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Black Earth – Insta-Heaven

Why you should go there: Well as you have probably read in the title – it’s the Black Earth and the great shapes it comes in. Additionally, with the Evo Bikepark, you can find a park that is open almost all year round.

The little town of Digne-les-Bains has been featured in many photo-shootings and videos over the past years, mainly due to its amazing black earth formations. Even though, most lines are actually quite short, this might be some bikers’ dreams. 

It is also home to the Evo Bike Park, a shuttle bus operated park that has a few fun lines. If you are not a pro and comfortable with big jumps, there are only a few trails suited for you. The team running the park has a great vibe that they transfer over to the riders.

Apart from these two factors, you might be better off elsewhere. There are a few good trails in the valley but you probably will not want to spend a week here. The town doesn’t offer much much in terms of restaurants and all hotels we stayed at are not to be recommended. 

If you go there, you might want to combine the trip with a few other destinations in the region. The region around Colmars has some trail treasures to explore. 

Who is it for: Experienced riders that want the perfect Insta-Picture in a weekend trip. 

Who should avoid it: If you look for culture, food and easy trails, this is definitely not your destination.

Trails

There are mainly two good loops that can be recommended (links below). Apart from that and Evo Bike Park, the closer area around Dinge-les-Bains is not very inspiring in terms of biking.

Black Earth

River Bed Trail

Black Earth

Evo Bike Park

Digne Les Bains

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Local services

 

Guides & Shuttles

Bike Shops

  • Alpinbike: Trek dealer that also offers rental bikes (mtb low end)
  • Gallardo: Specialized and Hibike dealer

Bike Parks

  • Evo Bike Park: Small Park with an offroad truck as shuttle for the very skilled riders. For beginners and intermediate, the selection is very limited. Make sure to reserve your ride up front, especially on weekends.

Food & Drinks

Even though, this is France we have not been blown away by the local cuisine. One exception is Café Kris.

Check out the bars at the main square for an after ride beer or Pastis.

Top Restaurants

01

Cafe Kris: Good food at the main square. $

Overnight

We have stayed at hotels in Digne but would not recommend them.

  • Airbnb: Many options – choose your favourite

Camping

There is a good choice of campsites available in the area.

More than Biking

Musée Promenade:

Outside museum with a small internal exhibition about the local geology

Plan d’Eau des Ferréols

Public swimming lake for the warmer months

Thermes de Digne

Well, you might be wondering if there is a “Bains” in town. We would not recommend going there.

Disclaimer

The content of this website is just an opinion of a few individuals. It is not based on scientific research and some facts may have changed since the last visit. Feel free to leave a comment with suggestions for anything we have covered on this website.

You might be riding on shared trails! Yield to other trail users and animals! Control your speed, leave no traces and don’t shortcut corners! Thank you!

Last on-site research: 2019

entries with this icon have been recently tested by the authors