Gorges du Verdon

The canyon was little known outside the region until the speleologist Édouard-Alfred Martel led the first expedition through it in 1905, while surveying the river for an electricity company. Lookouts such as the Point Sublime were laid out in 1929–1930 to welcome early tourists, and a path through the gorge now bears Martel's name.

Between 1929 and 1975 five dams were built on the Verdon. When the reservoir of Lake Sainte-Croix was filled in 1973, it flooded the plain at the mouth of the gorge, and the old village of Les Salles-sur-Verdon was destroyed and rebuilt on higher ground. The lake has since become a centre for swimming and boating at the western end of the canyon.

The gorge is surrounded by small villages such as La Palud-sur-Verdon, Rougon, Aiguines, Trigance and Castellane, where outdoor guides, campsites and cafés depend on the summer season. Shepherds still graze flocks on the plateaux around the canyon, and the park's eco-wardens patrol in summer to advise visitors.