Standing tall as one of France’s eight great national parks, Parc national des Écrins boasts a striking array of rock strata, an increasingly rare abundance of flora and fauna, cascading waterfalls, and hanging valleys. All of this is enveloped by a warm feeling of a bygone era.
Straddling the departments of Isère and Hautes-Alpes and embracing most of the colossal Massif des Écrins, the 918 sq km park is unusual in the Alps. Unlike other parks, there are no roads across the area, forcing visitors to plan their outdoor activities in a more environmentally friendly manner. During my visit, the weather was hot even at higher elevations, but bar a few days when orange sand and dust from North Africa fell as raindrops, the vistas were clear.
Aside from carbon enriched pelotons of cyclists, a steady stream of Dutch-licensed motorhomes transporting Low Land visitors to lofty ground, and concentrated parties of dirt baggers seeking their latest adrenaline hit, the park was very quiet. Often, I would spend hours on the trails without seeing another soul.
With a noticeable absence of vehicle traffic and heavy industry, the landscape seemed to breathe confidently and was bursting with life. Winged bugs galore accompanied industrious ground insects, eagles flew high above chamois running, and marmots chilled through dusk. Glowing fireflies illuminated my nightfall descents.
It was a true Geoscience 101 experience.
All photographs by Emile Holba.
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