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Les gorges de l'Infernet vues depuis Villard-Notre-Dame (2)

France France Canyon

Infernet canyons

1,412 m of rock, cut by the Romanche.

See the cutWhen to go

Remontees · CC BY-SA 4.0

The cut

1,412 metres, to scale.

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

2,769 m2,135 m1,412 m10 km rim to rim1.0 km2,769 m2,135 m1,412 m10 km rim to rim1.0 kmvertical scale × 1.2

Standing on the floor, to scale: Eiffel Tower · 330 m · Burj Khalifa · 828 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.

1,412m

Depth

measured on the 30 m relief model

10.3km

Rim to rim

measured on the 30 m relief model

57°

Steepest wall

average over 300 m, from the relief

5.0km

Length

Rim to floor

13 °C warmer at the bottom.

In July the afternoon reaches 26 °C on the floor, against 12 °C on the rim. The best months to hike are from June to September. The rim freezes at night from September to May.

rim · 2,769 mfloor · 723 m
  1. 5°-8°Jan
  2. 6°-8°Feb
  3. 9°-4°Mar
  4. 14°1°Apr
  5. 19°6°May
  6. 23°10°Jun
  7. 26°12°Jul
  8. 26°12°Aug
  9. 22°9°Sep
  10. 17°4°Oct
  11. 10°-3°Nov
  12. 6°-7°Dec
Hike: Jun–SepFrost on the rim: Sep–May

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.

Infernet canyons is a canyon in France, cut by the Romanche river. The relief model measures 1,412 m from the floor to the lower rim, and 2,046 m to the higher one. It runs for 5.0 km. Rim to rim it is 10 km wide where the cut was taken.

Getting there.

  • Mont-de-Lansnearest town · 2.9 km in a straight line
  • Parking 1,250 m awaynearest car park in OpenStreetMap, straight line
  • Viewpointsnearest viewpoint · 0.6 km from the floor
  • Chambéry Aix les Bains airport (CMF)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 68 km in a straight lineCar hire at GNB airport (Grenoble)Discover Cars · sponsored link
  • From June to Septemberbest 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 Romanche runs highest from March to May.

The Romanche carries about 5.6 m³/s on average here. It runs highest from March to May, fed by melting snow.

  1. 3.0 m³/sJan
  2. 1.8 m³/sFeb
  3. 9.3 m³/sMar
  4. 12 m³/sApr
  5. 12 m³/sMay
  6. 8.0 m³/sJun
  7. 3.7 m³/sJul
  8. 2.0 m³/sAug
  9. 2.0 m³/sSep
  10. 3.2 m³/sOct
  11. 5.3 m³/sNov
  12. 5.0 m³/sDec

From about 1.8 m³/s in the lowest month to 12 m³/s in the highest. Its basin above this point covers 370 km².

The Romanche 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.

Infernet canyons seen from above (Sentinel-2) N 6 km

Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 (EOX, CC BY 4.0), 22 × 22 km, north up. The line is the cut above. Points © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Around the canyon.

  • 46viewpoints within 5 kmPoint de vue, Décollage parapente Air2alpes Été, Crête du bras and 43 more
  • 5marked hiking routes within 4 kmTour de l'Oisans et Écrins, Tour du Parc National des Écrins, Réseau pédestre de l'Oisans and 2 more
  • 1climbing crags within 3 kmMur d'Escalade
  • 11footbridges and suspension bridges within 3 kmAccès Vallée Blanche, Pied Moutet and 9 more
  • 1named waterfalls within 4 kmCascade de la Pisse
  • 46car parks within 3 km
  • 35information boards and visitor centres within 4 km
  • 17bus stops within 2 km
  • 15campsites within 8 kmCamping Le Vernis, Camping la Ferme Noémie, Aire Camping-cars Venosc Les Ougiers and 12 more
  • 101hotels and guesthouses within 8 kmAtmosphere Hôtel, Les Balcons de l'Oisans, Château Hôtel de la Muzelle and 98 more
  • 53restaurants 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
  • 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

  • Mont-de-Lans2.9 km in a straight line
  • Les Deux Alpes4.1 km in a straight line
  • Le Bourg-d'Oisans5.0 km in a straight line
  • Huez5.3 km in a straight line
  • Livet-et-Gavet15 km in a straight line
  • Vaulnaveys-le-Bas22 km in a straight line
  • Vaulnaveys-le-Haut24 km in a straight line
  • Revel24 km in a straight line

In our other atlases

What else is around Infernet canyons.

