Lower Verdon Gorges

Dans le Parc Naturel Régional du Verdon, ces 9 kilomètres de gorges entre le lac de Quinson et le lac d’Esparron ont été creusés par les eaux du Verdon. A découvrir à pied ou sur l'eau en canoë, pédalo, paddle ou bateau électrique.

Located on the border between the Var and Alpes-de-Haute-Provence departments, its limestone cliffs, rising 100 to 150 meters high, are less vertiginous than the iconic "Grand Canyon" and its cliffs reaching approximately 700 meters above Lake Sainte-Croix, about 20 kilometers away. But less forbidding, its caves and caverns have been inhabited since prehistoric times, a history to discover at the Quinson Museum. Today, it is the most secluded and best-preserved part of the Verdon Gorge.

A protected natural area:
The lower Verdon Gorges is a protected natural site of ecological interest recognized by the Natura 2000 network and the status of Sensitive Natural Area.
This site is home to 15 species of bats, all of which are protected in France and Europe, but it also houses a particularly rare species at the European level: Capaccini's bat. The bats breed and hibernate within the canal tunnels; for their protection, some of these tunnels are closed to the public.
- The cliffs are also suitable places for the nesting of rupestrous birds (notably the golden eagle) a protection perimeter exists on the scale of the Verdon, but also for endemic rupestrous plants (Doradille de Jahandiez a small fern).
- Good water quality is favorable to the maintenance of fish species (Bullhead, Blageon, Toxostome) but also favorable to Capaccini's bat which hunts above the river.
- The presence of mature forests allows for the development of forest beetles (Great Capricorn Beetle, Stag Beetle, Osmoderma, and Violet Click Beetle) and is also frequented by several species of bats (Notch-eared Bat). The diversity of grasslands, scrubland, and heathland allows for the presence of insects and a unique flora.

The symbolic entrance to the gorges is marked by the Quinson bridge. It can also be accessed by boat from Lake Esparron.
These gorges can be explored in several ways:
- on foot, following the 3-kilometer Canal Guard Trail. Between 1875 and 1970, an old canal carried water from the Verdon River to Aix-en-Provence through a series of tunnels carved into the rock. It was restored in 2014 by the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence Department with staircases and walkways allowing visitors to cross the cliffs.
- On the water, aboard a canoe, pedal boat, paddleboard, or electric boat, water sports centers are available in Quinson, Montmeyan Plage, and Saint-Julien Plage (on the Esparron lake side). The average round trip time between Quinson lake and the entrance to Esparron lake varies depending on the type of boat: 3.5 hours by electric boat, 4.5 hours by canoe, 5 hours by paddleboard, and 5-6 hours by pedal boat.

Regulations:
- Fires, stoves and any other transport of fires are strictly prohibited.
- On foot: access subject to restrictions on access to forest areas from June to September.
- Dogs, even on a leash, mountain bikes and horses are prohibited on the Canal Guard trail.
- Jumping and diving from the cliffs and the Quinson bridge are prohibited.
- Landing, boarding and disembarking from the banks is prohibited, as is bivouacking and wild camping.
- The ascent of the Gorges by thermal motorboat, passenger boat, sailboat, windsurf board, beach craft, electric foil craft; is prohibited.
- This area is sensitive to drone overflights from mid-December to the end of August due to bird nesting. Please do not fly drones over ridges or along cliffs. For more information, consult the "Drone Overflight User Guide" published by the Verdon Natural Park.

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Note that since 2021 it is also possible to discover another part of the old Verdon Canal thanks to a footpath in Peyrolles-en-Provence.