Cévennes National Park visitor-planning guide for its Occitanie setting

France's unique mid-mountain national park with Mediterranean landscapes, living cultural heritage, and exceptional biodiversity

Cévennes National Park

Cévennes National Park occupies a unique position among French protected areas as the nation's only national park located in mid-mountain (moyenne montagne) terrain and the only one where the core protected zone maintains a permanent resident population engaged in agriculture. The park straddles the boundary between the Mediterranean and Atlantic climatic zones, creating ecological diversity that supports species from both regions. The landscape is characterized by four distinct geographical entities: the Mont Aigoual massif with its meteorological observatory, the Causse Méjean with the dramatic gorges of the Tarn and Jonte rivers, the granite peaks of Mont Lozère, and the steep schisteous vallées cévenoles that descend toward the Languedoc garrigue. The park's creation in 1970 followed decades of advocacy, including an early proposal by speleologist Édouard-Alfred Martel in 1913. The park's management model differs from other French national parks, incorporating the Mazerot contracts that compensate farmers for environmental stewardship, a compromise that helped overcome local opposition and prevent depopulation of the region.