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

protected area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...

of forested mountains in the

Rhône-Alpes Rhône-Alpes () was an administrative region of France. Since 1 January 2016, it is part of the new region Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. It is located on the eastern border of the country, towards the south. The region was named after the river Rhône a ...

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...

of southeastern France.

Geography

Set upon a limestone plateau south of

Grenoble lat, Gratianopolis , commune status = Prefecture and commune , image = Panorama grenoble.png , image size = , caption = From upper left: Panorama of the city, Grenoble’s cable cars, place Saint- ...

, the park extends into the French Western Alps. It spans two

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, ...

, Drôme and Isère, and covers a total area of . The plateau's main elevation reaches while the eastern Alpine mountain ridge tops with Le Grand Veymont (2341m). The Vercors area is peppered with caves. During World War II, it served as a safe and defensible position for the

French Resistance The French Resistance (french: La Résistance) was a collection of organisations that fought the German occupation of France during World War II, Nazi occupation of France and the Collaborationism, collaborationist Vichy France, Vichy régim ...

: ''Forteresse de la Résistance''. The area now contains around three hundred monuments to the Resistance, including a memorial center and the preserved remains of a destroyed village. In modern times, Vercors has become a popular tourist destination frequented for skiing, hiking and

spelunking Caving – also known as spelunking in the United States and Canada and potholing in the United Kingdom and Ireland – is the recreational pastime of exploring wild cave systems (as distinguished from show caves). In contrast, speleology is ...

. Several small

communes An intentional community is a voluntary residential community which is designed to have a high degree of social cohesion and teamwork from the start. The members of an intentional community typically hold a common social, political, religious, ...

dot the landscape, supported principally by forestry,

shepherd A shepherd or sheepherder is a person who tends, herds, feeds, or guards flocks of sheep. ''Shepherd'' derives from Old English ''sceaphierde (''sceap'' 'sheep' + ''hierde'' ' herder'). ''Shepherding is one of the world's oldest occupations ...

ing and tourism. The area was officially designated a

regional natural park A regional nature park or regional natural park (french: parc naturel régional or PNR) is a public establishment in France between local authorities and the French national government covering an inhabited rural area of outstanding beauty in ord ...

in 1970.

Member communes

The Vercors parklands include the following

: * Auberives-en-Royans *

Autrans Autrans () is a former commune in the Isère department in the Rhône-Alpes region of south-eastern France. On 1 January 2016, it was merged into the new commune of Autrans-Méaudre-en-Vercors. At the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble, it hos ...

Beaufort-sur-Gervanne Beaufort-sur-Gervanne (; Vivaro-Alpine: ''Beufòrt de Gervana'') is a commune in the Drôme department in southeastern France. Population See also *Communes of the Drôme department The following is a list of the 363 communes of the Drôme ...

* Beauvoir-en-Royans * Bouvante * Chamaloc * Château-Bernard * Châtelus *

Châtillon-en-Diois Châtillon-en-Diois is a commune in the Drôme department in southeastern France. On 1 January 2019, the former commune Treschenu-Creyers was merged into Châtillon-en-Diois.Chichilianne * Choranche * Clelles *

Cognin-les-Gorges Cognin-les-Gorges () is a commune in the Isère department in southeastern France. Population See also *Communes of the Isère department The following is a list of the 512 communes in the French department of Isère. The communes coope ...

Combovin Combovin () is a commune in the Drôme department in southeastern France. Population See also *Communes of the Drôme department The following is a list of the 363 communes of the Drôme department of France. The communes cooperate in th ...

* Corrençon-en-Vercors * Crest * Die * Échevis *

Engins Engins () is a commune in the Isère department in southeastern France. Population See also *Communes of the Isère department The following is a list of the 512 communes in the French department of Isère. The communes cooperate in the ...

Gigors-et-Lozeron Gigors-et-Lozeron (; oc, Gigòrs e Lauseron) is a commune in the Drôme department in southeastern France. Population See also *Communes of the Drôme department The following is a list of the 363 communes of the Drôme department of Fr ...

Glandage Glandage () is a commune in the Drôme department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geo ...

* Gresse-en-Vercors * Izeron *

La Chapelle-en-Vercors La Chapelle-en-Vercors is a commune in the Drôme department in southeastern France. Population See also *Communes of the Drôme department The following is a list of the 363 communes of the Drôme department of France. The communes coo ...

* La Motte-Fanjas * La Rivière *

Lans-en-Vercors Lans-en-Vercors is a commune in the Isère department in southeastern France. Population Twin towns Lans-en-Vercors is twinned with: * Saint-Donat, Lanaudière, Quebec, Canada, since 1990 See also *Communes of the Isère department Th ...

* Laval-d'Aix *

Le Chaffal Le Chaffal (; oc, Lo Chaafalc) is a commune in the Drôme department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrat ...

* Le Gua *

Léoncel Léoncel (; oc, Lioncèl) is a commune in the Drôme department in southeastern France. Population See also *Communes of the Drôme department The following is a list of the 363 communes of the Drôme department of France. The commune ...

Lus-la-Croix-Haute Lus-la-Croix-Haute is a commune in the Drôme department in southeastern France. Geography It is situated in the Dauphiné Alps. It is the highest commune in the Drôme départment. Lus-la-Croix-Haute is a very extended community in the dépar ...

* Malleval-en-Vercors * Marignac-en-Diois *

Méaudre Méaudre () is a former commune in the Isère department in southeastern France. On 1 January 2016, it was merged into the new commune of Autrans-Méaudre-en-Vercors.Miribel-Lanchâtre * Le Monestier-du-Percy * Montaud * Omblèze *

Oriol-en-Royans Oriol-en-Royans (; oc, Auriòl de Roians) is a commune in the Drôme department in southeastern France. Population See also *Communes of the Drôme department The following is a list of the 363 communes of the Drôme department of France ...

