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Gorges de l'Infernet
The Infernet gorges are carved by the Infernet stream in the Sainte-Victoire massif, north-east of Aix-en-Provence. This small watercourse feeds the Bimont reservoir, and the valley separates the two dams of Bimont and Zola. The Zola dam was built between 1850 and 1854, and the Bimont one between 1946 and 1951. Lake Bimont, with a capacity of 40 million cubic metres, was designed to supply water to the large urban and industrial centres of the Arc valley and Marseille.
The Infernets circuit, which passes both dams, runs along the valley and offers views of the rock walls and of the reservoirs, in a setting of pines and holm oaks typical of the Provençal garrigue. Some passages are steep or exposed, which makes the walk unadvisable for unaccompanied children and people prone to vertigo. Swimming and access to the lake shores are forbidden, and the marked areas are closed in summer in periods of fire risk.
