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| | Difficulty: | Moderate to Difficult |
| Way-marking: | Typical GR markings. Need good map skills |
| Trails: | Mostly mountain footpaths.
| | Lodging: | Good supply of small hotels located in the towns. Best to book at least a day ahead.
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Best Season:
| Spring and fall.
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Highlights:
| Exceptional area of France with medieval villages, beautiful scenery and plenty of french culture.
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The GR52A long-distance footpath, known in France as the Panoramique de Mercantour because of it's location near the Mercantour National Park, begins high on the Italian border at the Col de Tende. It then sweeps down through the beautiful Roya Valley toward the Mediterranean Sea before turning west.
As all long-distance trails, the experience is made of many different aspects which give the trail a "face". How does the 52A stack up? Here it is.
- Hiking- Don't underestimate the hiking in the Maritime Alps of Provence. Though not on the scale of the Himalayas or Rocky Mountains, trails tend to rise and fall abruptly. I decided that the word "switchback" has no french equivalent. Underfoot, trails can be rubbly and loose especially at the beginning.
 Make sure you're wearing real boots and your quads are in shape. Poles are a must. Once you've accepted this dose of reality and are prepared I can honestly say the GR52A offers some of the best hiking in the world. The fall color rivals New England and helps occupy your mind while climbing and descending. There are gorges, river valleys and high passes. Trails are abundant and fairly easy to follow. Would I go again? Absolutely!
 - Place- A great GR route always provides a definite sense of place. The painted facades of the walled medieval villages clinging to rocky terraces remind the walker of the Italian heritage of this easternmost part of Provence. Nothing is new except the plumbing and electrical. Despite it's Italian influence, the area is definitely French with all the things that France a wonderful place to hike: language, wine, baguettes, cheese and a lilting bon soir in the evening.
- Lodging- Every night is a story. It's the nights you'll sit around and talk about for years to come. If you're looking for big American-style rooms in the corporate hotel, forget it. The small, family-owned and operated hotel, auberge or chambre d'ote abounds in Provence and will provide the walker with plenty of tales. We love to arrive at the small hotel with linoleum floors where the owner, who never changes his shirt or black pants, checks us in, serves us beer, pours the wine at dinner and the coffee at breakfast and sets us on our way. The welcome is warm. The fun factor is high. Like Rich said one night while guzzling down a hard-earned beer, "I like this kind of place."
- Food- Well this is France so I could stop right there. Yet, the walker does not always want a fancy or even a particularly french meal every night. Enter the French pizzeria. They're plentiful, affordable and offer a hardy choice of pizzas, pastas and other local specialties. For wine, look down at the bottom of the beverage page for a list of wines by the pitcher offered in rouge, rose and blanc. They're a bargain and they're french. What else do you need to know?
 - Weather- We can't travel until October which limits mountain travel in the more northern alps of Europe. The Maritime Alps, being further south, have a long fall with the color peaking in late October making it a perfect late year destination.
- Affordability- Low season rates run from mid-October. Small hotels are usually a good value anyway and run an average of $80 a night for double occupancy including breakfast. Keep in mind that this is a flat rate and includes what you would pay for room tax and breakfast tax and tip. Bus transportation in the area is cheap. Where you have to be careful is food. Check the hotel menu before committing to see what your choices are then check in town for a Creperie or Pizzeria.
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