Regulations
Mountain areas closed in summer: understanding the access restrictions
You’ve planned a hike, but the mountain range is closed by prefectural order: every summer, thousands of walkers find out the hard way… when they come up against the barrier, or face a fine. How do these closures work, where can you check the night before, and what are the risks of ignoring them?
Key points
- On days when the risk is high, prefectures may restrict access to the mountain ranges (people, vehicles, construction work) by order.
- The decision is usually made late in the afternoon the day before, mountain range by mountain range — the rule of thumb: check before EVERY summer outing.
- Fine incurred: generally €135 (a 4th-class offence), with penalties varying depending on the department and the circumstances.
- ‘Closed’ does not mean ‘advised to avoid’: it is a ban, based on a real danger at that time.
- Each department featured has its own official daily map — see the links below.
Why close a forest?
Two factors come into play on high-risk days:
- Fewer fires : As the vast majority of fires are caused by human activity, reducing the number of visitors on high-risk days automatically prevents fires from starting — cigarette ends, camping stoves, vehicles on dry grass.
- Fewer people to rescue : a fire breaking out in a popular mountain area could mean that dozens of walkers need to be evacuated as a matter of urgency, at the expense of fighting the fire itself. The tragedies prevented by closures never make the headlines — that is the whole point of them.
The scheme was introduced in the Bouches-du-Rhône following the Sainte-Victoire tragedy, and has since been rolled out across the Mediterranean region: each mountain range is assigned a colour every day (green/yellow = accessible, orange = not recommended or restricted depending on the department, red = prohibited), published the previous day at around 5–6 pm based on the weather risk.
Check access: official maps by department
The exact arrangements (timetables, levels, exemptions) vary from department to department — here are the main provisions:
| Department | Daily publication system |
|---|---|
| Bouches-du-Rhône (13) | Access map to the prefecture’s mountain ranges — “MyProvence / envie de balade” and voice response service on 0811 20 13 13 |
| Var (83) | Daily map of the Var department (published the previous day at around 6.00 pm) |
| Vaucluse (84) | Map showing access to the mountain ranges — Vaucluse Prefecture |
| Alpes-Maritimes (06) | Fire risk map / access to mountain ranges — Prefecture 06 |
| Gard (30) & Hérault (34) | Prefectural ‘fire risk’ maps with access levels |
| Aude (11) & Pyrénées-Orientales (66) | Maps and prefectural orders published during the summer |
| Corsica (2A/2B) | Maps showing access to the mountain ranges (Restonica, Agriates, etc.) in the two prefectures |
| Gironde (33) & Landes (40) | Regulations governing access to the Landes mountain range: notices issued in accordance with alert levels, closures of trails and forest areas |
The simplest solution for everyday life : our alert map for the danger level, then the prefectural map for your department to check access by mountain range — the official links are listed on our page regulations.
What exactly is prohibited by the term ‘closed’
- The presence of people in the mountains (hikers, mountain bikers, horse riders, foragers, etc.), both on and off the beaten track.
- Traffic and parking vehicles on the runways and surrounding areas.
- The works (forestry and agricultural activities in the vicinity, as specified in the relevant regulations) and any high-risk activity.
- The following remain authorised: residents and their dependants travelling to their homes, emergency services, and managers — in accordance with the exact terms of each decree.
What you stand to lose
- Fine : Breaching a prefectural closure order is usually a 4th-class offence — A flat fee of 135 € — some departments have opted for more severe penalties in cases involving aggravating circumstances (off-road motor vehicles, open fires, etc.).
- The patrols really do exist : the gendarmerie, the ONF, regional forest rangers, fire prevention committees — hundreds of fines are issued every summer in the PACA region.
- The real risk isn’t the fine : Being in the heart of a mountain range when a fire breaks out on a ‘red day’ is a recipe for disaster. Closures are imposed in response to a real danger — complying with them isn’t a sign of subservience, it’s about reading the weather.
The risk changes every day. So do your reflexes.
Check the fire alert status for your department, keep track of current fires and report a fire via the Feux de Forêt mobile app.