Cévennes National Park

national park of France

Cévennes National Park (French: Parc national des Cévennes) is a French national park protecting alpine environments in the departments of Lozère, Gard, Ardèche and Aveyron in Occitanie, France. The park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of The Causses and the Cévennes, Mediterranean agro-pastoral Cultural Landscape.

The view from the edge of Causse Méjean in, Bougès Mountain and the valley of the Mimente River in the Cévennes National Park

Understand

History

Landscape

Flora and fauna

The park has an extremely diverse range of fauna with more than 2,400 species having been listed including Mediterranean, continental and alpine species with other wildlife that can be found in forests, steppes, and fauna on rocks or on wetlands.

There have also been more than 2,250 species of flowering plants have been identified in the national park, which represents 40% of French flora, on only 0.5% of the area of France.

Climate

Park website

Get in

A map of Cévennes National Park in French

From Alès, take the N 106 north-west into Cévennes National Park.

Fees and permits

Get around

See

  • 🌍 Gorges de la Jonte. These gorges were shaped by the Jonte which has its source in the Aigoual massif, at an altitude of 1440 m, and flows into the Tarn at the town of Rozier. The gorges form a real canyon. It can be seen by the many hiking trails starting from Rozier or the Causse Méjean overlook them and allow you to visit the many curiosities that line the gorges such as the balcony of Vertige, the vase of Sèvre, the vase of China or the Terraces. (updated Feb 2022)
  • 🌍 Aven Armand. A cave that is known for the tallest known stalagmite of 30 metres. (updated Feb 2022)
  • 🌍 Arboretum de Cazebonne. A 4-hectare arboretum created in 1903 as an experimental station for testing the introduction of exotic trees. (updated Feb 2022)
  • 🌍 Cirque de Navacelles (near Blandas). An amazing cirque where the road almost unbelievably descends to a tiny village. (updated Feb 2022)

Do

  • 🌍 Prat Peyrot. A ski resort in the park. (updated Feb 2022)

Mount Aigoual

Mount Aigual is one of the mountains in Cévennes National Park.

One of the most famous hikes on Mount Aigoual is the climb of the 4,000 steps, which starts from Valleraugue to reach the observatory at an altitude of 1,567 metres and more than 1,200 m in elevation change. A stopover lodge and a snack bar managed by the municipality of Valleraugue welcome hikers and tourists from May to November.

Apart from hiking, the mountain is also known for cycling. It can be climbed by many slopes, due to the number of roads that converge in various places on the sides of the climb. The two steepest slopes are the one starting from L'Arboux or the Taleyrac valley via the Col de la Lusette (the latter being 17 kilometres at 6.6% on average), and that of Saint-André-de-Valborgne passing through the Salidès pass and the Seixt valley but the Valleraugue slope, not very steep but very long (28 kilometres at 4.3%) is the most popular route taken.

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Sleep

Lodging

Camping

Backcountry

Stay safe

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