Sentier Blanc-Martel

The floor of the Verdon gorge, Europe's deepest. The path drops from the Chalet de la Maline to the river and follows it downstream between walls up to 700 m high, on ledges, ladders and through two unlit tunnels, to climb out at the Couloir Samson below the Point Sublime. Named for Édouard-Alfred Martel, who first went through the gorge in 1905, and for Isidore Blanc who opened the path. [Route details] Start: Chalet de la Maline · End: Point Sublime, Rougon 12.0 km · downstream · 569 m to 905 m About 6 hours [Good to know] - Bring a torch: the Tunnel du Baou is long and unlit. - One-way, and the two ends are 20 km apart by road — there is a summer bus, or you leave a car at each. - The gorge floods when the dam upstream releases; the level is posted at both ends. - Elevation is sampled from a terrain model, not recorded on the ground.