Hiking - Ratery Forest
The herd crushes a green shoot underfoot, the axe chops down the fertile tree. Then the water carries away the sterile earth. The hillside becomes a moving desert and the tree dies before man. And thus man becomes the gardener of the mountain.
Walk along the road for about a hundred metres before taking a path to the left (gate). Ratery Fountain is a refreshing place to stop for a picnic in the summer warmth.
In summer, it is delightful to ride a mountain bike through the forest (onsite rental possible).
Quicker walkers should be able to reach the site in 1 hour from Colmars by taking the marked path (GR52A) which goes from Fort de Savoie carpark.
The path passes close to an old house followed by abandoned fields which have today been taken over by larch trees. Shortly afterwards, the Ratery forest track begins, through a beautiful forest of larch interspersed by the squat, dark green silhouettes of a few Swiss pines. A network of cross-country skiing trails has recently been created; check the sign at the start of the trail in order to head directly towards Ratery Fountain. The wooden huts and benches in the clearing are the remainders of intense forestry activity.
Take the departmental hiking blueprint path on the left, indicated with red and yellow markers.
Through the pine and spruce forest, it heads downwards towards the Clignon ravine, which you cross via two footbridges, then continues up the southern face, joining up with the Cirque de l'Encombrette path.
Follow the same route for the return journey, although you can turn the walk into a circuit: at the fork in the path, take the left fork to get to the hamlet of Clignon-Haut, then Clignon-Bas and finally Colmars; this last stage is on a tarmacked road.