Pilat Regional Natural Park ( French: ''Parc naturel régional du Pilat'') is a

protected area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural or cultural values. Protected areas are those areas in which human presence or the exploitation of natural resources (e.g. firewood ...

of mountainous countryside in the

Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (; AURA) or ; or ; . is a Regions of France, region in southeast-central France created by the 2014 territorial reform of French regions; it resulted from the merger of Auvergne and Rhône-Alpes. The new region came into e ...

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...

of southeastern

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. The park spans the

departments Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military * Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

Loire The Loire ( , , ; ; ; ; ) is the longest river in France and the 171st longest in the world. With a length of , it drains , more than a fifth of France's land, while its average discharge is only half that of the Rhône. It rises in the so ...

and

Rhône The Rhône ( , ; Occitan language, Occitan: ''Ròse''; Franco-Provençal, Arpitan: ''Rôno'') is a major river in France and Switzerland, rising in the Alps and flowing west and south through Lake Geneva and Southeastern France before dischargi ...

, and covers a total area of . The mountain terrain ranges from to in elevation. Forty-seven communes dot the landscape, with approximately fifty thousand residents. The land was officially designated a

regional natural park A regional nature park or regional natural park ( or PNR) is a public establishment in France between local authorities and the Cabinet of France, French national government covering an inhabited rural area of outstanding beauty in order to protec ...

in 1974.

Member communes

The park includes 47 member communes: * Ampuis * Le Bessat * Bessey *

Bourg-Argental Bourg-Argental (; ; ) is a commune in the Loire department in central France. Population See also *Communes of the Loire department The following is a list of the 320 communes of the Loire department of France. The communes cooperate i ...

* Burdignes * Chavanay * Chuyer * La Chapelle-Villars * Châteauneuf * Colombier *

Condrieu Condrieu () is a Communes of France, commune in the Rhône (department), Rhône Departments of France, department in eastern France. It is situated on the right bank of the Rhône, some south of Vienne, Isère, Vienne and 44 km south of Ly ...

* Doizieux * Échalas * Farnay * Graix * Les Haies * Jonzieux * Loire-sur-Rhône * Longes * Lupé * Maclas * Malleval *

Marlhes Marlhes () is a commune in the Loire department in central France. Population Twin towns Marlhes is twinned with: * Féouda, Togo * Charette, Quebec, Canada Personalities Marcellin Champagnat, a Catholic saint who founded the Marist B ...

* Pavezin * Pélussin * Planfoy * Roisey * Saint-Appolinard * Sainte-Croix-en-Jarez * Saint-Genest-Malifaux * Saint-Julien-Molin-Molette * Saint-Michel-sur-Rhône * Saint-Paul-en-Jarez * Saint-Pierre-de-Bœuf * Saint-Régis-du-Coin * Saint-Romain-en-Gal * Saint-Romain-les-Atheux * Saint-Sauveur-en-Rue * Tarentaise * La Terrasse-sur-Dorlay * Thélis-la-Combe * Trèves * Tupin-et-Semons * La Valla-en-Gier * Véranne * Vérin * La Versanne

References

External links

Official park website
Regional natural parks of France Geography of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Geography of Rhône (department) Geography of Loire (department) Tourist attractions in Rhône (department) Tourist attractions in Loire (department) Protected areas established in 1974 Tourist attractions in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes {{Europe-protected-area-stub