Gorges du Verdon
Gorges du Verdon
Lac de Ste. Croix
Places to visit and activities near Maison Baudinard
Map of walks in the area
Best viewed on the satellite view as the map has been drawn over the
the satellite view.
Gorges du Verdon
Walking in the Gorges du Verdon
Don't worry about spending a whole day for a walk through the canyon.
It should be counted as one of France's great walks because, although
it is hard work, the panorama of the Haute Provence is just overwhelming
and makes the effort worthwhile. The path, called Sentier Martel which
leads onto the Sentier de l'Imbut, alternates between the canyon's
shoulders and the riverside, thus entailing a lot of climbing up and
down.
A tour of the whole canyon takes some four to six hours, so it is difficult to walk through the canyon and return to the starting point on the same day. It is a good idea to form two teams, each with their own car. Parking a car and entering the canyon is only possible at the ends of the upper canyon. Have the teams park their cars at opposite ends and start the tour from there, and exchange the car keys upon meeting each other halfway through the canyon.
The following outfit is recommended:
- Strong footwear: The path is marked by some colour dots here and there on a rock, and very little else. In some places the path crosses some heaps of gravel, and the rocks that are exposed to the mist become quite slippery.
- Warm clothing: Even in the summer it gets quite fresh in the shadow of the canyon walls and especially at the canyon's bottom.
- A bottle of water.
- Flashlight: From Point Sublime, the path starts with a few tunnels. Without a torch you would keep both stepping into puddles and hitting your head on the low tunnel ceilings.
Promenades dans le Verdon
www.carto.net/verdon
Information about visiting paths in the Grand Canyon du Verdon.
Plenty of PDFs of walks. Maps at the end of the PDFs.
The Gorges du Verdon is one of Europe’s great natural wonders; formed where the blue-green Verdon river cuts a deep swathe through the high limestone plateau of Haute Provence. Often called Europe's Grand Canyon, this truly spectacular canyon is over 25 kms long and in places over 1000 meters deep, and the great cliffs are a playground for rock climbers. The world’s 2nd largest canyon, it may not compete with the Grand Canyon, Arizona, but it is still the largest canyon in Europe. The Verdon river is named after it’s unusual colour. Verdon is derived from the French word for green.
Surprisingly, the magnificent Gorges du Verdon and the Lac de Ste. Croix in Provence, France are relatively unknown to the British. Although a holiday area, it remains unspoiled, especially outside the high season. An excelent area for walking, bird watching or just enjoying the weather and scenery. There are walks and hikes along the river’s edge, alongside mountains and some taking in villages or vantage points. Whatever walk you choose, you can be sure of the most awe-inspiring scenery, a wealth of wildlife and a wide variety of wildflowers and plants.
There are actually two canyons which are separated by the Sainte Croix lake. In the midst of a nature reserve, rich in flora and fauna, the scenery here is astonishing. Never really discovered until the beginning of the century, the Verdon Gorges have since then fascinated innumerable visitors.
Lac de Ste. Croix
This magnificent turquoise lake was formed by the Barrage (dam) de Ste. Croix, built on the Verdon river in 1975. Sitting on the open Plateau de Valensole and the Grand Plan de Canjuers, the lake has a feeling of endless space and light. At the northeastern end of the lake at the Pont du Galetas, an almost invisible slot in the mountain wall hides the deep, wild Verdon canyon where the rushing green waters of the river enter the lake.
There are hikes starting from the ancient villages around the lake, such as Ste Croix de Verdon, which nestles just above the lake, Bauduen and Aiguines, which looks down on the lake. There is easy acces to much of the lake shore, and plenty of beaches and picnic areas. The size of the lake, however, accepts the summer visitors without a feeling of overcrowding its vast surface. On the plateau above the Lake are miles of lavender fields, which are truly spectacular when in flower, around June and July. The Lake, which the river of the Gorge feeds into, is normally bright blue, reflecting the sun.
Although the village of Ste-Croix-de-Verdon gave the lake its name, the village of Les Salles-sur-Verdon on the opposite side is more a part of the lake itself: the old village rests 40 m below the surface of the water. When the dam was built, Les Salles-sur-Verdon moved to higher ground, taking some of the old village with it, including the church bell tower and the fountain.
Useful links
General:
www.verdon-passion.com
Provides a wide range of activities and sports in the area.
www.parcduverdon.fr
Official site for the Verdon National Park.
www.museeprehistoire.com
Museum of prehistory at Quinson.
