The hike begins at B55 across from the Spar in Tende. At first the route is a piste. Climb to B62 on the piste then up to B63. It’s a steady but not particularly difficult climb. Although there were shady spots the route became progressively sunnier. To avoid in summer! After reaching the Col de Boselia, the path looks alarmingly steep but only for a very short while. It became the prettiest part of the hike with much more shade, nice views and moutain flowers. It led to the Col de Loubaira and the TV station. The descent was easy as it was along a paved road. It was long though with a lot of switchbacks and very exposed. The hike ended at b52. Then it was between one and two kilometres to walk back up to the village. Denivilé 360m Length 8km Duration: a very relaxed 4 1/2 hours.  

I started out at Balise 124 and followed the Route de L’Armee des Alpes which was a wide, sunny track.   Along the way are casernes from WWII. Then I entered the Parc de Mercantour for the climb to Baisse de Levens which passed through a shady forest of pines and firs.It’s particular to the region and called l’Ostryaie It took about 45 minutes to get to the Baisse de Levens. I followed the balises pointing to Mont Gros but shortly after this point, the trail seemed to peter out.   Instead of following the trail along the ridge, I probably should have climbed straight up the steep hill to get to Mont Gros but it was poorly indicated. Anyway it was a beautiful spot to eat my sandwich. I then followed the balises down a very gentle path that wound round and round ending up at balise 136 (?) which was under the Col de Brouis on the road. It was a kilometre or two up the road to get back to my starting point. All in all it was a beautiful, shady hike, perfect for warm weather. In springtime, the snowy Mercantour in the distance and the spring … Continue reading →

On a beautiful late summer Sunday, I started from the Franciscan Monastery (Balise 20) and climbed slowly up on a wide path, stopping to rest at a mountain fountain (Balise 162) It was mostly sunny but with patches of shade. There was some cultivation and a working donkey. A steady, gentle ascent brought me to the Chappelle Sainte Croix. Then the road got steeper with a brief climb over schist. Finally I reached La Pinee and its abreuvoir (Balise 433, 360m dénivelé) Beautiful views It was a beautiful picnic spot. Then I slowly descended through a pine forest. The descent was much shader than the ascent which made me wonder if it would be best the other way around. The vegetation was Mediterranean with fig trees (not yet ripe), blackberries (already dried out) and apple trees (not yet ripe). It was the perfect time of year for this pleasant, not too demanding hike.