The Écrins National Park is one of the most spectacular natural gems of France's heritage.

Created in 1973, it spans over 91,800 hectares of protected core area, with around 180,000 additional hectares in its buffer zone. Straddling the departments of Hautes-Alpes and Isère, in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes regions, the park protects one of the highest mountain ranges in the French Alps, nestled between Grenoble, Briançon, and Gap.

The park takes its name from the Écrins Massif, of which it encompasses almost the entirety. This alpine range is famous for its dramatic topography: a high-mountain world with peaks rising above 4,000 meters, such as the Barre des Écrins (4,102 m), the park’s highest point, as well as La Meije, Le Pelvoux, L’Ailefroide, and the Dôme des Écrins. There are over 150 summits above 3,000 meters and more than 40 glaciers, including the Glacier Blanc and Glacier Noir, which are among the most iconic in the Southern Alps.

The Écrins National Park is a territory of extraordinary ecological richness. Around 1,800 plant species are recorded here — nearly a third of mainland France’s flora — including many rare or endemic species such as opposite-leaved saxifrage, alpine androsace, and edelweiss. The fauna is just as remarkable: ibex, chamois, marmots, golden eagles, bearded vultures, black grouse, stoats, and many species of amphibians, insects, and bats.

The park’s core area is strictly regulated, with no hunting or logging allowed, to ensure the maximum preservation of natural environments. Human activities are limited, but hikers, climbers, scientists, and nature lovers are welcome — provided they respect protection rules (no dogs, regulated bivouacking, no picking or disturbing wildlife).

The park is crisscrossed by a wide network of trails, most notably the GR54, also known as the “Tour of the Oisans and Écrins” — one of France’s most demanding treks. It passes through emblematic valleys such as Vallouise, Vénéon, La Séveraisse, Champoléon, and Valjouffrey. Some thirty mountain refuges allow for multi-day treks in safe and welcoming conditions.

Unlike many alpine parks, the Écrins National Park is also a lived-in territory. Nearly 60 partner municipalities surround the protected core area, home to approximately 25,000 inhabitants. These mountain villages retain a strong cultural identity, rooted in pastoralism, craftsmanship, water management, and an intimate connection with nature. The landscapes combine alpine meadows, larch forests, terraced farming, hilltop hamlets, and rushing streams.

One of the park’s greatest strengths lies in its ability to reconcile conservation and local development. Thanks to its charter, co-signed with willing municipalities, the park encourages environmentally respectful projects: sustainable tourism, eco-renovation of old buildings, pastoral practices, soft mobility, and local food networks. The people living in the park are not merely “residents” — they are key actors in its management and promotion.

The park is also a major scientific research area. Numerous studies are conducted on climate change, glacier dynamics, species migration, alpine biodiversity, and ecosystem resilience. The Glacier Blanc, in particular, is among the most closely monitored in the Alps for understanding glacial evolution in the context of global change.

Finally, the Écrins National Park is an endless source of beauty and inspiration. Each season offers a different atmosphere: pristine whiteness and muffled silence in winter, lush blooms and roaring streams in spring, verdant meadows and crystal skies in summer, amber hues and mystical fogs in autumn. It is a place for deep reconnection with nature, with slow time, and with the majesty of the mountains.

It is not merely a protected area — the Écrins National Park is a living, fragile, and powerful territory, a refuge for biodiversity, a high-altitude sanctuary, and a shared heritage to be preserved for future generations.