Sentier des Crêtes Ajaccio to Monte Salario Walk: Visitor’s Guide

The Sentier des Crêtes Ajaccio (Crest Trail of Ajaccio) is a walk offering sublime views of Ajaccio, the capital of Corsica. The Sentier des Crêtes Ajaccio consists of both a Low Crest and High Crest trail. Beck and I did a circular walk, combining sections of both the Low Crest and High Crest trails to reach Monte Salario, which is one of the highest peaks in Ajaccio.

In this guide, we’ll tell you everything that you need to know about the Sentier des Crêtes Ajaccio.

FYI – there is also a ‘Sentier des Crêtes’ in Canada. Just to be clear, this guide is about the Sentier des Crêtes in Ajaccio. To avoid search engine robots getting confused, we’ll use ‘Sentier des Crêtes Ajaccio’ as the walk’s name throughout the guide.

Sentier des Crêtes Ajaccio (Crest Trail of Ajaccio)

In English, Sentier des Crêtes Ajaccio roughly translates to the Crest or Ridge Trail of Ajaccio. The walk is also known as Chemin des Crêtes Ajaccio, which similarly translates to the Trail or Path of the Crests or Ridges of Ajaccio.

Essentially, in the Forêt communale d’Ajaccio (Ajaccio municipal forest), which is the forested area north of Ajaccio, there are trails offering views of the city as well as the surrounding coastline and mountain ranges. These trails are popular walking and running routes for locals looking to escape the city’s hustle and bustle.

From our experience, the trails don’t seem to be overrun with tourists. Admittedly, during our walk in mid-May, we mostly saw locals and perhaps just a handful of tourists en route.

Despite this, the trail actually has a fascinating history involving tourists. Around the 1880s, Ajaccio became a popular holiday destination for wealthy English people. These early tourists would walk along Sentier des Crêtes Ajaccio and actually named a small woodland en route, called Bois des Anglais, which loosely translates to English Woods.

These days, Bois des Anglais marks the eastern trailhead for the Low Crest Trail.

As mentioned, Sentier des Crêtes Ajaccio consists of both a Low and High Crest trail. Below, we’ll show you the difference between these crest trails. After that, we’ll show you the walk that Beck and I did, which combined sections of these two crest trails.

Low Crest Trail

As the name suggests, the Low Crest Trail (AKA the Low Ridge Trail) is the lower of the two crest trails. This point-to-point trail is roughly 10km, stretching from Bois des Anglais in the east to the Vignola Solar Power Station in the west.

This trail offers fantastic views of the city of Ajaccio, as well as Pointe de la Parata (Parata Point), Iles Sanguinaires (Sanguinaires Islands) and across the Gulf d’Ajaccio (Gulf of Ajaccio) towards Capu di Muru (AKA Capo di Muro).

The trail cuts through a section of the Ajaccio municipal forest, where you’ll walk by dense pockets of pine and eucalyptus trees as well as general shrubland.

Difficulty-wise, the Low Crest Trail is easier to walk than the High Crest Trail.

• Type: One-way
• Distance: 10km
• Time: 3–3.5 hours
• Accumulated elevation gain: 375m
• Difficulty: Moderate
• Trailhead: Bois des Anglais
• Map: AllTrails

High Crest Trail

The High Crest Trail (AKA the High Ridge Trail) is the higher of the two crest trails that make up Sentier des Crêtes Ajaccio. It’s a point-to-point 15km trail stretching from Bois des Anglais in the east to Pointe de la Parata to the west.

The High Crest Trail reaches two significant peaks north of Ajaccio – Monte Salario and Cinaraggia. Compared with the Low Crest Trail, the High Crest Trail doesn’t offer as much in the way of southward coastal views (at least in the easterly half of the walk). Instead, you’ll have views northward towards natural spaces and mountain ranges farther north of Ajaccio.

The High Crest Trail is much more challenging than the Lower Crest Trail.

