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Blanc Martel Trail, Gorges du Verdon

Posted by (Seattle) on

I'm looking for input on hiking the Blanc Martel trail in the Gorges du Verdon, particularly whether it is really necessary to have a guide and any experience anyone has with the shuttle in La Palud.

On May 23, 2026, a friend and I (we are fit, 71 and 64) plan to hike the Blanc Martel Trail, and we want to do it without a guide (one guide sent a cost of 280 euros; yikes). This will be a holiday weekend in France, but the shuttle from La Palud to the trailhead is available.

We are experienced Seattle-area hikers and backpackers, users of the Gaia app on our phones, and we routinely complete 8-10 mile hikes in the North Cascades. The trail is extremely popular (aka a busy trail), and the description at the link below makes it seem doable without a guide if you are a regular hiker.

https://www.castellane-verdon.com/en/bouger/randonnees/sentier-blanc-martel/

Thanks for any experience you can share. And happy travels, everyone.

Posted by
6548 posts

I did this about 25 years ago when I was in my 30s on an REI trip. I am not a particularly experienced hiker. We hiked between La Moline and Le Point Sublime.

The trail was fairly technical compared to the hikes I’d done here on the east coast of the U.S. There were places where there were metal ladders and I think we had some small tunnels on this trail (we had 5 hikes in this area so I don’t remember the details. Parts of the trail were narrow and rocky. The trail was well-marked as I recall and was somewhat busy. I needed poles for this hike and was glad to have sturdy hiking boots. I was glad to have a guide but I suspect someone who routinely hiked in mountainous terrain would have been fine without a guide.

Posted by
7856 posts

It is quite technical but it is busy and nearly impossible to get lost. Not sure what a guide would bring.

Posted by
3 posts

Thanks to both of you. These are helpful comments. It sounds like we'll be fine to hike on our own.

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