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Lac d'Esparron at Esparron-de-Verdon

Esparron-de-Verdon sits above the Lac d'Esparron, a 328-hectare reservoir formed in 1967 by the Gréoux dam at the foot of the Basses Gorges du Verdon. Small coves along the shore below the village and port are reached by footpaths.

WhatLake, Esparron-de-VerdonVerdon and the Provence lakes
WhenNot known yet. Know it? Tell us
Getting there Car Bus On foot
CostPublic shoreFree
AccessNo swimming in the boat channel or the dam zones; no jumping, diving or thermal-engine boats

Getting in

Access
Swimming is supervised on the village beach in summer (Alpes de Haute-Provence tourist board); the coves near the village are reached on foot. The Parc du Verdon warns that the reservoir level can vary, exposing unmarked rocks and shallows, that banks are slippery with muddy bottoms, and that the dam turbines can start at any time and create currents. Thermal-engine boats are banned. A buoyed channel leads boats to Esparron port and swimming in it is banned. Swimming and boating are banned in the exclusion zones around the dams and water intakes. Jumping from cliffs and bridges, scuba diving and freediving are banned. In the Basses Gorges, landing on the banks is banned and the Esparron cave is closed behind buoys and a grille (bat colony). No fires; no wild camping.
Parking
Paid parking near the lake (amount not published); the departmental tourist board advises arriving early in peak season.
Public transport
A summer bus line serves the lake from Manosque and Gréoux-les-Bains (departmental tourist board; timetable not checked).
Also here
Kayak, Paddleboard

Cost and facilities

Entry
Free, public shore
Facilities
Lifeguard in seasonToiletsParkingCaféKayak hire

More places near Esparron-de-Verdon

Warm water nearby

Swimming in Esparron-de-Verdon · Verdon and the Provence lakes · Swimming in France