• Type: One-way
• Distance: 15km
• Time: 5–6 hours
• Accumulated elevation gain: 645m
• Difficulty: Hard
• Trailhead: Bois des Anglais
• Map: AllTrails

Combining Low and High Crest Trails

It’s possible to combine both the Low and High Crest trails. This makes for quite a long and physically demanding walk. Below, you’ll see the trail specs for this combined walk.

• Type: Loop
• Distance: 25km
• Time: 8–9 hours
• Accumulated elevation gain: 1,000m
• Difficulty: Very hard
• Trailhead: Bois des Anglais
• Map: AllTrails

There are also route alternatives that combine sections of both trails. An example is a loop walk that incorporates the eastward section of the Low and High Crest trails via Monte Salaraio. This is the walk that Beck and I did! Let’s look at this walk in a bit more detail.

Sentier des Crêtes Ajaccio to Monte Salario Walk

The Sentier des Crêtes Ajaccio to Monte Salario Walk is a popular option for those wanting to explore sections of both the Low and High Crest trails. This way, you get the best of both worlds! You get to enjoy spectacular views of Ajaccio and the coastline, as well as navigate a higher, more challenging trail to reach a key summit north of Ajaccio (Monte Salario).

Below, we’ll show you the trail specs and map of this walk.

Trail Details

• Type: Loop
• Distance: 9.5km
• Time: 3.5–4 hours
• Accumulated elevation gain: 405m
• Difficulty: Hard
• Trailhead: Bois des Anglais or Chemin du Caniccio

Sentier des Crêtes Ajaccio to Monte Salario Walk Map

Here is a map of the Sentier des Crêtes Ajaccio to Monte Salario Walk. We highly recommend using a map (AllTrails) to help you navigate.

How to Get There

There are a few options for accessing this walk, depending on which trailhead you choose to start.

• Bois des Anglais: this is the best trailhead option if you’re staying in central Ajaccio. That’s because you can walk to or catch a bus to the trailhead. There are only a few parking spots available at this trailhead.
• Chemin du Caniccio: there are more parking spaces available at this trailhead, while there is also parking nearby down the road. It’s also possible to catch a bus to a stop nearby and walk to this trailhead. Perhaps those who are driving would prefer accessing the walk from this trailhead, given the increased parking availability.

Parking

Beck and I chose to start the walk from the Chemin du Caniccio trailhead as we hired a car for our Corsica trip. We found a decent parking area here, near the trailhead.

To find out more about renting a car with Discover Cars, read our Discover Cars review and Discover Cars Insurance review.

Sentier des Crêtes Ajaccio: Our Experience

We’ll now tell you a little about our experience exploring Sentier des Crêtes Ajaccio. As mentioned, we chose to do the Sentier des Crêtes Ajaccio to Monte Salario Walk, starting at the Chemin du Caniccio trailhead.

Sentier des Crêtes Ajaccio Low Crest Trail

From the Chemin du Caniccio trailhead, you’ll follow a steep dirt trail to access the Low Crest Trail. Bear in mind, this steep trail is around 800 metres long, so you’ll be huffing and puffing from the get-go!

Given the steep rise, you’ll enjoy fantastic views of Ajaccio and the coastline almost immediately.

Once you access the Low Crest Trail, you’re free to complete the circular component of the walk in either direction. Beck and I chose to do the walk in an anti-clockwise direction. That meant we followed the Low Crest Trail for just shy of 2km before reaching the turn-off to the High Crest Trail, which is located on the outskirts of Bois des Anglais.

Before reaching this turn-off, we enjoyed spectacular views of the Gulf of Ajaccio.

Bois des Anglais

When you reach the eastward intersection of the Low and High Crest trails, you’ll reach a sign. Turning left is to follow the High Crest Trail to Monte Salario. This is what Beck and I did. To go right is to follow the Low Crest Trail through the Bois des Anglais.

Alternatively, if you choose to start the walk from the Bois des Anglais trailhead, you’ll explore this lovely forested area before reaching this sign.

