Hiking to the Summit of Montagne de Chabre (1394m) - Baronnies Provençales Regional Park

The summit of Montagne de Chabre (1394m) towers above the stunning Gorges de la Méouge in the Baronnies Provencales Natural Regional Park and sits atop a long, flattened ridge that gives amazing panoramic views for hundreds of kilometres all around. So, with clear blue skies and low haze levels we decided that this was an ideal hiking destination for today and it turned out to be a great decision.


After a tiring and chilly ascent on the north side of the mountain we emerged after a couple of hours at 1200m at the end of the long ridge into bright sunshine to enjoy a breathtaking and shallow final approach to the top. The views were everything we could have hoped for. To the north-east we could see the snow-topped peaks of the Ecrins National Park, to the south-east the summits of the Mercantour and those hiding the Gorges-du-Verdon, to the south the outline of the beautiful Gorges de la Meouge and to the west Mont Ventoux across the rolling plains of Provence. Plus, unlike some of our more high altitude walks these views weren't glimpsed across other high peaks, but were clear across green and lush flood plains crammed with orchards.

Although at just under 1400m this was a 'low' summit from our adventure, there was just something special and majestic in this incredible vista, with the rivers Buech and Durance winding lazily to meet up on the plains below and so many 'highlights' of this corner of France on display. We are always fond of lingering at summits, longer than most other visitors, but today we really did settle in as we dozed beneath the afternoon sun close to the orientation board. We must have stayed for well over an hour enjoying the warmth of the sun and gazing out on the scenery before we managed to tear ourselves away.

Another nice surprise of the day was the abundance of fossils that we spotted in the rock. The fact that this entire area was a seabed 200 million years ago was already very evident in the curled and twisted layers of rock (especially during our cycle up the Gorges de la Meouge) but spotting so many pieces of amonites and other sea creatures was incredibly interesting and thought provoking.

Although the chilly nights and weak sun do leave us occasionally questioning whether lingering in the French Alps this late in the year is a good decision, days out like this with amazing scenery combined with near deserted trails are a real treat.