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
Romanche78 km · 38 m³/s
Cascadyas4 waterfalls nearbyComing soon
Cascade de la Piche · 4.4 kmCascade de la Muzelle · 8.1 kmFontaine Pétrifiante · 9.9 kmCascade de la Pisse · 11 km
Peakyas40 mountains within 15 km
Pic du Lac Blanc3,323 m · 11 kmPic de la Pyramide3,382 m · 12 kmRoche de la Muzelle3,465 m · 12 kmPic Bayle3,465 m · 12 kmPointe de Muretouse3,454 m · 14 kmTête de Lauranoure3,325 m · 14 kmPic de l'Étendard3,464 m · 14 kmAiguille du Plat de la Selle3,596 m · 15 km
Lakeyas3 lakes within 15 kmComing soon
Lac du Chambon0.8 km² · 6.2 kmLac du Lauvitel0.3 km² · 7.7 kmLac du Verney0.5 km² · 10 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 · floor56914192326262217106
Afternoon · rim-8-8-41610121294-3-7
Night · rim-17-17-13-8-4021-2-6-10-15
Rain (mm)695467619071585959758879
Rainy days111011131614111111121312
Sun hours/day4.04.65.45.96.68.79.58.57.15.23.53.5
Snow on the ground (cm)364329137100271525
Afternoon · floorAfternoon · rimNight · rimRain (mm)Sun hours/day
Jan5-8-17694.0
Feb6-8-17544.6
Mar9-4-13675.4
Apr141-8615.9
May196-4906.6
Jun23100718.7
Jul26122589.5
Aug26121598.5
Sep229-2597.1
Oct174-6755.2
Nov10-3-10883.5
Dec6-7-15793.5

Averages 1991–2020 (NASA POWER) for a cell about 55 km wide, brought to the floor (723 m) and the rim (2,769 m) with the standard lapse rate. Not a forecast.

Photographs

Seen from the trail.

Gorges de l'Infernet près du Bourg d'Oisans, très impressionnant - panoramio
Gilles Guillamot · CC BY-SA 3.0
GorgesDeL'Infernet
Ziegler175 · CC BY-SA 3.0
Les gorges de l'Infernet vues depuis Villard-Notre-Dame (1)
Remontees · 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
202068%145%118%78%133%171%58%152%119%180%33%122%
2021156%77%57%107%127%97%155%82%118%85%62%158%
202231%82%24%93%62%85%26%89%156%71%107%135%
202357%11%147%98%102%184%52%110%92%155%150%177%
2024110%103%166%99%153%147%87%44%233%169%54%82%
2025113%36%75%109%66%63%74%86%124%88%54%38%

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

Compare with the neighbours.

Infernet canyons

France

  • 1,412 mDepth
  • 10 kmRim to rim
  • 5.0 kmLength
  • 57°Steepest wall

Manival

France · 28 km

  • 1,620 mDepth
  • 19 kmRim to rim
  • 7.4 kmLength
  • 55°Steepest wall

See the guide

Grands Goulets

France · 53 km

  • 897 mDepth
  • 4.3 kmRim to rim
  • —Length
  • 51°Steepest wall

See the guide

Gorges du Guiers Mort

France · 44 km

  • 870 mDepth
  • 4.0 kmRim to rim
  • —Length
  • 45°Steepest wall

See the guide

Where these figures come from

Name, type, published depth and lengthWikidata (Q110311172) · 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