Glacière de Font d'Urle

The Font d'Urle ice cave is a natural cavity of the Vercors, known since 1805 for the ice it keeps all year at the bottom of its shafts. This phenomenon is explained by a constriction of the cavity that traps cold air at depth, forming concretions visible mostly at the end of winter. A legend tells that restaurateurs of the Royans came to fetch blocks of ice there by mule, although local shepherds dispute this account because of the site's remoteness. The Font d'Urle plateau, owned by the Drôme département since 1953, is an alpine pasture appreciated for its wide spaces and its fauna, including vultures.

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