France W. Bulach · CC BY-SA 4.0
The cut
415 metres, to scale.
A slice through Gorges du Tarn where it is deepest and narrowest, measured on the Copernicus relief model every 30 m. Same scale as the landmark standing on the floor.
Standing on the floor, to scale: Big Ben · 96 m · Eiffel Tower · 330 m
Depth is measured to the lower rim; the width is from rim to rim. A 30 m relief model smooths the narrowest walls, so a slot canyon reads shallower than it is.
415m
Depth
published figure: 600 m
2.7km
Rim to rim
measured on the 30 m relief model
40°
Steepest wall
average over 300 m, from the relief
380m
Floor altitude
Rim to floor
3 °C warmer at the bottom.
In July the afternoon reaches 29 °C on the floor, against 25 °C on the rim. The best months to hike are from May to June and from September to October. The rim freezes at night from January to February. The wettest months are from October to November.
- 7°4°Jan
- 8°5°Feb
- 12°9°Mar
- 16°12°Apr
- 20°16°May
- 25°22°Jun
- 29°25°Jul
- 29°25°Aug
- 24°20°Sep
- 18°15°Oct
- 12°9°Nov
- 8°5°Dec
Afternoon highs, 1991–2020 averages (NASA POWER) brought to the altitude of the rim and of the floor with the standard lapse rate (6.5 °C per 1 000 m). Shade, wind and rock change this on the day. Not a forecast.
Canyon in France
Gorges du Tarn is a gorge in France, cut by the Tarn river. The relief model measures 415 m from the floor to the lower rim, and 527 m to the higher one. The published depth is 600 m. Rim to rim it is 2.7 km wide where the cut was taken.
Getting there.
- Sévérac-le-Châteaunearest town · 16 km in a straight line
- Parking 740 m awaynearest car park in OpenStreetMap, straight line
- Côte 815nearest viewpoint · 0.9 km from the floor
- Rodez–Aveyron Airport (RDZ)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 62 km in a straight lineCar hire at MPL airport (Montpellier/Méditerranée)Discover Cars · sponsored link↗
- From May to June and from September to Octoberbest months to hike (estimate)
Plan the visit
Guided hikes, a bed nearby, a car.
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
The river
The Tarn runs highest in April and from October to December.
The Tarn carries about 22 m³/s on average here. It runs highest in April and from October to December. It is lowest from July to August.
- 27 m³/sJan
- 23 m³/sFeb
- 27 m³/sMar
- 30 m³/sApr
- 27 m³/sMay
- 15 m³/sJun
- 6.6 m³/sJul
- 4.4 m³/sAug
- 11 m³/sSep
- 29 m³/sOct
- 39 m³/sNov
- 32 m³/sDec
From about 4.4 m³/s in the lowest month to 39 m³/s in the highest. Its basin above this point covers 948 km².
Follow the Tarn from source to mouth on Riveryas
Estimate: long-term flow from the HydroATLAS model (WaterGAP, 1971–2000) shaped by the monthly rain, snow and temperature of the area (NASA POWER). Dams change it. Not a forecast.
From the sky.
The canyon from above, with the relief shaded, the line of the cut, the river and what people have mapped around it.
N
1.5 km
Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 (EOX, CC BY 4.0), 6.0 × 6.0 km, north up. The line is the cut above. Points © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Around the canyon.
- 45viewpoints within 5 kmLe Vase de Chine, Baousso del Biel, Belvédère des Vautours and 42 more
- 10marked hiking routes within 4 kmTour du Causse de Sauveterre, CSG V3 : La Canourgue - Croix de la Croisette, Tour du Causse Méjan and 7 more
- 15via ferrata routes within 4 kmVia Ferrata de Liaucous: Tracé Bleu, Via Ferrata de Liaucous: Tracé Rouge and 13 more
- 30climbing crags within 3 kmDiagonal du Gogol, Petite Arrete (Ref), Pegase (ref) and 27 more
- 3footbridges and suspension bridges within 3 km
- 1rafting, canoe, kayak or canyoning spots within 4 kmL’Alternative
- 30caves within 3 km
- 26car parks within 3 km
- 6information boards and visitor centres within 4 km
- 26campsites within 8 kmLe Peyrelade, Camping Les Cerisiers, Camping Le Papillon and 23 more
- 37hotels and guesthouses within 8 kmGîte de France, Gîte Evolutions, Des Gorges au Viaduc and 34 more
- 14restaurants and cafés within 4 km
- swimming spots within 3 km
- named waterfalls within 4 km
- bus stops within 2 km
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit, around the floor of the canyon. A low number may just mean nobody has mapped it yet. © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
Towns nearby
- Sévérac-le-Château16 km in a straight line
- Millau17 km in a straight line
- Meyrueis17 km in a straight line
- Creissels19 km in a straight line
- La Cavalerie24 km in a straight line
- La Canourgue24 km in a straight line
In our other atlases
What else is around Gorges du Tarn.
