Photo : TouN / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Parc Naturel Régional du Pilat
The Pilat Regional Nature Park lies in the Loire, at the eastern end of the Massif Central, between the Rhône valley and the Saint-Étienne conurbation. Designated in 1974, it is one of the very first regional nature parks created in France. It covers about 750 km² and 48 communes according to the park's publications, the figures varying slightly between sources.
The Pilat massif brings together varied landscapes: mid-mountain ridges and forests, granite boulder fields, deep valleys, vineyards on the Rhône slopes and characterful villages. The Crêt de la Perdrix is its highest point, at 1,432 metres. The park offers many hiking trails, outdoor activities and sites for discovering its natural and built heritage, and carries out nature conservation and local development work.
