Vercors Attractions
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Top Tourist Attractions in Vercors
The Vercors, in the Dauphiné, is a range of forest-covered hills between the Rhône valley and the Route d'Hiver des Alpes rising to 2,346m/7,697ft in the Grand Veymont and broken up by deeply indented valleys and gorges. Since 1970 it has been part of a Regional Nature Park which also takes in the surrounding districts of Royans, Diois and Trièves. Between 1942 and 1944 the Vercors was a stronghold of the French Resistance, and during the fighting the villages of St-Nizier, Vassieux and La Chapelle were destroyed.In 1968 some events in the Winter Olympics were staged in the Vercors (Autrans, St-Nizier, Villard- de-Lans).There are numerous paths and trails allowing visitors to explore the Vercors either on foot or on horseback. In winter there are excellent facilities for winter sports.
Circuit of the Vercors
It is well worth making a special trip around the Vercors, the itinerary of which must certainly include the Combe Laval road and the Gorges de la Bourne (West of Villard-de-Lans), which are very typical of the unusual scenery of the region.
Combe Laval
Through the Combe Laval runs a mountain road constructed in 1897, originally for the transport of timber from the Forêt de Lente to St-Jean-en-Royans. The finest stretch of the road begins at the wooded Col de la Machine on the way down to St-Jean, affording magnificent aerial views of the country below.
Bourne Gorges
Beyond Villard-de-Lans D531 runs down into the Bourne valley, which narrows into the Gorges de la Bourne, a tremendous rocky defile in which the road is carried through tunnels and over bridges. Between Choranche and Pont-en-Royans two interesting caves can be reached from the road, the Grotte du Bournillon and the Grottes de la Choranche (in which is an underground lake).
Pont-en-Royans - Choranche Caves
Set in the Bourne Gorge, the caves were discovered in 1987. They include thousands of long, clear strands of stalactite, described by caving pioneer Oscar Decombaz as macaroni. The unique stalactites are about 4mm in diameter and range in length from a few centimeters to three meters. The cave also rears olms or blind salamanders, which are the biggest cave-dwelling animals in the world and classified as living fossils.
Grand Goulets
From Pont-en-Royans, a little town situated at the junction of the Vernaison with the Bourne, the road crosses the two rivers and continues southeast up the Vernaison valley to enter the picturesque Vernaison gorges. After passing through the Petits Goulets it climbs, with many bends, to the grandiose Grands Goulets, in which the road is caught between high rock walls above the foaming river. After passing through a series of tunnels and galleries it emerges suddenly into the green Vercors valley.
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Leoncel
Léoncel has a Romanesque church, all that remains of a Cistercian abbey founded in 1137, which contains a wooden figure of Christ carved by a local sculptor in 1860.
St Jean en Royans
St Jean en Royans is one of the best places - the other good center being Villard de Lans - from which to explore the Vercors.
St Nizier du Moucherotte
St Nizier du Moucherotte (pop. 575), a popular resort all the year round, lies under Le Moucherotte (1,901 m/6,237ft; lift). From the village there are fine views of the mountains and Grenoble, and even more magnificent views are obtained from the summit. The church dates from the 12th C., and the cemetery contains the graves of those who fell in the Resistance.
Villard-de-Lans
Villard de Lans (alt. 1,043m/3,422ft.; pop. 3,500), 30km/20mi from Grenoble in a wide expanse of Alpine meadows, is both a summer holiday resort and a winter sports center. There is a cabin cableway to Côte 2,000 (i.e. an altitude of 2,000m/6,560ft), where there are magnificent views and good skiing.8km/5mi southwest of Villard de Lans, approached by a modern Way of the Cross, is the Calvary of Valchevrière, a memorial to the fallen and to the destruction of this village in July 1944.
Vassieux-en-Vercors
Vassieux-en-Vercors was completely destroyed in 1944 but was rebuilt after the war. Those who fell during the Second World War are commemorated by a memorial, the National Cemetery of the Vercors and a museum.
Luire Grotto, Saint-Agnan-en-Vercors
The grotto was discovered in 1896. During WWII, French Resistance Fighters used the 17-kilometer long cave for refuge and as a hospital. Later, in 1953, the cave was opened to the public. One of the rooms in the cave is named after the man who discovered it, Oscar Decombas, and is 50,000 cubic meters. The cavity was formed by floods, and the cave still swells up with water after heavy rain.A part of the cave is closed to the public and is used by speleologists studying hydrological phenomena.
Draye Blanche Cave, La Chapelle-en-Vercors
Draye Blanche Cave was opened to the public in 1970 and is used both as a tourist site and a research dig. It contains thousands of stalactites, stalagmites, pillars and colorful flowstones. During renovations in 1990, workers discovered a paleontologic site, in which over 10,000 bones from more than 50 species have been found so far. Research on the site continues today.
