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Gorges de la Guillera

France France Canyon

Gorges de la Guillera

484 m of rock, cut by the La Têt.

See the cutWhen to go

L'excursionistacatala · CC BY-SA 4.0

The cut

484 metres, to scale.

A slice through Gorges de la Guillera where it is deepest and narrowest, measured on the Copernicus relief model every 30 m. Same scale as the landmark standing on the floor.

629 m637 m484 m15 km rim to rim5.0 kmvertical scale × 3.0629 m637 m484 m15 km rim to rim5.0 kmvertical scale × 3.0

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.

484m

Depth

measured on the 30 m relief model

15.1km

Rim to rim

measured on the 30 m relief model

19°

Steepest wall

average over 300 m, from the relief

145m

Floor altitude

Rim to floor

3 °C warmer at the bottom.

In July the afternoon reaches 33 °C on the floor, against 30 °C on the rim. The best months to hike are from April to May and in October. The wettest months are in April and in October.

rim · 637 mfloor · 145 m
  1. 12°9°Jan
  2. 13°10°Feb
  3. 17°14°Mar
  4. 20°17°Apr
  5. 24°21°May
  6. 30°26°Jun
  7. 33°30°Jul
  8. 32°29°Aug
  9. 27°24°Sep
  10. 23°20°Oct
  11. 16°13°Nov
  12. 13°10°Dec
Hike: Apr–May, OctWettest: Apr, Oct

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 Guillera is a canyon in France, cut by the La Têt river. The relief model measures 484 m from the floor to the lower rim. Rim to rim it is 15 km wide where the cut was taken.

Getting there.

  • Vinçanearest town · 3.6 km in a straight line
  • Parking 960 m awaynearest car park in OpenStreetMap, straight line
  • Viewpointsnearest viewpoint · 2.2 km from the floor
  • Perpignan-Rivesaltes (Llabanère) Airport (PGF)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 26 km in a straight lineCar hire at PGF airport (Perpignan/Rivesaltes)Discover Cars · sponsored link
  • From April to May and in 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 La Têt runs highest from March to May and in November.

The La Têt carries about 15 m³/s on average here. It runs highest from March to May and in November. It is lowest in August.

  1. 17 m³/sJan
  2. 16 m³/sFeb
  3. 21 m³/sMar
  4. 25 m³/sApr
  5. 21 m³/sMay
  6. 11 m³/sJun
  7. 5.2 m³/sJul
  8. 4.1 m³/sAug
  9. 6.9 m³/sSep
  10. 17 m³/sOct
  11. 20 m³/sNov
  12. 14 m³/sDec

From about 4.1 m³/s in the lowest month to 25 m³/s in the highest. Its basin above this point covers 945 km².

Follow the Têt from source to mouth on Riveryas

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.

Gorges de la Guillera seen from above (Sentinel-2) N 6 km

Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 (EOX, CC BY 4.0), 24 × 24 km, north up. The line is the cut above. Points © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Around the canyon.

  • 4viewpoints within 5 kmSite des Orgues, Belvédère Orgues d'Ille and 2 more
  • 1marked hiking routes within 4 kmEl Camí IT1TR1 El Camí Capçaler: de Salzes a Balaguer
  • 9footbridges and suspension bridges within 3 kmCarrer del Rentador and 8 more
  • 35car parks within 3 km
  • 7information boards and visitor centres within 4 km
  • 8bus stops within 2 km
  • 8campsites within 8 kmLe Canigou, La Garenne, Aire Vinça Le Lac and 5 more
  • 17hotels and guesthouses within 8 kmChambre d'Hôtes, Mas Llossanes, Casa Olympe 9 and 14 more
  • 8restaurants and cafés within 4 km
  • via ferrata routes within 4 km
  • climbing crags within 3 km
  • rafting, canoe, kayak or canyoning spots within 4 km
  • swimming spots within 3 km
  • named waterfalls within 4 km
  • caves within 3 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

  • Vinça3.6 km in a straight line
  • Ille-sur-Têt4.6 km in a straight line
  • Millas11 km in a straight line
  • Prades13 km in a straight line
  • Corneilla-la-Rivière14 km in a straight line
  • Saint-Féliu-d'Avall14 km in a straight line
  • Ria-Sirach14 km in a straight line
  • Thuir16 km in a straight line

In our other atlases

What else is around Gorges de la Guillera.