Percy The English surname Percy is of Norman origin, coming from Normandy to England, United Kingdom. It was from the House of Percy, Norman lords of Northumberland, derives from the village of Percy-en-Auge in Normandy. From there, it came into us ...

* Plan-de-Baix *

Ponet-et-Saint-Auban Ponet-et-Saint-Auban () is a commune in the Drôme department in southeastern France. Population See also *Communes of the Drôme department The following is a list of the 363 communes of the Drôme department of France. The communes co ...

Pont-en-Royans Pont-en-Royans () is a commune in the Isère department in southeastern France. Geography The town is located near the Isère valley at the gates of the Vercors Regional Natural Park. It lies at the meeting of the rivers Bourne (which rise ...

* Presles * Rencurel *

Rochechinard Rochechinard (; oc, Ròchachinard) is a commune in the Drôme department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (adminis ...

Romans-sur-Isère Romans-sur-Isère (; Occitan: ''Rumans d'Isèra''; Old Occitan: ''Romans'') is a commune in the Drôme department in southeastern France. Geography Romans-sur-Isère is located on the Isère, northeast of Valence. There are more than 50,000 ...

Romeyer Romeyer (; oc, Romeièr) is a commune in the Drôme department in southeastern France. Population See also *Communes of the Drôme department The following is a list of the 363 communes of the Drôme department of France. The communes ...

Rovon Rovon () is a commune in the Isère department in southeastern France. Population See also *Communes of the Isère department The following is a list of the 512 Communes of France, communes in the French Departments of France, department ...

* Saint-Agnan-en-Vercors *

Saint-Andéol, Drôme Saint-Andéol (; Vivaro-Alpine: ''Sant Andiòu'') is a commune in the Drôme department in southeastern France. Population See also *Communes of the Drôme department The following is a list of the 363 communes of the Drôme department ...

* Saint-Andéol, Isère * Saint-André-en-Royans * Saint-Gervais *

Saint-Guillaume Saint-Guillaume () is a commune in the Isère department in southeastern France. Population See also *Communes of the Isère department The following is a list of the 512 communes in the French department of Isère. The communes cooper ...

* Saint-Jean-en-Royans *

Saint-Julien-en-Quint Saint-Julien-en-Quint (; Vivaro-Alpine: ''Sant Julian de Quint'') is a commune in the Drôme department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government an ...

Saint-Julien-en-Vercors Saint-Julien-en-Vercors (, literally ''Saint-Julien in Vercors''; oc, Sant Julian de VercòrsVivaro-Alpine: ''Sant Julian de Vercòrs'') is a commune in the Drôme department in southeastern France. Population See also *Communes of the Dr� ...

* Saint-Just-de-Claix *

Saint-Laurent-en-Royans Saint-Laurent-en-Royans (; oc, Sant Laurenç de Roians) is a commune in the Drôme department in southeastern France. It is situated to the north of Saint-Jean-en-Royans, and to the west of Combe Laval. Population See also *Communes of th ...

Saint-Marcellin Saint-Marcellin is a soft French cheese made from cow's milk. Named after the small town of Saint-Marcellin ( Isère), it is produced in a geographical area corresponding to part of the former Dauphiné province (now included in the Rhône-Alpes ...

* Saint-Martin-de-Clelles *

Saint-Martin-en-Vercors Saint-Martin-en-Vercors (, literally ''Saint-Martin in Vercors''; Vivaro-Alpine: ''Sant Martin de Vercòrs'') is a commune in the Drôme department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into part ...

* Saint-Martin-le-Colonel * Saint-Michel-les-Portes * Saint-Nazaire-en-Royans *

Saint-Nizier-du-Moucherotte Saint-Nizier-du-Moucherotte is a commune in the Isère department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in Southeastern France. In 2019, it had a population of 1,083. Demographics 1968 Winter Olympics The commune hosted the ski jumping indiv ...

* Saint-Paul-lès-Monestier * Saint-Pierre-de-Chérennes * Saint-Romans * Saint-Thomas-en-Royans * Saint-Paul-de-Varces * Sainte-Croix * Sainte-Eulalie-en-Royans * Treschenu-Creyers * Vachères-en-Quint *

Vassieux-en-Vercors Vassieux-en-Vercors is a commune in the department of Drôme in southeastern France. The town is known for its assistance to the French Resistance during World War II, for which it was awarded the Ordre de la Libération. Geography The villag ...

Villard-de-Lans Villard-de-Lans (; oc, Lo Vilar de Lanç) is a commune in the Isère department of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in southeastern France. The town is also situated in the Vercors Massif. It was the administrative centre of the eponymous cant ...

* Vinay

Partially affiliated

* Claix * Fontaine * Noyarey * Saint-Quentin-sur-Isère *

Sassenage Sassenage (; frp, Sassenâjo) is a commune in the Isère department in southeastern France. It is part of the Grenoble urban unit (agglomeration).

* Seyssinet-Pariset * Seyssins *

Varces-Allières-et-Risset Varces-Allières-et-Risset (; frp, Varse-Aliéres-et-Riosèc) is a commune in the Isère department in southeastern France. It is part of the Grenoble urban unit The urban unit of Grenoble (french: unité urbaine de Grenoble) is a French urba ...

Veurey-Voroize Veurey-Voroize (; frp, Vorê) is a commune in the Isère department in southeastern France. It is part of the Grenoble urban unit The urban unit of Grenoble (french: unité urbaine de Grenoble) is a French urban unit centred on the city of Gre ...

References

External links

Official park website
{{Authority control Regional natural parks of France Geography of Drôme Geography of Isère Tourist attractions in Drôme Tourist attractions in Isère Protected areas established in 1970