Family mountain bike ride:
in the Cèdres forest
Make the most of the mild weather and the autumn colours and enjoy a family mountain bike ride. Take a deep breath and inhale the autumn scents of the forest, on a bike ride in the Cèdres forest, in the Luberon
facile
intermédiaire
difficile
Duration:
1 hour
Distance:
6.2 km
Pratice:
VTT
Type:
Loop
An easy-to-follow route
In the heart of the forest
Following the signposts for no. 49, the itinerary takes you along a hard surface route through the Cèdres forest, before taking you on to forest tracks.
On this first part of the route, which is shared with hikers, you can have some fun with a little race – will it be Mum or the kids who makes it to the next signpost first?
The track is wide enough for you to cycle side-by-side, so you can enjoy a little conversation.
At the Pré de Roustan, you will come to a little cross-roads. Take the track on the left to continue on the trail or, if you wish, you can take the route on the right towards the viewpoint.
Variant
Discover the Portalas viewpoint on the south side of the forest; it takes 10 minutes to get there and back.
It’s downhill on the way back
The return route takes you through a garrigue (scrubland) landscape.
It winds through narrower paths, where you can really feel the ride on board your mountain bike. This stony path offers a little more fun for avid mountain bikers, with some gentle downhill inclines where you can pick up speed (while maintaining control, of course!).
Before returning to the car park, the kids can enjoy one last race – while watching out for walkers, of course – on a section with a harder surface.
The Cèdres Forest
An extraordinary part of Provence
In 1861, with the aim of reforesting the summit of the Petit Luberon mountain, François Tichadou, who was a Waters and Forestry Inspector at the time, arranged for cedar seeds to be planted, which came from cones that had been brought back from the Algerian Atlas mountains.
At that point, 60 hectares of cedar trees grew on the mountain range. Today, the forest extends over 250m², and 800 of the trees there date back to this time.
Practical info
Download the GPX file for the route
>> Find a guide
Getting there: the car park is located just before Bonnieux village (if you’re coming from the direction of Lourmarin).