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.

Peakyas65 mountains within 15 km
Roca d'Aurenc1,195 m · 10 kmPuig Sobirana1,302 m · 11 kmSanta Anna dels Quatre Termes1,348 m · 12 kmPuig des Maurous1,207 m · 13 kmRoca Gelera1,110 m · 13 kmRoc de Jocavell1,322 m · 14 kmRoc Roig1,682 m · 15 kmLa Tronca1,458 m · 15 km
Lakeyas2 lakes within 15 kmComing soon
Lac de Vinça0.6 km² · 6.1 kmLac de Caramany1.3 km² · 8.5 km

Figures 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.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Afternoon · floor121317202430333227231613
Afternoon · rim91014172126302924201310
Night · rim0025914161512841
Rain (mm)534355665937343844726142
Rainy days9791110868910109
Sun hours/day4.55.66.36.77.59.19.68.87.45.94.84.5
Snow on the ground (cm)10107410000159
Afternoon · floorAfternoon · rimNight · rimRain (mm)Sun hours/day
Jan1290534.5
Feb13100435.6
Mar17142556.3
Apr20175666.7
May24219597.5
Jun302614379.1
Jul333016349.6
Aug322915388.8
Sep272412447.4
Oct23208725.9
Nov16134614.8
Dec13101424.5

Averages 1991–2020 (NASA POWER) for a cell about 55 km wide, brought to the floor (145 m) and the rim (637 m) with the standard lapse rate. Not a forecast.

Photographs

Seen from the trail.

Gorges guillera canal 02
Drong~commonswiki · CC BY-SA 4.0
Gorges guillera canal 03
Drong~commonswiki · CC BY-SA 4.0
Gorges guillera
LySioS-wkp · CC BY-SA 4.0

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.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
2020205%22%131%211%145%263%174%177%173%120%165%147%
202182%119%35%76%86%171%69%60%141%46%164%99%
202241%25%160%79%46%52%89%107%134%31%74%69%
202362%65%33%37%86%248%96%112%74%64%59%54%
202441%78%173%143%137%206%94%84%167%187%44%78%
202536%53%327%72%104%43%244%127%166%17%67%245%

130% or more: wet month 70% or less: dry month

Compare with the neighbours.

Gorges de la Guillera

France

  • 484 mDepth
  • 15 kmRim to rim
  • —Length
  • 19°Steepest wall

Gorges de Carançà

France · 32 km

  • 1,286 mDepth
  • 12 kmRim to rim
  • —Length
  • 35°Steepest wall

See the guide

Gorges del Montdony

France · 22 km

  • 796 mDepth
  • 19 kmRim to rim
  • —Length
  • 34°Steepest wall

See the guide

Gorges de Saint-Georges

France · 33 km

  • 627 mDepth
  • 5.8 kmRim to rim
  • —Length
  • 40°Steepest wall

See the guide

Where these figures come from

Name, type, published depth and lengthWikidata (Q47380593) · CC0
The cut: depth, width, wall and 3D modelCopernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA
River flow and basinHydroATLAS / RiverATLAS v1.0 (Linke et al. 2019) · CC BY 4.0
ClimateNASA POWER, 1991–2020
Viewpoints, trails, bridges and the river line© OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL
ImagesEOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons
Rivers, waterfalls, mountains, lakes, beaches and islands nearbyCoastya, Lakeyas, Peakyas, Cascadyas, Islandyas, Riveryas

Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.

The family

Do you prefer beaches, lakes, mountains, waterfalls, islands, rivers or canyons?

Same idea, other landscapes: field atlases built on open data, month by month, in seven languages.

beachesCoastyaFind your beach: sea temperature, sun and swimming month by month.Visit
lakesLakeyasEvery lake on Earth: water temperature, ice, depth and the shore.Coming soonVisit
mountainsPeakyasEvery summit in 3D: summit weather, the 0 °C line, huts and trails.Visit
waterfallsCascadyasEvery waterfall: height, flow month by month and when it roars.Coming soonVisit
islandsIslandyasEvery island from the sea up: size, sea temperature, ferries and 3D.Visit riversRiveryasEvery river from source to sea: the journey, the flow and the basin in numbers.Visit
canyonsCanyonyasEvery canyon cut to scale: depth to the floor, rim and floor temperatures, trails and viewpoints.You are here