The sentier Merveilleux
An easy 8.6 km loop at the foot of the cliff, in the best-preserved part of the Sainte-Baume forest, to walk in every season.
- Distance
- 8.6 km
- Duration
- 2 h 30
- Elevation gain
- 256 m
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Type
- Loop
- Highest point
- 879 m
- Start
- Parking des Trois Chênes, Plan-d'Aups-Sainte-Baume
Highlights
- The north-slope beech forest and its rare species
- Three kilometres along the rock wall
- The Ravel spring and the forester's house
The sentier Merveilleux, the "marvellous path", lives up to its name. It runs at the foot of the mountain, in the cool, damp atmosphere of one of the best-preserved forests in France: beech, yew, holly, lime and maple, mid-mountain species that survive here, in the middle of Provence, thanks to the microclimate of the north slope. It is a loop without difficulty, walkable all year round whenever the massif is open.
The route
Start from the parking des Trois Chênes, at the junction of the Mazaugues, Nans-les-Pins and Plan-d'Aups roads. You pass the fire-service barrier at the back of the car park and follow the yellow waymarks: after a few hundred metres a path climbs to the right, crosses a track and joins, at the Ravel spring, the sentier Merveilleux itself. It runs along the rock wall for three kilometres, under the trees.
At the Saint-Cassien track you leave the yellow waymarks for the track, then a steep pitch joins the Béguines track. It remains to follow it for two and a half kilometres, to skirt the forester's house by a narrow path and to return to the car park by the outward stretch.
Getting there
Parking des Trois Chênes, 8 km from Nans-les-Pins via the D80 and 5 km from the village of Plan-d'Aups.
Advice
A flock and its guard dogs may be present: give it a wide berth and stay calm if a dog comes to meet you. From 21 June to 20 September, access to the massif is regulated according to the fire risk; check the daily map of the Var prefecture.
