| Ardèche | |
|---|---|
Pont d'Arc over the Ardèche River. |
|
| Origin | Massif Central |
| Mouth | Rhône River |
| Basin countries | France |
| Length | 125 km |
| Avg. discharge | 65 m³/s |
| Basin area | 2,430 km² |
The Ardèche (Occitan: Ardecha) is a 125 km long river in south-central France, a right-bank tributary of the Rhône River. Its source is in the Massif Central, near the village of Astet. It flows into the Rhône near Pont-Saint-Esprit, north-west of Orange. The river gives its name to the French department of Ardèche.
The valley of the Ardèche is very scenic, in particular a 30km section known as the Ardèche Gorges. The walls of the river here are limestone cliffs up to 300m high. A kayak and camping trip down the gorge is not technically difficult and hugely popular in the summer. The most famous feature is a natural 60m stone arch spanning the river known as the Pont d'Arc (arch bridge).
Contents |
The Ardèche flows through the following departments and towns:
Tributaries of the Ardèche River include: