France Tiia Monto · CC BY-SA 3.0
The cut
589 metres, to scale.
A slice through Gorges du Fier 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. On one side the ground was still rising 12 km out: the true rim is further away and the canyon deeper. This is a narrow canyon: the published depth, where there is one, is the better figure.
589m
Depth
measured on the 30 m relief model
22.6km
Rim to rim
measured on the 30 m relief model
39°
Steepest wall
average over 300 m, from the relief
348m
Floor altitude
Rim to floor
4 °C warmer at the bottom.
In July the afternoon reaches 27 °C on the floor, against 23 °C on the rim. The best months to hike are in May and from September to October. The rim freezes at night from December to February.
- 6°2°Jan
- 7°3°Feb
- 11°7°Mar
- 16°12°Apr
- 20°16°May
- 24°20°Jun
- 27°23°Jul
- 27°23°Aug
- 22°18°Sep
- 18°14°Oct
- 11°7°Nov
- 7°3°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.
Slot canyon formed by the river Fier in the department of Haute-Savoie in France
Gorges du Fier is a slot canyon in France, cut by the Fier river. The relief model measures 589 m from the floor to the lower rim. Rim to rim it is 23 km wide where the cut was taken.
Getting there.
- Chavanodnearest town · 0.7 km in a straight line
- Parking 1,880 m awaynearest car park in OpenStreetMap, straight line
- Viewpointsnearest viewpoint · 2.7 km from the floor
- Annecy Meythet airport (NCY)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 6 km in a straight lineCar hire at GVA airport (Geneva)Discover Cars · sponsored link↗
- In 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 Fier runs highest from December to June.
The Fier carries about 18 m³/s on average here. It runs highest from December to June.
- 28 m³/sJan
- 22 m³/sFeb
- 27 m³/sMar
- 24 m³/sApr
- 28 m³/sMay
- 22 m³/sJun
- 13 m³/sJul
- 11 m³/sAug
- 8.6 m³/sSep
- 13 m³/sOct
- 15 m³/sNov
- 23 m³/sDec
From about 8.6 m³/s in the lowest month to 28 m³/s in the highest. Its basin above this point covers 798 km².
The Fier 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
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.
- 8viewpoints within 5 kmBelvédère de Vieugy and 7 more
- 2marked hiking routes within 4 kmCircuit des Euphorbes
- 1climbing crags within 3 km
- 15footbridges and suspension bridges within 3 kmPont des Liasses, Pont and 13 more
- 1caves within 3 km
- 138car parks within 3 km
- 39information boards and visitor centres within 4 km
- 28bus stops within 2 km
- 8campsites within 8 kmAutrucheland, Le Belvédère, Aire de stationnement camping-cars de Colmyr and 5 more
- 63hotels and guesthouses within 8 kmIbis, Hôtel La Mama, Moxy and 60 more
- 28restaurants 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
- Chavanod0.7 km in a straight line
- Lovagny0.9 km in a straight line
- Poisy3.5 km in a straight line
- Marcellaz-Albanais3.8 km in a straight line
- Seynod4.1 km in a straight line
- Cran-Gevrier4.9 km in a straight line
- Meythet5.1 km in a straight line
- Épagny5.7 km in a straight line
In our other atlases
What else is around Gorges du Fier.
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
Peakyas13 mountains within 15 km
Lakeyas1 lakes within 15 kmComing soonFigures 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 | 6 | 7 | 11 | 16 | 20 | 24 | 27 | 27 | 22 | 18 | 11 | 7 |
| Afternoon · rim | 2 | 3 | 7 | 12 | 16 | 20 | 23 | 23 | 18 | 14 | 7 | 3 |
| Night · rim | -5 | -5 | -1 | 3 | 7 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 9 | 5 | 0 | -4 |
| Rain (mm) | 98 | 73 | 90 | 75 | 111 | 100 | 93 | 99 | 76 | 92 | 96 | 106 |
| Rainy days | 12 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 16 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 13 |
| Sun hours/day | 3.3 | 4.5 | 5.5 | 6.3 | 6.6 | 8.5 | 8.8 | 7.9 | 6.9 | 5.0 | 3.1 | 2.6 |
| Snow on the ground (cm) | 19 | 20 | 15 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 11 | 18 |
| Afternoon · floor | Afternoon · rim | Night · rim | Rain (mm) | Sun hours/day | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 6 | 2 | -5 | 98 | 3.3 |
| Feb | 7 | 3 | -5 | 73 | 4.5 |
| Mar | 11 | 7 | -1 | 90 | 5.5 |
| Apr | 16 | 12 | 3 | 75 | 6.3 |
| May | 20 | 16 | 7 | 111 | 6.6 |
| Jun | 24 | 20 | 11 | 100 | 8.5 |
| Jul | 27 | 23 | 13 | 93 | 8.8 |
| Aug | 27 | 23 | 13 | 99 | 7.9 |
| Sep | 22 | 18 | 9 | 76 | 6.9 |
| Oct | 18 | 14 | 5 | 92 | 5.0 |
| Nov | 11 | 7 | 0 | 96 | 3.1 |
| Dec | 7 | 3 | -4 | 106 | 2.6 |
Averages 1991–2020 (NASA POWER) for a cell about 55 km wide, brought to the floor (348 m) and the rim (955 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 | 51% | 170% | 90% | 61% | 100% | 145% | 39% | 112% | 107% | 200% | 26% | 87% |
| 2021 | 138% | 63% | 65% | 63% | 132% | 103% | 170% | 66% | 95% | 72% | 62% | 175% |
| 2022 | 41% | 111% | 21% | 122% | 40% | 89% | 28% | 62% | 200% | 94% | 119% | 129% |
| 2023 | 77% | 8% | 173% | 129% | 64% | 80% | 62% | 87% | 93% | 165% | 252% | 185% |
| 2024 | 119% | 87% | 110% | 110% | 147% | 137% | 99% | 74% | 281% | 156% | 64% | 112% |
| 2025 | 145% | 43% | 54% | 124% | 85% | 84% | 105% | 87% | 192% | 155% | 130% | 28% |
130% or more: wet month 70% or less: dry month
Compare with the neighbours.
Gorges du Fier
France
- 589 mDepth
- 23 kmRim to rim
- —Length
- 39°Steepest wall
Gorges du Val du Fier
France · 14 km
- 761 mDepth
- 10 kmRim to rim
- 3.5 kmLength
- 30°Steepest wall
Where these figures come from
| Name, type, published depth and length | Wikidata (Q3111012) · 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
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