Calanques fire-risk closures in 2026

How did the Calanques fire-risk map work in summer 2026?

From 1 June to 30 September the prefecture rated each massif for the next day, between 17:00 and 18:00. Only red closed the Calanques to the public.

The park's fire-risk access page explains the routine: between 17:00 and 18:00, the prefecture's services assess the risk for the following day and publish it massif by massif. The national park falls under the Calanques, Cap Canaille and Grand Caunet massifs. The quickest way to check is the park's free Mes Calanques app, which shows the day's access status and sends a notification when the park closes.

The colours work on two layers. The public only needs to know open or closed. Contractors and anyone running machinery face tighter rules. The framework comes from a prefectoral order of April 2025, summed up in the prefecture's access leaflet, and local press in June 2026 described the same yellow-level hours for works (info.fr).

Which days were the Calanques closed in summer 2026?

The park and the prefecture announced red days for the Calanques on Wednesday 1 July, Thursday 2 July, Wednesday 8 July and Monday 17 August. This list is the confirmed ones, not a full season count.

The season started hard. After weeks without real rain and a heatwave, the prefecture closed every massif in the department on 1 July (park notice) and kept the Calanques and Cap Canaille shut on 2 July (park notice). On 3 and 4 July the park went back to green while a dozen inland massifs stayed closed, as Fréquence Sud reported.

On 8 July, with temperatures up to 40 °C and mistral gusts, all massifs in the Bouches-du-Rhône closed for the whole day (Fréquence Sud). A prefecture press release did the same for 17 August, listing all 25 massifs including the Calanques, Cap Canaille and Grand Caunet (press release, PDF).

A red day is announced the evening before. Nobody can tell you in May which days of your trip will be red, so plan a boat day as your fixed point and keep the hikes flexible.

Do Calanques boat tours run on a red fire-risk day?

Yes. Boats may sail and swim stops from the boat go ahead, but nobody may step ashore in the park. The Frioul islands stay open.

The park is explicit: on a red day visits by boat remain possible, "tout débarquement est strictement interdit" (all landing is strictly banned), and the Frioul archipelago can still be visited. Swimming off an anchored boat is not landing, which is why the Marseille swim trips carry on more or less as normal.

The trips that do change are the ones built around the shore. The paddleboard tour spends an hour on En-Vau beach, which a red day rules out. The Cassis and Cap Canaille minibus tour stops on the Route des Crêtes, which closes, and its listing says there is no refund when the road or boat is closed for weather. The sunset schooner goes to the Frioul islands anyway, so a red day barely touches it.

What does a red day mean for a boat booking?

Usually nothing, if your trip swims from the boat. The catch is timing: the map comes out the evening before, after most free-cancellation windows have closed.

Every online trip on this site cancels free up to 24 hours before. The red-day decision lands between 17:00 and 18:00 the day before. For a 10:00 departure tomorrow, your free window shut at 10:00 today. That is fine for the swim boats, because they still sail. It matters for anything that needs land: a hike before the boat, a picnic on a beach, the paddleboard landing at En-Vau.

Our advice: in July and August, book the boat and treat the land plans as the extra. Pick a trip that swims from the deck, such as the picnic catamaran, and the fire map stops being your problem. If you also booked a Sugiton slot, note that the park cancels all reservations on a closure day, and they cannot be moved (more on Sugiton).

Up to 24 people on a catamaran from Pointe Rouge, swim stops at the Riou islands and off Sugiton, picnic and rosé on deck.

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Explore the picnic catamaran → Tour details

Will the same fire rules apply in summer 2027?

Expect the same 1 June to 30 September window. It comes from a standing prefectoral order of April 2025, which also governed 2026.

The order behind the colour system dates from April 2025 and still framed the 2026 season, so it is not a one-summer experiment. The park's own page presents the 1 June to 30 September window as the general rule. The prefecture can change the details, so check the park's page in late May.

Two other summer rules are set season by season. The Sugiton reservation has been extended through 2027, according to the park. The road closures to Sormiou, Morgiou and Callelongue get a new calendar each year; in 2026 they ran daily from 12 June to 30 August. Our park rules guide keeps the sea rules in one place.

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