Canyoning season in Isère, Ain and Savoie

Almost all the canyons of interest in the Isère, Ain and Savoie regions are subject to regulations governing canyoning.
Sometimes for good reasons, such as preserving the environment, managing access and taking account of the inconvenience caused to local residents. Sometimes under pressure from fishing and hunting lobbies. Yes, we destroy fish more by jumping into ponds than by catching them to eat! Joking aside, canyoning is an endangered sport and the départements have set up by-laws or regulations to preserve the practice of canyoning, sometimes with limits in order to share the space with other users.

Here are the different orders for the canyons we offer:

Groin canyoning near Artemare in the Ain, Bugey massif

Periods of use: year-round
At present, there is no trace of a decree on the Groin canyon, but groups are limited to 10 people per guide to ensure safety. This means that if you are more than 10 people, there will be 2 guides with you.

Canyoning from Grenant to Lac d’Aiguebellette in Savoie, Chartreuse massif

Practice periods: March 1 to November 30

Municipal by-law (La Bridoire, Attignat-Oncin) – Sept 27, 2022

Summary:Practice periods and times :

Canyoning is permitted in the Grenant from March 1 to November 30.

During the authorization period, descent is permitted throughout the week at the following times:
– March 1 to May 31 and September 16 to November 30: 10am to 5pm, last departure recommended at 3pm.
– June 1 to September 15: 9am to 7pm, last departure recommended at 5pm.

Number of participants:
Groups may not exceed 10 people, excluding supervisors.

Parking:
– Upstream: parking along the communal access road to the canyon, chemin de Bagné, is strictly forbidden. Parking is available along the RD921.
– Downstream: you can park at the Bridoire parking lot, located in the extension of the Post Office parking lot.

Entrance and exit:
These are indicated on the plans located at the parking lots:
– The entrance is at the Pont de Bagné (marked “Entrée du canyon”)
– The exit is on the left bank upstream of the Pont de la Bridoire (near the church).

Respect for the site and local residents:
– Discretion when dressing and undressing, and when moving forward, particularly in the vicinity of dwellings.
– Courtesy, friendliness, respect for the cleanliness of the site and parking lots.

Leptospirosis:
All activity supervisors must make participants aware of the risks, precautions and measures to be taken with regard to leptospirosis.

Canyoning des Écouges towards Saint Gervais en Isère in Isère in the Vercors massif

Practice periods: The upper part of the Ecouges canyon is open all year round, depending on the purging work being carried out on the cliffs. The lower part of the canyon has a practice period defined in the decree (from May 1 to September 15).

For the Ecouges canyon, there is no limit to the number of participants per instructor.

By prefectoral decree no. 96-8519 of 16/12/1996, access to the Drevenne and Ecouges canyons was regulated as follows:
Downhill :

authorized year-round between the Chabert bridge and the waterfall
from the Pont de la Cascade to the Trou du Fond authorized from May 1 to September 15.
from the “Trou du fond” to the Isère prohibited year-round

Canyoning on the Furon between Sassenage and Lans en Vercors in Isère in the Vercors massif

Practice periods: year-round

In terms of regulations, the Furon canyon is without doubt one of the most complicated.
To summarize:
– No set practice period, but compulsory access and return via defined paths for the upper part. which turns this initiation canyon into an intermediate canyon, with a long walk back and the impossibility of bypassing certain obstacles.
– A maximum recommendation of 10 people per group, excluding supervisors.

By Order no. 976974 of 29/10/1997 and following the FFME-EDF agreement, a three-colored flow rate scale (red zone to indicate conditions of high flow and therefore not recommended, orange for practice reserved for an informed public with perfect mastery of the techniques of the activity and green for “cooler” conditions) has been set up downstream of the Engins reservoir.
Practitioners should therefore consult it (signposting) before committing themselves.

Nevertheless, this site is regulated by prefectoral decree, and only members of the FFME, CAF, FFS and FFCK, as well as professionals, are authorized to practice.

Canyoning on the Ternèze near the village of Curienne in Savoie’s Bauges massif

Practice periods in the Ternèze canyon: all year round

The charter specifies :

To park and/or have their clients/participants park in the parking lot to be defined at the beginning of the season by the commune of Curienne in consultation with CDPC 73 representatives (all year round). If possible, encourage car pooling to get to the site.

Use the shared calendar (year-round). The schedule will run every day of the season from 08:00 to 18:00 in 20-minute slots (the time being the time of entry into the water). Each group will position itself in a niche. The calendar will be communicated and made operational for the start of the season by the CDPC. Overbooking is forbidden, so please think of others. Release cancelled slots as soon as possible by any means.

Groups of no more than 10 customers + guide (during summer school vacations).

Limit your time in the water to 1h30 after the start of your time slot (summer school vacation period).

Pay close attention to the environment and neighborhoods, by raising awareness among all participants.

Parking is available in the upper parking lot. (An extension is under consideration).

The access path is the one that enters the canyon by gravity from the village.

Now that the local inn is open again, we invite those who wish to visit to do so. If our activity is appreciated by the shopkeeper, that can only be a good thing for us.

Canyoning from Versoud to Tullins in Isère in the Vercors massif

Practice periods: April 1 to October 31.
Outside this period, only training courses will be possible in the Versoud canyon, but subject to authorization by the mayor.
There is no limit to the number of people per instructor.

Other canyons are not subject to bylaws !