Located in the south of the Massif Central, the Cévennes National Park covers 321,380 hectares, stretching to the south-east of Lozère and the north-west of Gard. Its highest point is Mount Lozère, at the top of Finiels at an altitude of 1,699 metres. The Cévennes National Park is full of wild, unspoilt countryside dotted with torrents, rivers and streams, and is home to a rich and diverse range of flora and fauna, which is why it has been listed as a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve.
The Tarn and Jonte gorges, the granite massif of Mount Lozère, the Cévennes ledge between Florac and Saint-Jean-du-Gard, the caves of Aven Armand and Dargilan, the blockfield of Nîmes-le-Vieux, and the Aigoual Massif, along with the Bramabiau Chasm, the meteorological observatory site at Mount Aigoual and Le Minier Pass, are some of the wonderful sights to see here. There are also lots of great hikes, for example along the Stevenson Trail, a famous hiking trail (GR 70) through the Cévennes, which the Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson followed in Autumn 1878 accompanied by his donkey Modestine.
Don't miss the Park House, based in Florac Castle in Lozère, which provides visitors with information and documents about the Cévennes area, as well as a permanent exhibition - "Passengers of the landscape" - all about the natural environments of the Cévennes National Park.
As you travel the picturesque little roads lined with the beech and pine groves and oak groves, heather-covered moors, pastures and chestnut tree groves, you can admire the typical architecture of the Cévennes, dominated by granite, limestone and schist. You can also visit sites about the history and culture of the Cévennes, like the La Roque silk factory in Molezon, with its "Threads of Memory" exhibition about sericulture, the Cévennes Museum in Le Vigan and the Cévennes Valley Museum in Saint-Jean-du-Gard, both dedicated to the popular arts and traditions of the Cévennes... Finally, be sure to try regional products such as honey, cooked meats and Pélardon (a cheese made from unpasteurised goat's milk), as well as typical Cévennes dishes like Bajana, a traditional chestnut soup!
