Visited: September 2017Written: January 2018
Updated: March 2020
Parc National des Écrins, or: the Écrins National Park, in the French Alps is truly one of the most stunning national parks of France. To prove this, I have listed 11 photographs that show the rugged beauty of the Écrins!
First, some background on the national park (or, skip this and head down to the photographs).
The Écrins National Park covers a 91,800 hectare 1 2 area of towering mountains and scenic valleys in the east of France, in the French part of the Alps. It is located between the cities Grenoble to the north, and Gap to the south and was founded on the 27th of March 1973 as the 5th National Park of France 3 4.
The park includes stunning mountain peaks, beautiful green valleys, glacier and glacial valleys, high alpine pastures and many species of wildlife. Its highest peak is the 4,102 meter high Barré des Ecrins 1 2 3. Many species of wildlife call the park home, including Chamois, Ibex, Marmot, Golden eagle, Ptarmigan, Grouse, etc. etc. etc. 1 3 5. In spring and summer the alpine pastures are full of flowers and in winter they are covered in snow and perfect for skiing. Sounds like paradise right?
According to the official website of the Écrins National Park, hiking is the best way to discover the park. Check out this awesome hike I did while in the Écrins: Hiking to Glacier Blanc, one of the best hikes in the Écrins National Park in the French Alps and see for yourself.
Enough with the background info, and let's get to the photographs. Want to know more about the Écrins? Check out the table below for more practical information. Or, just skip the table to get to the photographs.
The Ecrins National Park in a glance
| Where | South-East France, Departements Isère and Hautes-Alpes |
| Best time to visit | Spring and summer |
| Wildlife of the Écrins National Park | Chamois, Ibex, Marmot, Golden eagle, Ptarmigan, Grouse and much more. |
| Activities | Hiking, mountaineering, rock and ice climbing, skiing, canoeing, rafting, paragliding, bird watching and much more. |
| Website | Official website of the Écrins National Park. (French) |
| Accomodations in the Écrins National Park | Check on Booking.com!* |
| Other things to do in the Écrins National Park | Hike to a glacier: Hiking to Glacier Blanc. Road tripping: part of the scenic drive Route Napoleon passes by the Écrins National Park and is definitely worth a drive. Check out this great Route Napoleon itinerary by Grace and Jim from Extremenomads. More? Check out what TripAdvisor.com has to say about the Écrins National Park.* |
Glacier Blanc, Vallouise Valley
Hiking to Glacier Blanc?
The hike to the white glacier is one of the most stunning and rewarding hikes of the French Alps. Check out my post about the hike to Glacier Blanc!Pré de Madame Carle, Vallouise Valley
Dôme des Ecrins (4088m)
Image by Alexgan from Pixabay
Barré des Ecrins (4102m)
Image by Alexgan from Pixabay
Image by Alexgan from Pixabay
Valgaudemar Valley
Image by Christophe BILLARD from Pixabay
Pic de Montbrison (2765m)
Image by Geert_Vennix from Pixabay
Montane Flora
Image by Florence D. from Pixabay
Beautiful huh? Updating this post has made me feel a little homesick to the Alps. Sadly, as we are still in the beginning of the Corona virus crisis here in the Netherlands and all borders are closed, I'm not too hopeful I can get back there anywhere soon. So for now, pictures will have to do...
Have you ever been to the Écrins National Park? Tell me about your favorite place in the comments section below!
Further reading
- An amazing hike to the impressive Glacier Blanc, the White Glacier above the Vallouise Valley.
- Or, read this great descriptive post about a Hike in the Cirque de Gioberney in the Écrins National Park by Julianna from The Discoveries Of.
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Sources
- France-Voyage.com (2020, March 23). Écrins National Park. France-Voyage.com. Retrieved from https://www.france-voyage.com/tourism/ecrins-national-park-1325.htm.
- Espirit Parc National (2020, March 23). Écrins National Park. Espirit Parc National. Retrieved from https://www.espritparcnational.com/en/national-parks/ecrins-national-park?language=en.
- Wikipedia (2020, March 23). Écrins National Park. Wikipedia. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Écrins_National_Park.
- Parc National des Écrins (2020, March 23). Historique: les dates clefs. Parc National des Écrins. Retrieved from http://www.ecrins-parcnational.fr/historique-les-dates-clefs.
- Parc National des Écrins (2020, March 23). Faune Sauvage. Parc National des Écrins. Retrieved from http://www.ecrins-parcnational.fr/thematique/faune-sauvage.
These photographs are amazing. I just added 5 places to my post-COVID-19 bucket list.
ReplyDeleteSuch a complete guide to this National Park! I now really really want to visit it!
ReplyDelete