France Denis Champollion · CC BY-SA 3.0
The cut
650 metres, to scale.
A slice through Gorges de la Bourne where it is deepest and narrowest, measured on the Copernicus relief model every 30 m. Same scale as the landmark standing on the floor.
Standing on the floor, to scale: Great Pyramid · 139 m · Empire State · 443 m
Depth is measured to the lower rim; the width is from rim to rim. A 30 m relief model smooths the narrowest walls, so a slot canyon reads shallower than it is.
650m
Depth
published figure: 900 m
3.2km
Rim to rim
measured on the 30 m relief model
50°
Steepest wall
average over 300 m, from the relief
260m
Floor altitude
Rim to floor
5 °C warmer at the bottom.
In July the afternoon reaches 28 °C on the floor, against 23 °C on the rim. The best months to hike are from April to May and from September to October. The rim freezes at night from December to March. The wettest months are in November.
- 8°3°Jan
- 9°4°Feb
- 14°8°Mar
- 18°12°Apr
- 21°16°May
- 26°20°Jun
- 28°23°Jul
- 28°23°Aug
- 24°18°Sep
- 20°14°Oct
- 13°8°Nov
- 9°4°Dec
Afternoon highs, 1991–2020 averages (NASA POWER) brought to the altitude of the rim and of the floor with the standard lapse rate (6.5 °C per 1 000 m). Shade, wind and rock change this on the day. Not a forecast.
Gorges de la Bourne is a canyon in France, cut by the Bourne river. The relief model measures 650 m from the floor to the lower rim, and 825 m to the higher one. The published depth is 900 m. Rim to rim it is 3.2 km wide where the cut was taken.
Getting there.
- Pont-en-Royansnearest town · 6.8 km in a straight line
- Parking 80 m awaynearest car park in OpenStreetMap, straight line
- Viewpointsnearest viewpoint · 0.9 km from the floor
- Grenoble Alpes Isère Airport (GNB)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 35 km in a straight lineCar hire at GNB airport (Grenoble)Discover Cars · sponsored link↗
- From April to May and from September to Octoberbest months to hike (estimate)
Plan the visit
Guided hikes, a bed nearby, a car.
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
The river
The Bourne runs highest from November to May.
The Bourne carries about 3.8 m³/s on average here. It runs highest from November to May.
- 4.5 m³/sJan
- 4.2 m³/sFeb
- 4.7 m³/sMar
- 4.7 m³/sApr
- 5.2 m³/sMay
- 3.3 m³/sJun
- 1.6 m³/sJul
- 1.1 m³/sAug
- 1.9 m³/sSep
- 3.5 m³/sOct
- 5.0 m³/sNov
- 4.5 m³/sDec
From about 1.1 m³/s in the lowest month to 5.2 m³/s in the highest. Its basin above this point covers 245 km².
The Bourne from source to mouth on Riveryas — coming soon
Estimate: long-term flow from the HydroATLAS model (WaterGAP, 1971–2000) shaped by the monthly rain, snow and temperature of the area (NASA POWER). Dams change it. Not a forecast.
From the sky.
The canyon from above, with the relief shaded, the line of the cut, the river and what people have mapped around it.
N
1.8 km
Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 (EOX, CC BY 4.0), 7.0 × 7.0 km, north up. The line is the cut above. Points © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Around the canyon.
- 55viewpoints within 5 kmBelvedere du Ranc, Belvédère de Château Julien, Brèche de Chalimont and 52 more
- 152marked hiking routes within 4 kmSentier de découverte de Prélétang, Tour du Vercors à pied and 150 more
- 10climbing crags within 3 kmDaladom, Dalle de Télébus, La Goulandière and 7 more
- 6footbridges and suspension bridges within 3 km
- 1swimming spots within 3 km
- 2named waterfalls within 4 kmCascade de Moulin Marquis, Cascade de Gournier
- 10caves within 3 km
- 25car parks within 3 km
- 13information boards and visitor centres within 4 km
- 2bus stops within 2 km
- 11campsites within 8 kmCamping Chez la Mère Michon, Camping Les Portes Saint-Martin, La Ferme du Clos and 8 more
- 49hotels and guesthouses within 8 kmDomaine des Mateaux, Chambon, Hôtel du Musée and 46 more
- 10restaurants and cafés within 4 km
- via ferrata routes within 4 km
- rafting, canoe, kayak or canyoning spots within 4 km
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit, around the floor of the canyon. A low number may just mean nobody has mapped it yet. © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
Towns nearby
- Pont-en-Royans6.8 km in a straight line
- Saint-Laurent-en-Royans8.7 km in a straight line
- Saint-Romans10 km in a straight line
- Villard-de-Lans10 km in a straight line
- Méaudre11 km in a straight line
- Saint-Just-de-Claix11 km in a straight line
- Saint-Jean-en-Royans12 km in a straight line
- Saint-Sauveur12 km in a straight line
In our other atlases
What else is around Gorges de la Bourne.
