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 the most complete way to experience 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.
The essentials
| Duration | 7 days (stages from 4h45 to 8h15) |
| 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 table below reproduces the data published by the FFRandonnée and MonGR. 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 | 4h45 to 5h15 | Moderate |
| 2 | Point Sublime → Chalet de la Maline (sentier Blanc-Martel) | 12.4 km | 5h45 to 6h | Strenuous |
| 3 | Chalet de la Maline → Moustiers-Sainte-Marie | 21.6 km | 7h to 8h15 | Strenuous |
| 4 | Moustiers → Sainte-Croix-du-Verdon | 18.5 km | 5h15 to 5h30 | Moderate |
| 5 | Sainte-Croix-du-Verdon → Quinson | not published | 6h | — |
| 6 | Quinson → Saint-Martin-de-Bromes | not published | 7h | — |
| 7 | Saint-Martin-de-Bromes → Manosque | not published | 5h30 | — |
What the sources don’t reconcile: the FFRandonnée presents stage 6 as “the longest in duration” (7h), while stage 3 shows 7h to 8h15 — an internal inconsistency we flag rather than hide. The durations given for stage 1 also vary slightly from one page to another (4h45 in a MonGR account, 5h05 to 5h15 on the official sheet).
What you cross
- The entrance to the gorges: the perched 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 largest 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.