The belvédère de Rancoumas is a natural balcony perched at 981 m, set right opposite the Escales 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 one of the finest views of l’Escales: you look at it head-on, over its full height.
Verified on 5 July 2026 against the altituderando, fred-38 and Decathlon Outdoor route guides, cross-checked with Wikipedia, camptocamp and Verdon Nature.
The essentials
| Distance | 8.3 km (see note) |
| Elevation gain | 750 m |
| Duration | 4h30 |
| Difficulty | Moderate to difficult — exposed viewpoint |
| Type | Loop / out-and-back |
| Start | Rougon, Point Sublime / couloir Samson area (access via the D236) |
| Lowest point | Pont de Tusset (697 m) |
| Highest point | Belvédère de Rancoumas (981 m) |
| Waymarking | GR49 on the lower section (to be confirmed on a map) |
A note on the distance: the recorded tracks vary from 7 to 8.3 km depending on the line taken and the detours logged. We use 8.3 km / 750 m of elevation gain (the higher figure across the cross-checked route guides); allow a little less if you follow a more direct track.
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 D236).
- Descent to the pont de Tusset (697 m) on the GR49: the seventeenth-century structure crosses the Verdon.
- Climb to the belvédère de Rancoumas (981 m): the balcony opens up facing the Escales cliff.
What you see
- The viewpoint facing l’Escales: 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 Escales climbing area: around 200 multi-pitch routes spread over 4 km of cliff (Escales 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 filled in on 5 July 2026 (8.3 km / 750 m of elevation gain / 4h30, start at Rougon), but the tracks still differ between 7 and 8.3 km depending on the recording, 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 (Escales 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.