Fifty shades of ochre
You don’t want to miss the surreal ochre rock formations near the village of Roussillon. And you are not the only one who thinks so. The short and easily accessible Sentier des Ocres hike is a real attraction, with accompanying tight organisation. There is paid parking at Parking des Ocres, which is also a good base for exploring the centre of Roussillon. You also have to pay admission for Sentier des Ocres itself, and the gate is closed outside opening hours. Opening hours and entrance fees can be found on the website of Roussillon en Provence.
There are two clearly marked walking routes, the longest of which is one and a half kilometres. The shorter route takes a cut-off halfway, but then you miss one of the two highlights. Just a hundred metres after the entrance you are at the first highlight, an ochre-coloured amphitheatre. The fifty shades of ochre sparkle in the sunlight and form a beautiful contrast with the surrounding bright green pine trees.
The walk continues through the forest to the second highlight. This one is surprisingly different. The colour is more orange-red than ochre and the rocks are shaped like hoodoos. Indeed, like in Utah and Arizona, but then in pocket size.
I walked Sentier des Ocres in the late afternoon. The crowds at that time of day are not too bad. The ochre-coloured amphitheatre is nicely in the sun then, but the red hoodoos are completely in the shade. And on the way back, there was a lot of shade at the amphitheatre as well. I suspect that for photography the light is better in the morning.
Hiking map
More colourful rocks Provence
If you got excited about the extraordinary ochre rocks, you should not miss the nearby Colorado Provençal. It is larger than Sentier des Ocres and the rock formations are even more exuberant in colour.