Personally, Beck and I didn’t explore the belly of Bois des Anglais; instead, we skirted its western edge, because we started from the other trailhead. From what we’ve read, Bois des Anglais is a natural oasis for locals, as it’s the gateway from the urban city to the surrounding forest landscape.

Sentier des Crêtes Ajaccio High Crest Trail

Once we turned left at the sign, we began our ascent of the easterly section of the High Crest Trail. This meant heading westward towards Monte Salario.

Compared to the Low Crest Trail, the High Crest Trail cuts through more dense areas of forest. At times, this will considerably limit your views.

After a gradual climb, you’ll eventually reach Monte Salario.

Monte Salario

From Monte Salario, you won’t get a glimpse of the coastline. Instead, you’ll enjoy far-reaching views northwards towards some higher mountain ranges.

Truth be told, Beck and I preferred the coastal views along the Low Crest Trail as opposed to the mountain views along the High Crest Trail. But one thing we preferred about the High Crest Trail was its quietness. Because the High Crest Trail is more physically demanding to walk, expect to see far fewer people along this trail.

At Monte Salario, we took a break to fly our drone. Check out our Corsica Hikes YouTube video to scope out drone footage of the area.

Afterwards, we commenced our descent from Monte Salario, heading west along the High Crest Trail. Soon enough, we turned left on a track connecting the High Crest and Low Crest trails. Once you’re back on the Low Crest Trail, you’ll continue east back towards the city of Ajaccio to complete the loop walk.

During many stages of the Low Crest Trail, you’ll enjoy spectacular coastal views stretching all the way to Iles Sanguinaires.

Sentier des Crêtes Ajaccio Practical Tips

Let’s cover some tips and tricks to ensure an enjoyable walk.

• Weather: given the usual hot weather during the middle of the day, we highly recommend doing this walk earlier or later in the day. Also, pack plenty of water and snacks!
• Trail navigation: we recommend using a map, but rest assured that there are yellow signs along the way to assist with navigation.
• Choose an appropriate trail option: as mentioned, there are many route variations for exploring Sentier des Crêtes Ajaccio. Make sure to choose a trail option reflective of your skill level. For instance, the easiest option would be a short walk that explores Bois des Anglais exclusively, whereas the hardest option would be to combine both the Low and High Crest trails.
• Public transport: if you plan to do a point-to-point walk (either the Low Crest or High Crest trail), you can catch a bus back to your starting destination. This would involve catching the L5 bus, which runs roughly every 30 minutes, between Ajaccio and Pointe de la Parata.

Corsica Hiking Guides

• Corsica Hikes Guide: The 17 Best Day Hikes in Corsica
• Sentier des Douaniers Cap Corse – The Ultimate Walking Guide
• Sentier des Douaniers Saint-Florent – The Ultimate Walking Guide
• Pointe de la Revellata – The Complete Walking Guide
• Sentier du Facteur Girolata – The Ultimate Hiking Guide
• Sentier du Château Fort Piana – The Complete Walking Guide
• Calanques de Piana Hike via Sentier Muletier (Piana Mule Trail)
• Capo Rosso Hiking Trail – The Ultimate Guide
• Sentier des Crêtes Ajaccio to Monte Salario Walk – Visitor’s Guide
• Sentier des Douaniers Ajaccio – Pointe de la Parata to Petit Capo
• Capu di Muru (Capo di Muro) – The Complete Walking Guide
• Sentier du Littoral de Campomoro – Tour de Campomoro Walk
• Sentier Littoral des Bruzzi (Sentier des Bruzzi) – Visitor’s Guide
• Capo di Feno Bonifacio Walk (Includes Sentier de Fenu)
• Strada Vecia Madonetta – An Excellent Coastal Walk in Bonifacio
• Campu Rumanilu – Bonifacio Cliff Walk (The Ultimate Guide)

Where to Stay in Ajaccio

We stayed in Ajaccio for two nights during our 10 day Corsica adventure. As the capital of Corsica, Ajaccio offers the best range of accommodation options. Whether you’re looking for something budget, mid-range, or luxurious, we’re sure you’ll find accommodation in Ajaccio that suits your needs.