The river that carved it, the waterfalls inside it, the mountains on the rim, the lakes, beaches and island nearby — from our six sister atlases, each with its own figures.
Peakyas1 mountains within 15 kmFigures from the sister sites' databases (Wikidata, HydroATLAS, GeoNames, NOAA, OpenStreetMap). Links open when each site is online.
Month by month
The weather, at the floor and at the rim.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoon · floor | 7 | 8 | 12 | 16 | 20 | 25 | 29 | 29 | 24 | 18 | 12 | 8 |
| Afternoon · rim | 4 | 5 | 9 | 12 | 16 | 22 | 25 | 25 | 20 | 15 | 9 | 5 |
| Night · rim | -3 | -3 | -1 | 2 | 6 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 8 | 5 | 1 | -2 |
| Rain (mm) | 67 | 52 | 60 | 78 | 77 | 50 | 38 | 41 | 61 | 100 | 93 | 68 |
| Rainy days | 12 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 11 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 13 | 13 | 12 |
| Sun hours/day | 3.2 | 4.6 | 5.7 | 6.3 | 7.4 | 9.4 | 10.0 | 8.9 | 7.2 | 4.7 | 3.3 | 3.1 |
| Snow on the ground (cm) | 9 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 |
| Afternoon · floor | Afternoon · rim | Night · rim | Rain (mm) | Sun hours/day | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 7 | 4 | -3 | 67 | 3.2 |
| Feb | 8 | 5 | -3 | 52 | 4.6 |
| Mar | 12 | 9 | -1 | 60 | 5.7 |
| Apr | 16 | 12 | 2 | 78 | 6.3 |
| May | 20 | 16 | 6 | 77 | 7.4 |
| Jun | 25 | 22 | 10 | 50 | 9.4 |
| Jul | 29 | 25 | 12 | 38 | 10.0 |
| Aug | 29 | 25 | 12 | 41 | 8.9 |
| Sep | 24 | 20 | 8 | 61 | 7.2 |
| Oct | 18 | 15 | 5 | 100 | 4.7 |
| Nov | 12 | 9 | 1 | 93 | 3.3 |
| Dec | 8 | 5 | -2 | 68 | 3.1 |
Averages 1991–2020 (NASA POWER) for a cell about 55 km wide, brought to the floor (380 m) and the rim (908 m) with the standard lapse rate. Not a forecast.
Photographs
Seen from the trail.
Recent years
Wet years, dry years.
Rain of each month as a share of the 1991–2020 average. A dry year means a lower river and hotter rock; a wet one, more water in the gorge.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 70% | 51% | 67% | 80% | 112% | 248% | 17% | 88% | 158% | 90% | 54% | 163% |
| 2021 | 59% | 82% | 25% | 41% | 82% | 117% | 132% | 39% | 105% | 50% | 59% | 95% |
| 2022 | 77% | 36% | 83% | 64% | 15% | 112% | 50% | 82% | 130% | 27% | 66% | 78% |
| 2023 | 52% | 37% | 80% | 50% | 80% | 156% | 46% | 51% | 60% | 74% | 78% | 60% |
| 2024 | 52% | 104% | 184% | 68% | 129% | 106% | 91% | 89% | 150% | 92% | 46% | 45% |
| 2025 | 49% | 43% | 68% | 42% | 27% | 21% | 40% | 58% | 23% | 23% | 39% | 115% |
130% or more: wet month 70% or less: dry month
Compare with the neighbours.
Gorges du Tarn
France
- 415 mDepth
- 2.7 kmRim to rim
- —Length
- 40°Steepest wall
Where these figures come from
| Name, type, published depth and length | Wikidata (Q1538251) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| The cut: depth, width, wall and 3D model | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| River flow and basin | HydroATLAS / RiverATLAS v1.0 (Linke et al. 2019) · CC BY 4.0 |
| Climate | NASA POWER, 1991–2020 |
| Viewpoints, trails, bridges and the river line | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Rivers, waterfalls, mountains, lakes, beaches and islands nearby | Coastya, Lakeyas, Peakyas, Cascadyas, Islandyas, Riveryas |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
The family
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