Things to see and do Vercors

A land of wild nature with remarkable biodiversity but also a land of history and discovery, the Vercors Regional Nature Park, between Isère and Drôme, covers an exceptional territory of almost 26,000 hectares. It is divided into eight regions: the Quatre-Montagnes, the Coulmes, the Vercors drômois, the Royans, the Diois, the Trièves, the Gervanne and the Piémont Nord. The Vercors Regional Nature Park is home to the largest reserve in mainland France and 4,600 km of hiking trails. The practice of outdoor sports is therefore possible in all 4 seasons, offering an exceptional setting to hikers. On its surface, you will discover wooded plateaus, majestic cirques, a profusion of wild fauna and flora and in its entrails, gaping chasms, deep gorges and magnificent caves. From the lavender of Provence in the south to the snowy summits of the north, the Vercors is a land of contrasts. A citadel carved out of the limestone rock, the Vercors has long been preserved from intense human activity. However, its 53,000 inhabitants living in 85 communes live in harmony with nature and have developed on its territory an agricultural and local production activity, let's recall for this purpose the obtaining of the AOP Bleu du Vercors-Sassenage. In the heart of this vast region, whose tragic history cannot be ignored, we must first distinguish the 16,600 hectares of the Hauts Plateaux Nature Reserve, the largest nature reserve in mainland France, a totally protected area where nature is at its best. In this reserve, there are no houses and no roads, but a preserved fauna and flora, in the heart of a territory of mountain pastures, forests and cliffs. You can find the largest forest of hooked pines in the limestone Alps, but also many mountain mammals such as the ibex, the mouflon, the chamois or the marmot. The Hauts Plateaux Nature Reserve is also a place to observe the vulture. In total, there are nearly 80 protected plant species in the Vercors Natural Park. During your walks in the forest, you will be able to see, for example, the Venus hoof, a pretty plant of the orchid family. In the cliffs, you will also notice auricular primroses and, in the subalpine grasses, wild tulips. The Vercors massif is also home to 135 species of breeding birds, 65 species of mammals and 17 species of reptiles and amphibians! Among them: ibex, deer, golden eagles, peregrine falcons and marmots. You can also meet in the Vercors chamois, deer, roe deer, mouflons, ibex and even wild boars. It is thanks to its great variety of ecosystems that the Vercors manages to maintain such a beautiful biodiversity: mountain fauna, cliffs, and even Mediterranean species will find here a natural habitat of choice. The limestone massif of the Vercors is also a paradise for cavers: the Berger chasm, located in the north of the massif, is world famous. This set of karstic cavities, whose waters are in correspondence with the tanks of Sassenage, was discovered in 1953. Another highlight of the Vercors Regional Nature Park is the Choranche caves where even non-specialists of underground galleries can enjoy the beauties hidden under our feet. The visit is a beautiful journey to the heart of the Earth. Of this sumptuous massif, one should not forget the Royans which spreads its agrarian opulence between the course of the Isère and the first slopes of the Vercors without leaving the spectacular, in particular thanks to the cliffs which plunge of several hundreds of meters in Combe-Laval and in Grands-Goulets. This position of natural fortress also allowed men, and in particular the maquisards in fight against the occupant, to find refuge in the innumerable caves and the unfathomable forests. The martyred villages are a reminder of the battles that took place in these peaceful places. Among them, the village of Vassieux-en-Vercors and its memorial of the Resistance which are in the center of a route of discovery of the sites where the tragic events of the Vercors took place, during the summer 1944. A place of memory if ever there was one, the memorial allows you to discover the daily life of the maquisards, the historical events but also the different strategies and ideologies. A natural citadel, the Vercors offers a few peaks that exceed 2,000 meters in altitude, including the Grand Veymont, the highest point of the massif at 2,341 meters, without forgetting the very photogenic Mont Aiguille. A mountain that is not admirable for its height, 2,085 meters, but for its particular shape of isolated tooth - one could compare it to a molar -, a summit plateau surrounded by impressive cliffs. Impressive, like the needles of Dévoluy, a crystalline mass that seems detached from its forest base. Here is a region which you should not miss to discover landscapes mixing striking contrasts and plenitude, nature and history. Please note that the Maison du Parc in Lans-en-Vercors is not open to the public. You can find all the information you need in the tourist offices of the area.