France Canyon
Gorges de l'Hérault
317 m of rock, cut by the Canal de Gignac, branche de Ceyras.
Einaz80 · CC BY-SA 4.0
The cut
317 metres, to scale.
A slice through Gorges de l'Hérault 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
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.
317m
Depth
measured on the 30 m relief model
15.2km
Rim to rim
measured on the 30 m relief model
16°
Steepest wall
average over 300 m, from the relief
40m
Floor altitude
Rim to floor
2 °C warmer at the bottom.
In July the afternoon reaches 30 °C on the floor, against 28 °C on the rim. The best months to hike are from April to May and in October. The wettest months are from October to November.
- 11°8°Jan
- 12°9°Feb
- 15°12°Mar
- 18°16°Apr
- 22°20°May
- 27°25°Jun
- 30°28°Jul
- 30°27°Aug
- 25°23°Sep
- 20°18°Oct
- 15°13°Nov
- 11°9°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.
Canyon in France
Gorges de l'Hérault is a canyon in France, cut by the Canal de Gignac, branche de Ceyras river. The relief model measures 317 m from the floor to the lower rim, and 377 m to the higher one. Rim to rim it is 15 km wide where the cut was taken.
Getting there.
- Saint-Jean-de-Fosnearest town · 0.9 km in a straight line
- Parking 920 m awaynearest car park in OpenStreetMap, straight line
- Viewpointsnearest viewpoint · 2.4 km from the floor
- Montpellier-Méditerranée Airport (MPL)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 36 km in a straight lineCar hire at MPL airport (Montpellier/Méditerranée)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 Canal de Gignac, branche de Ceyras runs highest from October to December.
The Canal de Gignac, branche de Ceyras carries about 31 m³/s on average here. It runs highest from October to December. It is lowest from July to August.
- 44 m³/sJan
- 37 m³/sFeb
- 37 m³/sMar
- 40 m³/sApr
- 31 m³/sMay
- 17 m³/sJun
- 7.9 m³/sJul
- 6.2 m³/sAug
- 18 m³/sSep
- 47 m³/sOct
- 61 m³/sNov
- 49 m³/sDec
From about 6.2 m³/s in the lowest month to 61 m³/s in the highest. Its basin above this point covers 1,277 km².
Follow the Hérault 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.
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.
- 15viewpoints within 5 kmPoint de vue Max Nègre, Belvédère du Berger and 13 more
- 9marked hiking routes within 4 kmCSG 11 : Saint-Maurice-Navacelles - Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert, Les Fenestrettes, Notre-Dame-du-Lieu-Plaisant and 6 more
- 1climbing crags within 3 kmParapluie
- 15footbridges and suspension bridges within 3 kmPont du Diable, Passerelle des Anges and 13 more
- 30caves within 3 km
- 52car parks within 3 km
- 23information boards and visitor centres within 4 km
- 10bus stops within 2 km
- 7campsites within 8 kmLe Septimanien, La Source Saint-Pierre, Aire de stationnement Aniane and 4 more
- 34hotels and guesthouses within 8 kmLa Clé, Hostellerie Saint-Benoît, Gîte de la Tour and 31 more
- 29restaurants and cafés within 4 km
- via ferrata routes within 4 km
- rafting, canoe, kayak or canyoning spots within 4 km
- swimming spots within 3 km
- named waterfalls 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
- Saint-Jean-de-Fos0.9 km in a straight line
- Aniane3.4 km in a straight line
- Montpeyroux4.4 km in a straight line
- Gignac6.2 km in a straight line
- Saint-André-de-Sangonis7.8 km in a straight line
- Montarnaud13 km in a straight line
- Le Pouget13 km in a straight line
- Vailhauquès14 km in a straight line
In our other atlases
What else is around Gorges de l'Hérault.
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.
Peakyas10 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 | 11 | 12 | 15 | 18 | 22 | 27 | 30 | 30 | 25 | 20 | 15 | 11 |
| Afternoon · rim | 8 | 9 | 12 | 16 | 20 | 25 | 28 | 27 | 23 | 18 | 13 | 9 |
| Night · rim | 2 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 10 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 13 | 10 | 6 | 3 |
| Rain (mm) | 52 | 39 | 48 | 59 | 49 | 30 | 20 | 25 | 51 | 82 | 73 | 46 |
| Rainy days | 8 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 10 | 10 | 8 |
| Sun hours/day | 3.8 | 5.2 | 6.3 | 7.3 | 8.6 | 10.6 | 11.1 | 9.7 | 7.8 | 5.0 | 4.1 | 3.6 |
| Snow on the ground (cm) | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Afternoon · floor | Afternoon · rim | Night · rim | Rain (mm) | Sun hours/day | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 11 | 8 | 2 | 52 | 3.8 |
| Feb | 12 | 9 | 2 | 39 | 5.2 |
| Mar | 15 | 12 | 4 | 48 | 6.3 |
| Apr | 18 | 16 | 7 | 59 | 7.3 |
| May | 22 | 20 | 10 | 49 | 8.6 |
| Jun | 27 | 25 | 15 | 30 | 10.6 |
| Jul | 30 | 28 | 17 | 20 | 11.1 |
| Aug | 30 | 27 | 17 | 25 | 9.7 |
| Sep | 25 | 23 | 13 | 51 | 7.8 |
| Oct | 20 | 18 | 10 | 82 | 5.0 |
| Nov | 15 | 13 | 6 | 73 | 4.1 |
| Dec | 11 | 9 | 3 | 46 | 3.6 |
Averages 1991–2020 (NASA POWER) for a cell about 55 km wide, brought to the floor (40 m) and the rim (417 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 | 92% | 27% | 48% | 122% | 128% | 181% | 34% | 116% | 138% | 45% | 48% | 115% |
| 2021 | 40% | 89% | 17% | 54% | 86% | 80% | 147% | 84% | 144% | 60% | 105% | 72% |
| 2022 | 40% | 22% | 124% | 53% | 19% | 79% | 201% | 145% | 196% | 17% | 77% | 133% |
| 2023 | 32% | 53% | 48% | 24% | 101% | 137% | 67% | 58% | 54% | 56% | 32% | 30% |
| 2024 | 66% | 94% | 231% | 56% | 144% | 93% | 91% | 67% | 185% | 70% | 50% | 33% |
| 2025 | 36% | 61% | 59% | 34% | 33% | 17% | 63% | 60% | 23% | 15% | 32% | 153% |
130% or more: wet month 70% or less: dry month
Compare with the neighbours.
Gorges de l'Hérault
France
- 317 mDepth
- 15 kmRim to rim
- —Length
- 16°Steepest wall
Where these figures come from
| Name, type, published depth and length | Wikidata (Q3111000) · 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.
The family
Do you prefer beaches, lakes, mountains, waterfalls, islands, rivers or canyons?
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