Location of Quinson
Bike hire:
Flash Bike, 305 rue Jean Alcard, 83300 Draguignan+33 (0)4 94 68 35 60
Horse riding:
Les Pionniers Equitation Western
04120 La Palud sur Verdon
+33 (0)4 92 77 38 30
www.lespionniers.com
Sports:
Aqua Viva Est
www.aquavivaest.com
Organisers of mountain bike ride and walking parties
Boat, canoe and sailboard rental is available from just a few places, including the village of Bauduen at the southern tip of the lake, and the village of Ste-Croix-de-Verdon along the northwestern shore.
Countless activities are available :
- White water sports: rafting, canyoning, kayaking
- Water sports: sailing, water skiing, fishing
- Aerial sports: paragliding, free flight, gliding
- Also possible are the following, climbing, hiking, horseback riding, mountain biking
Federation francaise de canoe kayak
Rafting in Provence:
The most popular inland water sports are rafting and sailing in the Gorges du Verdon and Lac de Saint Croix.
One of the most dramatic natural sites in Europe. Between the towns of Castellane to the east and Moustier-Ste-Marie to the west, the gorge reaches 2, 297 feet in depth in some places. The legendary Verdon river, on the border between the Var and the Alpes of Haute-Provence, has created this unique, world famous canyon. Trapped between two barrages, it offers 45 km of whitewater navigation.
Pascal Faudou
04 120 La Palud Sur Verdon
Canyonning & Climbing
+33 (0) 4 92 77 30 43
www.aventuresetnature.com
Montagne & Rivière
Chemin des Listes
04120 castellane
+33 (0) 4 92 83 67 24
www.rafting-castellane.com
Planete Riviere
www.planete-riviere.com
Rafting, Canoë-Kayak, and Aqua Trekking
Sports d'eau Vive
www.eau-vive-evasion.com
Rafting, canoe, and kayak in the Gorges du Verdon
Action Adventure
www.action-aventure.com
Rafting, canyoning, and Hot-Canoe
Buena Vista Rafting
www.buenavistarafting.com
Rafting, canoe-kayak, hydrospeed, aqua trekking, and canyoning in
the south of France.
Sports Passion Verdon
www.sports-passion-verdon.com
Rafting, Canoë-Kayak, Hydrospeed in the Gorges du Verdon
Provence Canoe
www.provence-canoe.com
Canoe, and kayak inland and at sea
Aquattitude
www.aquattitude.com
Rafting, canoe, and kayak in the Gorges du Verdon
Aqua Viva Est
www.aquavivaest.com
Rafting, canoe, kayak, hydrospeed, water trek, canyoning, and mountain
bike rides
Acti Raft
www.actiraft.com
Rafting, Canoë-Kayak, canyoning, Hot-Canoe, and Hydrospeed in
the Gorges du Verdon
Climbing:
Le Verdon is an unbeatable place to go climbing. 933 climbing routes have been classified amongst the cliffs of Le Verdon. The most famous, "la falaise de l'escalès", is 300 vertical metres high. Le Verdon caters for all climbing styles and levels, and climbers come here from around the world. The cliffs and rock-faces are undoubtedly one of the most popular meeting places in the climbing world.
Good climbing places:
Quinson
100 possible climbing routes (all levels), from 80 to 100 m.
Rock quality: Good/limestone
Site managed by:
Club d'escalade de Quinson.
04500 Quinson
+33 (0)4 92 74 40 04
Moustiers Sainte Marie
Located at the entrance of the Verdon Canyons there are 20 possibles
routes with average level of difficulty, from 25 to 50 m.
Rock quality : Good/limestone
Aiguines
This small village of a few hundred people can be found on the D957
24 Km from Aups near the Gorges du Verdon, just above the lake of
St. Croix. It has spectacular views of the canyons, wich makes Aiguines
very attractive to climbing enthusiasts and has become very well known
as a mountain climbing center.
Pictures of Aiguines
La Palud
1500 possible routes (all levels), from 20 to 300 m.
Rock quality : Excellent/limestone
Site managed by:
Association Lei Lagramusas
04120 La Palud sur Verdon
+33 (0)4 92 77 38 02
Castellane
20 possible routes (easy), from 10 to 20 m.
Rock quality : Good/limestone
Site managed by:
Association Vives Les Gestes
04240 Annot
+33 (0)4 92 83 35 17
Fishing:
The Verdon is one of the most memorable settings of the world for fishing. It is sheer nature at its best featuring crystal clear emerald waters and white canyon cliffs 700 meters high above your head. It is a paradise for hikers, climbers and fly-fishers.
Federation
Pêche Var
Federation of the Var for Fishing and the Protection of the aquatic
environment. Lots of information about fishing in the Var region of
Provence.
Federation
Pêche Var
Federation of the Var for Fishing and the Protection of the aquatic
environment. Lots of information about fishing in the Var region of
Provence.