Vercors Regional Natural Park | |
---|---|
Location |
Rhône-Alpes,
Drôme Isère, France |
Coordinates | 44°55′41″N 5°29′24″E / 44.928°N 5.49°E |
Established | 1970 |
Governing body | Fédération des parcs naturels régionaux de France |
Website | http://www.parc-du-vercors.fr/ |
The Vercors Regional Natural Park (French: Parc naturel régional du Vercors) is a protected area of forested mountains in the Rhône-Alpes region of southeastern France.
Set upon a limestone plateau south of Grenoble, the park extends into the French Western Alps.[ citation needed] It spans two departments, Drôme and Isère, and covers a total area of 135,000 hectares (330,000 acres). [1] The plateau's main elevation reaches 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) while the eastern Alpine mountain ridge tops 2,300 metres (7,500 ft) with Le Grand Veymont (2341m).[ citation needed]
The Vercors area is peppered with caves. During World War II, it served as a safe and defensible position for the French Resistance: Forteresse de la Résistance. [2] The area now contains around three hundred monuments to the Resistance, including a memorial center and the preserved remains of a destroyed village. [3]
In modern times, Vercors has become a popular tourist destination frequented for skiing, hiking and spelunking. [2] Several small communes dot the landscape, supported principally by forestry, shepherding and tourism.[ citation needed] The area was officially designated a regional natural park in 1970. [1]
The Vercors parklands include the following communes: [4]
Vercors Regional Natural Park | |
---|---|
Location |
Rhône-Alpes,
Drôme Isère, France |
Coordinates | 44°55′41″N 5°29′24″E / 44.928°N 5.49°E |
Established | 1970 |
Governing body | Fédération des parcs naturels régionaux de France |
Website | http://www.parc-du-vercors.fr/ |
The Vercors Regional Natural Park (French: Parc naturel régional du Vercors) is a protected area of forested mountains in the Rhône-Alpes region of southeastern France.
Set upon a limestone plateau south of Grenoble, the park extends into the French Western Alps.[ citation needed] It spans two departments, Drôme and Isère, and covers a total area of 135,000 hectares (330,000 acres). [1] The plateau's main elevation reaches 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) while the eastern Alpine mountain ridge tops 2,300 metres (7,500 ft) with Le Grand Veymont (2341m).[ citation needed]
The Vercors area is peppered with caves. During World War II, it served as a safe and defensible position for the French Resistance: Forteresse de la Résistance. [2] The area now contains around three hundred monuments to the Resistance, including a memorial center and the preserved remains of a destroyed village. [3]
In modern times, Vercors has become a popular tourist destination frequented for skiing, hiking and spelunking. [2] Several small communes dot the landscape, supported principally by forestry, shepherding and tourism.[ citation needed] The area was officially designated a regional natural park in 1970. [1]
The Vercors parklands include the following communes: [4]