The Colorado Provençal is located in Rustal, France. We visited the area in September 2020 It’s not actually in Colorado at all! The area is on old ocher quarry from 1871 – 1933. The bright red and orange colors make it look similar to Arches National Park in Utah.
Colorado Provençal is no longer a mine, but a popular a hiking area. We spent a few hours on a Friday afternoon hiking throughout the area. There were two trails to choose from.
The Sahara circuit is an easy walk through the area. This trail is only 1.3 miles (2.1 km) and will take under an hour to complete. You barely gain any elevation and have a nice, relaxing walk to see the beautiful colors of the area.
The Belvederes circuit follows the Sahara circuit for the first half of the trail, but then continues on so you can get a bird’s eye view. The hike promises beautiful views of the orange, craggly rocks with vineyards and lush green trees in the background. This hike is 2.5 miles (3.9 km) and takes about two hours to complete. The hike is slightly more difficult than the Sahara circuit, as there are some slightly steep parts (up and down) on the trail.
When visiting the Colorado Provençal area, wear an old pair of shoes. White tennis shoes will definitely get dirty. I wore black tennis shoes, but should have worn my hiking boots instead. My tennis shoes were breathable and had small holes in them. After we finished, sand had gathered all in my shoes and socks. My toenail polish was also stained orange from the sand! I had read reviews and it seemed more like a nature trail than a true hike. The Belvederes circuit is definitely a hike, and we recommend wearing hiking shoes!
In addition to hiking shoes, wear sunscreen. In the Sahara circuit, there is not much coverage to block the sun!
