The GR4 crosses the Gorges du Verdon from east to west: 7 days of walking from Castellane to Manosque, documented by the FFRandonnée. It is a complete crossing of the Verdon on foot — from the upstream entrance of the gorges at the Point Sublime through to the plateau de Valensole and the basses gorges (the lower gorges). Here are the 7 stages, what is known precisely and what the sources leave vague.
Verified on 5 July 2026 with the FFRandonnée, MonGR and the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence departmental portal. Durations of the seven stages re-read on the FFRandonnée page on 11 October 2026.
The essentials
| Duration | 7 days (stages from 5 h 05 min to 8 h 15 min according to the FFRandonnée) |
| Start | Castellane |
| Finish | Manosque |
| Type | Linear multi-day trek |
| Waymarking | GR4 (white-red) |
| Difficulty | Moderate to strenuous depending on the stage |
| Highlight | Stage 2 = the sentier Blanc-Martel |
The 7 stages, in detail
The durations in the table below are those of the FFRandonnée page, re-read on 11 October 2026. That page gives neither distances nor difficulty ratings: the distances and difficulty levels for stages 1 to 4 come from the survey of 5 July 2026, which also drew on MonGR, and have not been re-read since. We honestly flag the stages whose distance is not publicly available (it requires the GR@ccess subscription).
| Stage | Route | Distance | Duration | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Castellane → Point Sublime (Rougon) | 15.5 km | 5 h 05 min | Moderate |
| 2 | Point Sublime → Chalet de la Maline (sentier Blanc-Martel) | 12.4 km | 5 h 45 min | Strenuous |
| 3 | Chalet de la Maline → Moustiers-Sainte-Marie | 21.6 km | 8 h 15 min | Strenuous |
| 4 | Moustiers → Sainte-Croix-du-Verdon | 18.5 km | 5 h 15 min | Moderate |
| 5 | Sainte-Croix-du-Verdon → Quinson | not published | 6 h | — |
| 6 | Quinson → Saint-Martin-de-Bromes | not published | 7 h | — |
| 7 | Saint-Martin-de-Bromes → Manosque | not published | 5 h 30 min | — |
What the sources don’t reconcile: the FFRandonnée page gives durations only; the longest stage in duration on that page is the third, from La Maline to Moustiers-Sainte-Marie (8 h 15 min). For stage 1, a MonGR account gives 4 h 45 min, against 5 h 05 min for the FFRandonnée. The distances for stages 1 to 4 and the difficulty levels do not appear on that page and have not been re-read.
What you cross
- The entrance to the gorges: the hilltop village of Rougon and the Point Sublime (stage 1).
- The sentier Blanc-Martel (stage 2): dark tunnels and vertiginous balcony paths at the bottom of Europe’s Grand Canyon. → see our guide to the sentier Blanc-Martel.
- The ridges between the lac de Sainte-Croix and the Préalpes de Digne (stage 3).
- The plateau de Valensole and its lavender fields (stage 4), described in the MonGR account as “the most photographed lavender fields in the world”. Swimming is possible in the lac de Sainte-Croix.
- The basses gorges of the Verdon and the lac d’Esparron (stages 5-6).
Accommodation, GPX and topoguide
- Identified overnight stop: the Chalet de la Maline (a Club Alpin Français refuge, on the Route des Crêtes in La Palud-sur-Verdon), at the end of stage 2. The official sources do not publish a full list of accommodation by stage.
- GPX tracks: through the GR@ccess subscription or the FFRandonnée’s MaRando app.
- Topoguide: “La Haute-Provence par les gorges du Verdon” (boutique.ffrandonnee.fr).
A variant: the GR4 on the south shore
A ridge route links Sainte-Croix-du-Verdon to Bauduen along the southern shore of the lake: plunging views over the turquoise water and garrigue of thyme, rosemary and wild lavender (source Routard).
What’s still missing
We’d rather say it outright: the elevation gain per stage and the distances for stages 5 to 7 are not accessible without the GR@ccess subscription; the exact price of the topoguide is not displayed; no list of accommodation by stage is publicly available. These fields will be completed as soon as a reliable source documents them.
Sources
Data cross-checked and verified on 2026-07-05: FFRandonnée (the “Itinérance sur le GR4” and “Le GR4 de Castellane à Manosque” sheets), MonGR (suggested itinerary + the “GR4 Verdon magique” account), Alpes-Haute-Provence Tourism portal, Wikipedia (Castellane), Routard. Discrepancies kept and flagged above. No invented data: a missing field is flagged as such.
Update of 2026-10-11: FFRandonnée page on the GR4 trek through the Gorges du Verdon re-read (ffrandonnee.fr). It gives seven stage durations, from 5 h 05 min to 8 h 15 min, with no distance or rating: the durations in the table have been aligned with it, and the mentions of stages rated strenuous by the FFRandonnée and of a stage 6 said to be the longest in duration have been removed. The distances for stages 1 to 4 and the difficulty levels have not been re-read.