THE COLORADO PROVENCAL

Real-time attendance at the Colorado Provençal car park

When the gauge below reaches 100%, the car park is temporarily closed in order to limit crowds on the site and ensure the safety of visitors.

Before your visit, we advise you to regularly consult the official Colorado Provençal website ›› www.coloradoprovencal.fr for real-time information.

The provencal colorado nearbye the village of Rustrel is a former quarry of ochre. This anthropogenic landscape was created by both human activity and natural erosion. This combination of factors gave birth to a unic landscape in France.

At first « Provencal colorado » was just a nickname given by the locals due to the variety of colors of ochres. Indeed its large range of colors, from the light yellow to the most intense red witch offers a wonderfull contrast with the perfect provencal blue sky.

Definitively a must-seen site in Luberon.

A Site of Incredible Beauty!

The important Rustrel deposit and its quarries have earned the evocative name of “Colorado”.
This exceptional site, named for its variety of shapes and colors, combines the pleasure of hiking and discovering an industrial heritage. The beauty of the site is the result of the work done by 4 generations of ocher miners and farmers. The old ocher hill site stretches over 4 km. The site covers more than 100 hectares.

The people of Rustrel named the place "les Ubacs de Rustrel". Abbot Martel, president of Alpes de Lumière, while surveying the paths with the aim of creating the GR6 hiking trail, christened the site "Provencal Colorado", for the incredible colors that reminded him of the American canyon and because Colorado means "red" in Provencal.

50 shades of ocher ...

In the heart of the Colorado, the colors unfold and enchant the eyes.
The whole range of yellows, reds, oranges, browns even some greens and mauves are represented. The landscape (cliffs, cirques, fairy chimneys and hills) is the result of the exploitation of ocher started in the 18th century in the region. Gradually abandoned, the quarries form today a grandiose site, appreciated for walks and touristic hikes.

From the ocher industry pipes, machines, settling ponds are left here and there ... However, the Colorado is also an exceptional and very fragile living environment, characteristic of siliceous areas: maritime pines, heather and chestnut trees grow in abundance.

It is recommended to stay on marked trails and respect the environment you will see.

Where is located the Provençal colorado ?

Only one hour east from Avignon, one hour north of Aix-en-Provence. The Colorado Provençal is located in the village of Rustrel (Luberon), in the Departement of Vaucluse.

The site has a parking lot but during summer (july/august) it might get crowded.

Close to (by car) :

• Marseille : 1h30
• Aix-en-Provence : 1h
• Avignon : 1h

Opening times and dates

The site is open everyday including holidays and Sundays. It is closed only when the fire risk is to high and in case of very bad weather conditions.

Follow the opening of Colorado in real time on the website ›› www.coloradoprovencal.fr