Gorges de la Blanche, a balcony road in France

Gorges de la Blanche is an amazing gorge located in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France. It’s one of the scenic French balcony roads.

Gorges de la Blanche

The road along the gorges is asphalted. It’s called D900C and follows a river called La Blanche. There are some narrow sections and it’s definitely not for anyone suffering from vertigo or a fear of landslides. The surface of the road is in bad conditions and there’s a high risk of rockfalls.

This road is one of the most famous balcony roads in the country. A balcony road is a hair-raising lane cut into the sides of sheer cliffs. It’s a kind of road not for those who fear heights. There is little room for error on these roads. It’s normal for your palms to sweat looking at those photos, imagine what it must have been like before the barriers. It runs as a single track road along the mountainside for some distance with nowhere to pass another vehicle. Here one says a prayer that nobody is coming towards you until the road widens some kilometres further. 

The road links the towns of Espinasses and Selonnet. It’s 3,8m high and 9m wide in some sections. Some sections are impassable for 2 cars at the same time It's normal for your palms to sweat looking at those photos, imagine what it must have been like before the barriers. The road is difficult and it’s a nightmare in the wet or dark (or both). There is little room for error on this road. Don’t stuff your belly too much. Do not travel this road in severe weather conditions. The road is filled with tunnels, vertical walls and some pillars that remain on the roadside.