Gorges du Verdon drive

We drove from Trigance towards Valensole. It was not a challenging drive. But I found the gorge to be quite underwhelming. Perhaps if you do a hike or kayak it would be a better experience but just stopping at various view points along the drive did not impress me.

Thanks for the response; I appreciate your feedback!

You cannot properly visit the Gorges on the way from Aix to Annecy; it takes half a day of driving to properly do so and the drive from Aix to Annecy is already quite long.
To make that drive more scenic, I suggest you take the A51 motorway to Gap, then the Route Napoléon from Gap to Grenoble, the motorway from there to Albertville, and the road from Albertville to Annecy along the lake.

Regarding the Gorges du Verdon themselves, you are correct: it is best to drive eastwards on the north rim and westwards on the south. On the north rim, do not miss the Route des Crêtes one-way loop starting from La-Palud-sur-Verdon: it is probably the most scenic part. More so than the southern rim, which you could skip if you feel short of time / tired of driving.
To get a better sense of the gorge, you can hike from Couloir Samson (small road turnoff after Point Sublime when you drive eastwards on the North rim) on an easy path (a few stairs down to the start, then fairly level), and turn back whenever you want.
I would not worry about weekend traffic in early May.

Thanks Balso - it we did not make the drive along the Southern side, would you recommend heading south to A8 as a route to circle back to Aix? I appreciate the tips for the drive from Aix to Annecy!
Thanks,
DSO