Écrins National Park, or the Parc National des Écrins is one of France's nine national parks and was recently awarded the European Diploma of Protected Areas. Appreciated for its outstanding natural beauty and broad biological diversity, the park attracts a total of 800,000 tourists per year!

An abundance of awe-inspiring sights await you at Écrins: soaring mountain peaks, impressive glacier fields and valleys, alpine pastures stretching as far as the eye can see, sub-alpine woodlands and glittering lakes.

The park's famous glaciers are moulded into crevices and valleys. Some are pristine white; others greyish due to the morainic* layers over them.

There are also pastures, wild larch forests and alpine meadows to explore. Visit in June and July to experience the colourful summer flowers at their best.

The park is home to over 800 protected species of plants and many more protected species of animals. Some lucky visitors may even spot gliding eagles or climbing chamois.***

Hiking

There are several hundred kilometres of marked trails and paths dotted with lovely alpine huts, making this one of France's best hiking areas . In late spring and early summer you will find a profusion of wild flowers. Visitors often comment that it is as if the whole park is blooming!

Both paper maps and gps maps are available to order directly from the Institut Géographique National (IGN***). They provide the most accurate information about hiking trails in the area.

Location

The Écrins National Park, created in 1973, is located in one of the most spectacular regions of the Alps - about 50km South East of Grenoble and 20km West of Briançon.

Its massive mountains are hung with glaciers and peaks over 4000 metres high! In its entirity, the park covers 918 km² of high mountain areas.