PARCS NATIONAUX DE FRANCE - OFFICE FRANÇAIS DE LA BIODIVERSITÉ

There are 11 French national parks, from the Vanoise (Rhône-Alpes), the first one created in 1963, to the latest one, the Forest Park (Burgundy and Champagne). They are privileged hiking grounds since their discovery without motor - on foot, snowshoes, Nordic ski, ski touring - is the only one authorized. You will discover protected biotopes - mainly in the mountains, but also in the sea - rich in a beautiful and wide biodiversity. Marked trails, often GR®, crisscross them. The rule of the game: do not leave the marked trails! You may not be accompanied by your dog, even on a leash (beware of fines). Similarly, gathering and hunting are strictly regulated. It is also forbidden to make fire, and of course, to leave your waste on the spot. In short, the least you can do. The oldest national park in the world is Yellowstone, created in 1872 in the United States. There are about 4,000 national parks in the world, representing an area of more than 4.4 million km². In Europe (300 national parks today), the precursor country was Sweden, which created 9 national parks in 1909. In 1914, Switzerland created the first Alpine park. Spain followed in 1918, Iceland in 1928, Finland. Each park has its own website which details the different marked routes. A good plan for those who go hiking alone