Gorges du Verdon and Lac de Sainte Croix

As you drive to the lake, you will cross over Gorges du Verdon. Gorges du Verdon is the largest canyon in Europe, between the towns of Castellane and Moustiers-Sainte-Marie. Much like the Colorado River eroding away its surrounding land to create the Grand Canyon, the Verdon river spent a millennia digging its way through the land to create these massive, beautiful gorges. If driving along the way there are several look out points to stop and take pictures. If you so choose, you can actually spend the day on the Verdon river floating through the gorges! 

This is just what we did!! There are several options to rent pedal boats, canoes, kayaks, and electric boats. We opted for the pedal boat that cost around 40 euros for two hours. It housed our family of four quite comfortably. However, there is so much to see that two hours simply did not seem long enough…we didn’t even make it to the end of the gorge because my wife has weak chicken legs (love you booboo). We did stop along the way to allow our youngest daughter time to swim in the river. The waters were such a clear blue-green that she couldn’t resist the urge to jump in. Well, that’s not quite accurate. She wanted to swim but didn’t have the guts to enter the cold water after she dipped a toe in, so my wife pushed her overboard. But then she was fine (she was wearing a lifejacket and knows how to swim…no children were harmed in the making of this blog post).

With the weather sunny, the temperature warm, and the water crystal clear…there were many people floating through the gorge. Be be prepared for music, singing, drinking, swimming, jumping from shallow cliffs, (hushed voice) slight upper nudity, and splashes all around. Also watch out for people not watching out! We did have a few minor heart murmurs from almost boat collisions. You know, that slow motion oh no there is a boat coming towards us, quick, back pedal, turn the knobby thingy in the opposite direction, hold on, and pray. I will say that my spoiled wife was drooling over some of the electric boats that had plush seating, dining tables, awnings, and even an actual steering wheel! So be sure to research you options before committing and check if reservations are needed.

Now, with a day of swimming behind us, let’s get back on the road and actually make it to the end of the gorges to find Lac Saint Croix. Lac Saint Croix is the 3rd largest lake in France covering an area of 2,200 hectares (10 kilometers long and 2 kilometers wide). A dam, built at the entrance to the gorges, near Baudinard, retains 760 million cubic meters of water and produces more than 150 million kWh per year supplying the surround towns with electricity. Would is surprise you to know that this is actually a man-made lake? That’s riiiiiight!!! Built between the years 1971 and 1974, this lake has some of the clearest blue-green waters perfect for swimming, boating, and sailing.

Last but not least on our road trip…Point Sublime

I simply could not resist this final photo-op on our way home known as the Panorama of Point Sublime. Located on the Causse de Sauverterre, at an altitude of 870m, Point Sublime is a very frequent tourist stop overlooking the Cirque des Baumes of the Tarn river Canyon. The Tarn river flows through the caverns creating another dazzling canyon full of birds, cliffs, and caves.

That right…CAVES!!! The Baumes Chaudes’ cave is supposed home to the Chase civilization otherwise known as the first hunter-gatherers. Excavated between 1875 and 1883, Dr. Prunière found the remains of more than 300 individuals now laid to rest at the Musée de l’Homme in Paris. My wife got stupid excited when she saw stairs, railings, and cave entrances (hiking is her favorite pastime). But alas, we were on a time schedule and could not partake, and then she became sullen. Turns out there is a whole lot of adventure to be had here with a little research. We may just come back.

We took little time to teach the children the value of quiet scenery (though with them, quiet didn’t quite last as long as I’d hoped). So, we used this as an opportunity to teach them basic photography 101. The cliffs made the perfect setting for teaching how to shoot foreground and background, focal points, and angles. My oldest daughter seemed quite adept to the camera and took her sweet time to inhale the beauty around her. I highly recommend stopping here for a little picnic and peace.