Route du Désert
- 4.7 mi
- round trip
- 2,642 ft
- climb
- Difficult
- difficulty
- Gravel
- surface
Route du Désert is an out-and-back mountain bike trail in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France, inside Réserve naturelle Géologique de Haute-Provence. It is 2.4 miles each way, 4.7 miles there and back. It runs between about 4,310 ft and 4,640 ft above sea level, with roughly 1,370 ft of climbing one way. It is rated mtb:scale 2: larger roots and rocks, steps and steeper pitches, for confident riders. Most of the way is gravel. The nearest town is Authon, about 1.9 miles southeast of the start. Peaks within about 3 miles include Sommet de Géruen, Cluchette and Pierre-Mont. Cascade de Gourgoumont is within about 3 miles. For camping, Le Moulin de Thoard is within about 6 miles. There are 2 other mapped trails within about 3 miles, so you can combine or extend the outing. Distances, elevations and the trail shape here come from OpenStreetMap and the Copernicus 90 m elevation model. Trail access for bikes, closures and conditions change, so check locally before you ride.
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Also worth it near here
Photo: Johannes Werner, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)Sommet de Géruen
~3 min drive
Photo: Pmau, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)Refuge d'Art Vieil Esclangon
~12 min drive
Photo: Etienne Baudon, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)Cascade Saut de la Pie
~15 min drive
Photo: Karl-Heinz Böhm, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)Camping du Bourg
~16 min drive
Photo: Benoît Prieur, CC0 (via Wikimedia Commons)Thoard – Digne-les-Bains
~16 min drive
Conditions and forecast
Daily highs and lows, wind and the chance of precipitation at Route du Désert for the next 7 days, from the Open-Meteo model.
Map and trail data © OpenStreetMap contributors
