At the foot of the Calans, the emblematic peaks of the Alpilles, the former Mas de Badon quarry has had a rich history.
Today it's an arboretum where you can take a stroll on the heights of Eygalières.
Today it's an arboretum where you can take a stroll on the heights of Eygalières.
A quarry turned Mediterranean arboretum...
From a geological point of view, the remarkable site of ‘Mas du Badon’ is a former colluvial quarry, at the foot of limestone ridges from the secondary era (Barremian, Urgonian).
From the end of the 19th century, this quarry was exploited for its masonry aggregates. Having reached the end of its life, the quarry closed in 1973.
In 1995, to fill in the old quarry, a municipal by-law authorised the dumping of inert materials and green waste. But several years later, the many abuses and hazardous waste had turned it into an unauthorised dumping ground. The site was ordered closed in July 2007.
The idea of developing this remarkable site in the heart of the Alpilles naturally occurred to the municipality, which then embarked on an arboretum project with the Alpilles Regional Nature Park. The aim was to create an area of Mediterranean flora adapted to the climate, in several stages.
The first plantings were carried out in autumn 2010 by students from the Lycée professionnel agricole in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence.
The garrigue of the Alpilles is made up of sixty trees and numerous shrubs in several separate clumps.
Adapted to soils that are often poor and dry in summer, most of the species present here demonstrate strategies for adapting to the environment, aimed at limiting water loss.
Discovering the flora and landscape of the Alpilles, with views as far as Mont Ventoux, is a great way to go for a walk, or to take a break on the GR6 long-distance footpath that crosses the massif.
Free parking and information panels: Salle polyvalente and Jardin d'enfants
Walk to Badon from the village: 30 to 45 minutes (one way), along the red and white GR6.
Source: Alpilles Regional Nature Park brochure ‘Découvertes dans le Parc naturel régional des Alpilles - Arboretum de Badon’.
For your safety and because of the fire risk, from 1/6 to 30/9, access to the massifs is regulated.
For more information: https://www.myprovence.fr/ca-s-agite-dans-le-local/envie-de-balade
From a geological point of view, the remarkable site of ‘Mas du Badon’ is a former colluvial quarry, at the foot of limestone ridges from the secondary era (Barremian, Urgonian).
From the end of the 19th century, this quarry was exploited for its masonry aggregates. Having reached the end of its life, the quarry closed in 1973.
In 1995, to fill in the old quarry, a municipal by-law authorised the dumping of inert materials and green waste. But several years later, the many abuses and hazardous waste had turned it into an unauthorised dumping ground. The site was ordered closed in July 2007.
The idea of developing this remarkable site in the heart of the Alpilles naturally occurred to the municipality, which then embarked on an arboretum project with the Alpilles Regional Nature Park. The aim was to create an area of Mediterranean flora adapted to the climate, in several stages.
The first plantings were carried out in autumn 2010 by students from the Lycée professionnel agricole in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence.
The garrigue of the Alpilles is made up of sixty trees and numerous shrubs in several separate clumps.
Adapted to soils that are often poor and dry in summer, most of the species present here demonstrate strategies for adapting to the environment, aimed at limiting water loss.
Discovering the flora and landscape of the Alpilles, with views as far as Mont Ventoux, is a great way to go for a walk, or to take a break on the GR6 long-distance footpath that crosses the massif.
Free parking and information panels: Salle polyvalente and Jardin d'enfants
Walk to Badon from the village: 30 to 45 minutes (one way), along the red and white GR6.
Source: Alpilles Regional Nature Park brochure ‘Découvertes dans le Parc naturel régional des Alpilles - Arboretum de Badon’.
For your safety and because of the fire risk, from 1/6 to 30/9, access to the massifs is regulated.
For more information: https://www.myprovence.fr/ca-s-agite-dans-le-local/envie-de-balade
