estrop massif and the mountains dominating the Verdon canyon; and southward: Mont Sainte Victoire and the Luberon mountains; in one word, most of the part of the south of France located east of the Rhône river! And if lucky, you may enjoy seeing some chamois, these mountain goats that live on the steep and stoney north-facing slopes of the range.
Walking time : 2.5 hours
Rating : moderate
Season calendar : year-round (on snow-covered land, choice of a shortened route and use of snowshoes)
Through the vineyards of Gigondas
among the Dentelles de Montmirail
Half-day or Full Day
Hiking in the Mont Ventoux region includes a detour via the Dentelles de Montmirail. Those four jagged limestone ridges, 3-4 kilometers long, owe their name to the unique outline of their crags: “dentelle” in French means lace. Just a 40-minute drive from Avignon, these needle-thin crests, about 1,000 feet high, are made of dramatically steep cliffs and spikes. They tower above vineyards that cover hillsides all around, especially the ones of the famous Gigondas designation. During this walk you enjoy roaming among the terraced vineyards and hiking up to the top of one of these Dentelles de Montmirail. And if you are a wine lover, your guide can set up a visit to one of the Chateaux nearby, so typical of the Provence wineries : you will taste the outcome of their last harvest.
Walking time : 3.5 or 4.5 hours depending on pace and route
Rating : moderate (rugged terrain)
Season calendar : year-round (summer : 8am – 11am only, not allowed on fire risk days)
A medieval chapel in Haute Provence
Half-day or Full Day
Located in Haute Provence on the south-facing slopes of the Lure mountains, the chapel of Notre-Dame de Lure (1,236m) is the remaining part of a 12th century abbey. In front of the church, four majestic trees, three linden and one walnut, have been guarding the place for centuries. To reach this peaceful site from the small town of St-Etienne les Orgues, at the base of the mountain, you have to climb up through different areas of vegetation, some with native shrubs and trees, others with plantations, as your local guide will show you. Just before destination, as the Mediterranean climate influence is tempered by the altitude, you will penetrate the last one, a beech grove, where the ambiance delightfully changes.
Walking time : 3 hours (5 hours if you walk down back to the village)
Rating : challenging (significant elevation gain)
Season calendar : year-round
Point-to-point or circular hike.
The ascent of the north side of Mont Ventoux
Full Day
This hike up to the summit of Mont Ventoux (1,911m / 6,270ft) is one of the most beautiful walking route up to the “Giant of Provence”. Starting from the Mont Serein ski resort, around 1,400 m high on the north-facing slopes, it is only 3 miles long, but with an elevation gain of 1,730 feet. Under the leadership of your local guide, you walk constantly uphill, mainly through a mixed forest of pines, firs, larches and beech trees : a real alpine atmosphere. But the last kilometer is very different: you move forward across an endless scree up to the top ridge : a lunar ambiance, this time !
The descent back to Mont Serein ski resort mainly takes place along the tracks followed by skiers in winter.
Walking time : 4 hours
Rating : challenging (significant elevation gain and scree hiking)
Season calendar : from mid-April to December (except on snow-covered land)
Hiking an alternate trail up
to the “Giant of Provence”
Full Day
If you enjoy taking in a panoramic view and catching sight of the mountains visible on the horizon, this day hike up to the summit of Mont Ventoux is for you. But you’d better not choose one of these few days when clouds stay from morning till evening over the mountain. Nor should you go when wind gusts reach 100 mph or more (Provence’s record with 200 mph) ! Along this trail you spend one hour and a half following the ridge up to the top, coming upon a mere few pines during the first part, and only some dwarf junipers during the last one. And if Mont Ventoux looks like snow-capped from the distance even during warmest months, you can check out that this is huge limestone scree up there.
Walking time : 5 hours
Rating : challenging
Season calendar : year-round (on snow-covered land, choice of a shortened route and use of snowshoes). Not allowed on fire risk days.
Walking in the footsteps of Haute Provence’s writer, Jean Giono
Full Day
This guided hike takes place in a part of Provence out of the tourist way. The south-facing slope of the Lure mountains, that nourished Jean Giono‘s dreams, is partly made of these uplands “where deserts are really desert lands”, as he wrote ; a limitless stretch of land, an area of shepherds, dry stone walls, barrenness and wind ; a land of uncountable starry nights, where winters are harsh and soils stubborn. From this hike, in addition to the tales about Giono‘s works by your local guide, another key event will probably remain engraved in your memories : the sight of three dry stone sheepfolds on different sites, each one built of half a million stones. Truly a world apart.
Walking time : 6 hours
Rating : challenging
Season calendar : year-round
Climbing the Lure mountains
Full Day
The ascent of the south-facing slope of the Lure mountains (1,826m / 5,990ft) from St Etienne Les Orgues, the small town which lies at its foot, offers numerous highlights including the chapel of Notre-Dame de Lure and the vast scenery from the top ridge! Another interesting feature of the hike is the variety of vegetation types you walk through: first, lavender fields and wild thyme moorlands around the village; then, downy oak woods and black pine groves; as altitude increases, a beech forest where firs are more and more numerous; finally the wide-open beauty of grasslands in the subalpine zone. And if coming at the right season, you can learn the names of the flowers from your local guide.
One of the significant advantages of this trail in the heart of Haute Provence is its coolness, even in hot summer periods.
Walking time : 6 hours
Rating : challenging (high elevation gain)
Season calendar : year-round (on snow-covered land, choice of a shortened route and use of snowshoes)
Point-to-point hike.
The full ascent of Mont Ventoux
Full Day
This hike is the great adventure to live in the area if you like long-term physical efforts. You climb the north-facing side of Mont Ventoux, where 90% of the ascent takes place in the middle of forests : first, among oaks and pines, then mostly under beech trees and firs, and finally through the highest forest zone, under mountains pines. It is only during the last half-hour of your climbing that trees disappear ; you then walk among stones, millions of stones everywhere and can watch an immense panorama when you turn around. After several hours of loneliness and silence, you finally reach the top and meet dozens of cyclists and other excursionists. At last, you have the right to contemplate the south-facing slopes and foothills of the mountain and to enjoy the view all around.
Walking time : 5 hours
Rating : difficult (very high elevation gain)
Season calendar : year-round (on snow-covered land, choice of a shortened route and use of snowshoes)
Point-to-point hike.