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Gorges de Péreille seen from above (Sentinel-2)

France France Canyon

Gorges de Péreille

308 m of rock, cut by the Le Douctouyre.

See the cutWhen to go

Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX IT Services GmbH (contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data), CC BY 4.0, with relief shading from Copernicus WorldDEM-30

The cut

308 metres, to scale.

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

864 m741 m308 m4.2 km rim to rim1.0 kmvertical scale × 1.1864 m741 m308 m4.2 km rim to rim1.0 kmvertical scale × 2.3

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.

308m

Depth

measured on the 30 m relief model

4.2km

Rim to rim

measured on the 30 m relief model

29°

Steepest wall

average over 300 m, from the relief

433m

Floor altitude

Rim to floor

3 °C warmer at the bottom.

In July the afternoon reaches 30 °C on the floor, against 27 °C on the rim. The best months to hike are in May and in October. The rim freezes at night in February.

rim · 864 mfloor · 433 m
  1. 9°6°Jan
  2. 10°7°Feb
  3. 14°11°Mar
  4. 17°14°Apr
  5. 21°18°May
  6. 26°24°Jun
  7. 30°27°Jul
  8. 29°27°Aug
  9. 25°22°Sep
  10. 20°18°Oct
  11. 13°10°Nov
  12. 10°7°Dec
Hike: May, OctFrost on the rim: Feb

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.

Protected area in France

Gorges de Péreille is a canyon in France, cut by the Le Douctouyre river. The relief model measures 308 m from the floor to the lower rim, and 431 m to the higher one. Rim to rim it is 4.2 km wide where the cut was taken.

Getting there.

  • Villeneuve-d'Olmesnearest town · 3.4 km in a straight line
  • Parking 1,220 m awaynearest car park in OpenStreetMap, straight line
  • Viewpointsnearest viewpoint · 2.2 km from the floor
  • Carcassonne Salvaza Airport (CCF)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 52 km in a straight lineCar hire at CCF airport (Carcassonne)Discover Cars · sponsored link
  • In 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.

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 Péreille seen from above (Sentinel-2) N 2 km

Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 (EOX, CC BY 4.0), 10 × 10 km, north up. The line is the cut above. Points © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Around the canyon.

  • 14viewpoints within 5 km
  • 6marked hiking routes within 4 kmRandonnée à Roquefixade, SC 11 : Montségur - Roquefixade, SC 12 : Roquefixade - Foix and 3 more
  • 1named waterfalls within 4 kmCascades de la Turasse
  • 2caves within 3 km
  • 7car parks within 3 km
  • 2information boards and visitor centres within 4 km
  • 1bus stops within 2 km
  • 7campsites within 8 kmLa Fount de Sicre, Village des Bons-Hommes Camping, Camping de Lavelanet "Le Pré Cathare" and 4 more
  • 17hotels and guesthouses within 8 kmGite d'étape de Roquefixade, Le Relais des Pogs, Gite Lou Sicret and 14 more
  • 5restaurants and cafés within 4 km
  • via ferrata routes within 4 km
  • climbing crags within 3 km
  • footbridges and suspension bridges within 3 km
  • rafting, canoe, kayak or canyoning spots within 4 km
  • swimming spots 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

  • Villeneuve-d'Olmes3.4 km in a straight line
  • Lavelanet4.3 km in a straight line
  • Laroque-d'Olmes7.5 km in a straight line
  • Saint-Paul-de-Jarrat11 km in a straight line
  • Bélesta12 km in a straight line
  • Montgaillard13 km in a straight line
  • Mercus-Garrabet15 km in a straight line
  • Foix16 km in a straight line

In our other atlases

What else is around Gorges de Péreille.

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.

Cascadyas1 waterfalls nearbyComing soon
Cascades de la Turasse · 1.3 km
Peakyas9 mountains within 15 km
Roc Marot · 2.2 kmCap de la Mounjo818 m · 3.0 kmPic de l'Aspre1,011 m · 6.4 kmMonombre · 7.6 kmPech de Foix783 m · 12 kmPic de la Lauzat1,774 m · 12 kmMont Fourcat2,001 m · 12 kmPic du Han2,074 m · 14 km
Lakeyas1 lakes within 15 kmComing soon
Lac de Montbel4.0 km² · 14 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 · floor91014172126302925201310
Afternoon · rim671114182427272218107
Night · rim-2-2037111313962-1
Rain (mm)766064768256475053688467
Rainy days12111114131291010121312
Sun hours/day2.84.66.06.87.38.79.08.47.45.43.53.0
Snow on the ground (cm)111174100001510
Afternoon · floorAfternoon · rimNight · rimRain (mm)Sun hours/day
Jan96-2762.8
Feb107-2604.6
Mar14110646.0
Apr17143766.8
May21187827.3
Jun262411568.7
Jul302713479.0
Aug292713508.4
Sep25229537.4
Oct20186685.4
Nov13102843.5
Dec107-1673.0

Averages 1991–2020 (NASA POWER) for a cell about 55 km wide, brought to the floor (433 m) and the rim (864 m) with the standard lapse rate. Not a forecast.

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
202089%55%141%143%119%177%83%118%174%201%68%205%
202199%77%29%43%61%139%89%50%155%58%127%123%
202254%34%93%79%37%77%68%86%143%22%115%49%
202396%36%55%61%98%196%86%99%75%90%123%95%
202453%120%124%70%95%104%67%72%160%175%43%76%
202537%17%124%49%44%31%90%93%76%17%47%57%

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

Compare with the neighbours.

Gorges de Péreille

France

  • 308 mDepth
  • 4.2 kmRim to rim
  • —Length
  • 29°Steepest wall

Gorges de la Frau

France · 14 km

  • 667 mDepth
  • 8.0 kmRim to rim
  • —Length
  • 24°Steepest wall

See the guide

Gorges de la Pierre-Lys

France · 35 km

  • 694 mDepth
  • 13 kmRim to rim
  • —Length
  • 47°Steepest wall

See the guide

Gorges de Saint-Georges

France · 41 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 (Q108076430) · CC0
The cut: depth, width, wall and 3D modelCopernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA
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