The river that carved it, the waterfalls inside it, the mountains on the rim, the lakes, beaches and island nearby — from our six sister atlases, each with its own figures.
Riveryas1 rivers in the canyon
Peakyas22 mountains within 15 kmFigures from the sister sites' databases (Wikidata, HydroATLAS, GeoNames, NOAA, OpenStreetMap). Links open when each site is online.
Month by month
The weather, at the floor and at the rim.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoon · floor | 8 | 9 | 14 | 18 | 21 | 26 | 28 | 28 | 24 | 20 | 13 | 9 |
| Afternoon · rim | 3 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 16 | 20 | 23 | 23 | 18 | 14 | 8 | 4 |
| Night · rim | -5 | -5 | -2 | 1 | 5 | 9 | 11 | 10 | 7 | 4 | -1 | -4 |
| Rain (mm) | 70 | 57 | 68 | 65 | 88 | 65 | 56 | 58 | 67 | 85 | 100 | 77 |
| Rainy days | 11 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 14 | 12 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 12 | 13 | 12 |
| Sun hours/day | 2.7 | 4.0 | 5.8 | 6.9 | 7.4 | 9.4 | 9.8 | 8.6 | 7.0 | 4.7 | 2.9 | 2.3 |
| Snow on the ground (cm) | 17 | 15 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 15 |
| Afternoon · floor | Afternoon · rim | Night · rim | Rain (mm) | Sun hours/day | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 8 | 3 | -5 | 70 | 2.7 |
| Feb | 9 | 4 | -5 | 57 | 4.0 |
| Mar | 14 | 8 | -2 | 68 | 5.8 |
| Apr | 18 | 12 | 1 | 65 | 6.9 |
| May | 21 | 16 | 5 | 88 | 7.4 |
| Jun | 26 | 20 | 9 | 65 | 9.4 |
| Jul | 28 | 23 | 11 | 56 | 9.8 |
| Aug | 28 | 23 | 10 | 58 | 8.6 |
| Sep | 24 | 18 | 7 | 67 | 7.0 |
| Oct | 20 | 14 | 4 | 85 | 4.7 |
| Nov | 13 | 8 | -1 | 100 | 2.9 |
| Dec | 9 | 4 | -4 | 77 | 2.3 |
Averages 1991–2020 (NASA POWER) for a cell about 55 km wide, brought to the floor (260 m) and the rim (1,086 m) with the standard lapse rate. Not a forecast.
Photographs
Seen from the trail.
Recent years
Wet years, dry years.
Rain of each month as a share of the 1991–2020 average. A dry year means a lower river and hotter rock; a wet one, more water in the gorge.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 52% | 90% | 97% | 68% | 90% | 151% | 28% | 119% | 117% | 142% | 35% | 163% |
| 2021 | 150% | 79% | 49% | 122% | 144% | 115% | 172% | 88% | 108% | 117% | 74% | 162% |
| 2022 | 37% | 71% | 30% | 85% | 36% | 101% | 19% | 79% | 160% | 53% | 145% | 154% |
| 2023 | 46% | 16% | 109% | 87% | 92% | 186% | 46% | 75% | 76% | 168% | 119% | 155% |
| 2024 | 108% | 104% | 199% | 104% | 157% | 159% | 104% | 48% | 193% | 141% | 44% | 104% |
| 2025 | 116% | 39% | 57% | 78% | 50% | 46% | 68% | 62% | 105% | 86% | 69% | 40% |
130% or more: wet month 70% or less: dry month
Compare with the neighbours.
Gorges de la Bourne
France
- 650 mDepth
- 3.2 kmRim to rim
- —Length
- 50°Steepest wall
Where these figures come from
| Name, type, published depth and length | Wikidata (Q2532625) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| The cut: depth, width, wall and 3D model | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| River flow and basin | HydroATLAS / RiverATLAS v1.0 (Linke et al. 2019) · CC BY 4.0 |
| Climate | NASA POWER, 1991–2020 |
| Viewpoints, trails, bridges and the river line | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Rivers, waterfalls, mountains, lakes, beaches and islands nearby | Coastya, Lakeyas, Peakyas, Cascadyas, Islandyas, Riveryas |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
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