Montée de Saint Amand

Discovery trail

History and architecture

Summit and pass

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Starting in Clamensane, this trail is centrally located in the Hautes Terres de Provence. It leads to a high mountain pass following a technical and challenging climb. Along the way, take the time to explore the Saint-Amand Chapel and its “talking rock.”

Description

From Clamensane (692 m), follow Route D1 toward Bayons (1 km).
At La Clastre (705 m), turn left onto the dirt road, then take the trail, which becomes increasingly steep. At the power line, take a short break on a flat section before continuing up the very steep slope.
At the Saint-Amand Chapel, continue up a short climb, then cross a beautiful scree slope leading to the Col de la Croix.
At the Col de la Croix (1,237 m), begin the descent along the forest track. Pass the track on the right and continue down to the ONF gate.
At the Col de la Croix trail (797 m), head back up the small paved road to the hamlet of Les Basses Graves.
At Les Basses Graves, take the trail then the path leading to the Sagnières valley and its aqueduct. Once you reach the Vermeil valley, descend gently along the trail on the left to return to the starting point.

Departure : Town hall, Clamensane
Arrival : Town hall, Clamensane
Towns crossed : Clamensane and Bayons

Forecast

Altimetric profile

Recommandations

This trail may pass through horse pastures. Please remember to always close the gates behind you.
You can listen to a story on your smartphone by scanning the QR code on the rock

Information desks

04250 Le Caire

viaferratalecaire@sisteronais-buech.fr 04 92 68 40 39

Transport

Let’s limit our trips and use public transportation and carpooling: https://zou.maregionsud.fr

Access and parking

From Sisteron (20 km), follow signs for La Baume, then take the D951 toward La-Motte-du-Caire. 3 km before reaching La-Motte-du-Caire, turn onto the D1 and continue to Clamensane.

Parking :

Town hall, Clamensane

1 point of interest

Office de Tourisme La Motte du Caire
Lake and river
The water
Indeed, through this small ravine known as the “Sagnières” (marshes, wet meadows), the river spreads its blessings throughout the first part of the trail. As Saint-Exupéry said, “What flowed thus from the belly of the mountain was life; it was the blood of men.” These men knew how to use and channel this resource, as they have done here, in order to survive. Is it not the most abundant element on the planet? With a global volume estimated at 1,360 million km³, it is also the most abundant component of living matter: humans and animals are composed of about 71% water, green plants of 85%, and wood of 50%. In other words, this water flowing at your feet remains the most precious resource the earth can offer to humankind.