The belvédère de Rancoumas is a natural balcony, set right opposite the Escalès cliff — the great climbing wall of the Gorges du Verdon. You reach it via the pont de Tusset, a seventeenth-century structure thrown across the Verdon. The hike, cited by Wikipedia and camptocamp among the reference itineraries of the gorges, gives you an impressive view of l’Escalès: you look at it head-on, over its full height.
Verified on 11 October 2026 against the Decathlon Outdoor page for the route (a secondary source); the altituderando and fred-38 route guides were not reread on that date.
The essentials
| Distance | 7.7 km (see note) |
| Elevation gain | 526 m |
| Duration | 3 h 40 min (estimated duration) |
| Difficulty | Difficult — exposed viewpoint |
| Type | Loop / out-and-back |
| Start | Rougon, Point Sublime / couloir Samson area (access via the D23a) |
| Lowest point | Pont de Tusset |
| Highest point | Belvédère de Rancoumas (981 m according to the altituderando route guide, not reread) |
| Waymarking | GR49 on the lower section (to be confirmed on a map) |
A note on the distance: we use 7.7 km / 526 m of elevation gain, the figures on the Decathlon Outdoor page for the route, which remains a secondary source. The other route guides cited (altituderando, fred-38) were not reread; the recorded tracks vary depending on the line taken and the detours logged.
The route, in brief
Contrary to a widespread belief, the start is not on the left bank but on the Rougon side, the right bank — a correction we are placing on record after cross-checking the route guides.
- Start at Rougon, in the Point Sublime / couloir Samson area (access via the D23a).
- Descent to the pont de Tusset on the GR49: the seventeenth-century structure crosses the Verdon.
- Climb to the belvédère de Rancoumas: the balcony opens up facing the Escalès cliff.
What you see
- The viewpoint facing l’Escalès: the rock face stands opposite it over nearly 300 m of height, and your eye lands squarely on the wall.
- The pont de Tusset: a seventeenth-century bridge over the Verdon, the low point of the route and an unavoidable stage of it.
- The Escalès climbing area: around 200 multi-pitch routes spread over 4 km of cliff (Escalès waypoint, camptocamp) — the main climbing ground in the gorges, seen here from straight ahead.
A short version: the pont de Tusset on its own
If the full viewpoint is too committing, a brief walk reaches the pont de Tusset and nothing more: 1.62 km, 87 m of elevation gain, about 45 min from Rougon (source Visorando). A good taster for discovering the structure without the final climb. → see our pont de Tusset fact-sheet.
With a guide
The mountain leader Verdon Nature, listed by the Castellane-Verdon Tourist Office, offers the belvédère de Rancoumas as a guided half-day outing — an option for anyone who would rather be led on this exposed route.
What’s still missing
We’d rather say it openly: the figures were brought into line on 11 October 2026 with the Decathlon Outdoor page (7.7 km / 526 m of elevation gain / 3 h 40 min, start at Rougon), which remains a secondary source; the altitudes of the bridge and of the viewpoint appear in no source that was reread, and the exact waymarking (the GR49 on the lower section) remains to be confirmed on a map. These points will be pinned down as soon as a reliable mapping source documents them.
Sources
Data cross-checked and verified on 2026-07-05: altituderando (“Grand Canyon du Verdon — Belvédère de Rancoumas 981 m”), fred-38, Decathlon Outdoor (“Pont de Tusset et belvédère de Rancoumas”), Wikipedia (Gorges du Verdon), camptocamp (Escalès and pont de Tusset waypoints), Visorando, Verdon Nature, OT Castellane-Verdon. Distance discrepancies retained and flagged above. No data invented: a missing field is flagged as such.
Reread on 2026-10-11 against the Decathlon Outdoor page “Pont de Tusset et belvédère de Rancoumas” (updated on 27/09/2026): distance, elevation gain, duration, difficulty and access road (D23a) brought into line with it. The higher figures used previously and the altitude of the bridge, which have no reread source, have been removed.