The owners of the private land the route crosses had the waymarking taken down (from October 2025) in the face of the influx of visitors; the trail is officially advised against in 2026. There is no barbed wire and no toll, but the route is no longer waymarked across the forest section, the approach to the Cadières and the start of the descent: navigation becomes tricky. A reopening is under negotiation, hoped for the summer of 2026 with no guarantee.
Source: France Bleu (ici.fr) + OT Castellane-Verdon (castellane-verdon.com), verified on 5 July 2026.
A Verdon hike
Current conditions (weather, water releases, fire risk, closures) to check before you go — see the state of the Verdon.
No source agrees on these figures. Rather than silently picking one, we show the value we kept, where it comes from, and why we chose it — the other published values stay visible. We don’t erase contradictions, we explain them.
Value kept after cross-checking the sources. The other values come from GPS tracks or from route variants.
Value kept after cross-checking the sources. The other values come from GPS tracks or from route variants.
The Cadières de Brandis are the best-rated hike in Castellane on AllTrails (4.7/5, 392 reviews) — a dolomitic ridge where three large rocks draw giant chairs above the valley. But since late 2025, the waymarking has been removed: before you set off, you need to know exactly where things stand.
Verified on 5 July 2026 with France Bleu Provence and the Castellane-Verdon Tourist Office.
In the face of the influx of visitors, the owners of the private land crossed by the route had the waymarking taken down (from October 2025). In practice: no barbed wire and no toll, but no markings left across the forest section, the approach to the Cadières and the start of the descent. Navigation becomes tricky and the trail is officially advised against. A reopening is under negotiation, hoped for the summer of 2026 — with no guarantee. For the current situation, ask the Castellane tourist office.
From the col des Lèques (on the RN 85, the route Napoléon), the climb led up to the dolomitic ridge of the Cadières de Brandis:
| Data point | Value used | Other values seen | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Distance | 7.6 km | 7.8 · 7.84 · 8.2 | The figure on the PNR/OT fact-sheet. The 8.2 km comes from GPS tracks (AllTrails). |
| Elevation gain | 415 m | 410 · 416 · 487 | The PNR/OT figure. The 487 m is an AllTrails track. |
| Duration | 3h30 to 4 h | — | The tourist office and blogs agree. |
The etymology and the history of the site do not appear in the sources audited. We will keep watch on a possible reopening in the summer of 2026.
Data cross-checked and verified on 2026-07-05: ici.fr (France Bleu Provence), OT Castellane-Verdon (PNR fact-sheet), AllTrails, Komoot, Visorando, Buena Vista Rafting, Aérogliss. No invented data: a missing field is flagged as such.
The waymarking has been removed and the trail is officially advised against. The owners of the private land the route crosses had the waymarking taken down (from October 2025) in the face of the influx of visitors. There is no barbed wire and no toll, but the route is no longer waymarked (navigation is tricky). A reopening is under negotiation, hoped for the summer of 2026 with no guarantee. Check with the Castellane tourist office before you plan anything.
Spectacular dolomitic rock formations: three large main rocks at around 1,500 m altitude, forming giant “chairs” (cadièro = chair in Provençal).
Yes, on a lead (AllTrails data).
Les Cadières de Brandis from the col des Lèques: 4.7/5 with 392 reviews on AllTrails — but the trail no longer has any waymarking.
3h30 to 4 h for the classic loop of 7.6 to 8.2 km from the col des Lèques (415 m of elevation gain).
The sources this page relies on, one click away.We would rather you be able to contradict us than ask you to take our word for it.
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