The Verdon Grand Canyon is the largest canyon in Europe, cut over twenty-five kilometres and up to seven hundred metres deep between Castellane and Lac de Sainte-Croix. You can see it by car on the Route des Crêtes and its viewpoints, or on foot on the Blanc-Martel path, six hours of walking on the canyon floor, with a shuttle bus back.
This is what most visitors lack, and it costs them the day. The canyon has two sides, separated by several hours of driving.
The north side is followed by the Route des Crêtes, a twenty-three-kilometre loop starting at La Palud-sur-Verdon, one-way along part of its length, linking fourteen laid-out viewpoints. This is the vertiginous side, the one with the plunging views, and the most spectacular.
The south side is followed by the Corniche Sublime, the D71, from Aiguines, with viewpoints just as fine but fewer, among them the Balcons de la Mescla above the confluence.
You cannot do both in a day without spending it in the car. Choose one side. For a first visit, the Route des Crêtes.
From La Palud-sur-Verdon the loop takes two to three hours with stops, longer if you walk a little. The most impressive viewpoints are the Dent d'Aire, the Escalès and the Point Sublime, the last of which lies outside the loop, lower down.
Some viewpoints stand at the edge of the drop, with nothing but a low wall. With young children, constant vigilance is needed.
The road is narrow and cut into the cliff, and meeting a camper van on a bend is no pleasure. It closes for snow or ice, which happens from November to March.
This is the great Verdon walk, and one of the finest in France. The Blanc-Martel path, opened in 1928 by the Touring Club, drops from the Point Sublime to the canyon floor, follows the Verdon for fifteen kilometres and climbs back up to the Chalet de la Maline.
It has to be taken seriously: six hours of walking, seven hundred metres of descent and then ascent, two tunnels to cross in complete darkness, and sections on metal ladders. Take a head torch, essential for the tunnels, two litres of water per person, food, and proper boots.
The path runs one way only and ends a long way from the start: the shuttle bus between La Maline and the Point Sublime is essential. It runs from May to September, several times a day, and the timetable must be checked before you set off, or you will end up hitchhiking.
The path can close if water is released from the dam or if there is a storm. Check the day before.
For those who want neither six hours nor the car alone, there are options. Going up from the Galetas bridge by pedal boat, at Lac de Sainte-Croix, gives a foretaste of the canyon for an hour's effort. The Imbut path, on the south side, is shorter but more technical. And rafting, canyoning and climbing are run by professionals based in La Palud and Castellane.
This guide is part of the address book of a private estate in Puget-sur-Argens, 105 minutes away, available for weddings and family stays. It is not open to visitors.
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