An oasis of colourful rocks
A sunny Sunday in August means a lot of French families from the area at Colorado Provençal. Understandable, as it is a large and colourful climbing paradise for young and old. Because I have set my mind on photos without crowds, I drive onto the car park just before 9.30 in the morning. I pay at the counter, take a brochure and start walking.
It is a good kilometre walk to the central quarry of Colorado Provençal. An ordinary sand path through the forest, where the sand turns from yellow to orange quite abruptly along the way. Once in the quarry, the colours pop out at you. Steep dark red cliffs with yellow-white badlands and orange-pink wrinkled hills below. There is no prescribed path; you can walk freely over the rocks. And so everyone wanders a bit criss-cross through the quarry, with a clear preference for climbing bulges.
From the quarry I continue on the orange trail, which at four kilometres is the longest hike in Colorado Provençal. It is a forest path that curves uphill to a number of viewpoints. The first overlooks a forested slope with a colourful oasis on it. That is Le Sahara, the fanciful name of the quarry I have just come from. A little further on is a lookout over Cheminées des Fées, the fairy chimneys.
The path slowly descends again and then skims Le Désert Blanc. As the name suggests, it is a white version of Le Sahara, but much smaller. After a brief glance, most people walk on satiated. It is nevertheless interesting to walk through Le Désert Blanc. You will encounter a mine shaft and a rusty piece of rail, reminders of the ochre mining of yesteryear.
Hiking map
Practical information
- Opening hours and rates of Colorado Provençal can be found on the official website.
- Nowadays it is required to reserve online for visits in the morning from May to August.
More colourful rocks in Provence
The other well-known place in the area to see ochre rocks is Sentier des Ocres, near Roussillon. It is smaller than Colorado Provençal, but that is certainly no reason to skip it. The brightly coloured rock formations are simply too extraordinary for that.
