Cevennes Mont-Lozère: wild unspoilt mountains, southern french massif

The Cévennes

Nature, History & Heritage

The Cévennes

**The Cévennes massif**

The Cévennes massif straddles the French departments of Lozère, Gard and Ardèche, following on from the Vivarais mountains in Ardèche and Haute-Loire (to the north-east) and the Lacaune and Espinouse mountains, mainly in Hérault(to the south).

The name “Cévennes” generally includes part of the southern plain in the south-eastern foothills, particularly the Alesian basin.

The marked relief of this still particularly isolated region, the harshness of its climate, the specific features of its terroir and the traditions that have developed there over the centuries, make the Cévennes a unique territory in the Languedoc.

An unspoilt area

Rich in history, this welcoming land was long marked by the Wars of Religion.
Because it was difficult to reach, the persecuted Huguenots found refuge in the Cévennes mountains.

Today, the Cevennes National Park is based here.
80% of the National Park is located in the Lozère département.
The fauna and flora have been preserved and safeguarded.
Some species have been re-established and others have returned naturally.

The Cévennes

©Vue depuis le Mont-Aigoual - Cévennes (Lozère & Gard)|A. Chabert

©Tarn Bridge Mont Lozere|C. Nouet - OTI Mende

©Randonneurs sur le site des bondons - Mont-Lozère (48)|Jean-Paul PEYTAVIN

Site des Bondons - Mont-Lozère — ©Paysage des Bondons sur le Mont-Lozère|A. Chabert

Photo Instagram sur le Mont-Lozère|Instagram #montlozere

Mont-Lozère

A granite spine

Made up of high plateaux, these rounded mountains offer sweeping views towards the Cévennes, the Aigoual and the Causses.
While the slopes are heavily wooded, the crest is made up of vast expanses of grassland used for agro-pastoralism.
This is the largest continuous area of pseudo-alpine grassland in the southern Massif Central.

It is part of the core zone of the Cevennes National Park,
Mont Lozère is renowned for the presence of several species and environments that find their only locality between the Alps and the Pyrenees.

Mont-Lozère

A mighty granite massif.

Its eroded granite has decomposed into curious balls forming chaos scattered here and there across moorland landscapes.

The massif culminates at 1699 metres, at the summit of the Peak de Finiels.
It is the highest peak in the french central massif that is not of volcanic origin.

It forms a real geographical entity, highlighted by the cuts through the Tarn, Lot, Altier and Céze rivers.
Its high plateaux stretch for 35 kilometres.

360° panoramic view from the peak of Finiels on Mont Lozère.

A trail leads to the peak de Finiels from the Mont Lozère ski resort.

Go to full screen

Things to see & to do

In Cévennes & Mount Lozère

Activities
Places to see and visit
Motorbike
Discovery tours
Website

The landscape of the Cévennes and Mont-Lozère is perfect for walking, mountain biking and horse riding.
Numerous short hikes are possible, and complete tours of the massif are described in topos guides.

LE VALLON DU VILLARET

PONT DE MONTVERT

Some links to specialised “Mont-Lozère” & “Cévennes” websites:

destination-montlozere.fr: Mont-Lozère Tourist Office (North side)
cevennes-montlozere.com/: Mont-Lozère Tourist Office (South side) & Cévennes.
mont-lozère-et-goulet.fr: Community of Communes of Goulet Mont-Lozère
cevennes-gorges-du-tarn.com/: Causses, Gorges & Cévennes Tourist Office.