Canyoning trips around Grenoble

Grenoble, capital of the Alps, lies between 3 mountain ranges: the Vercors, Chartreuse and Belledonne ranges. Easily accessible by freeway from Lyon, Valence and Chambéry, Grenoble’s location makes it an ideal place for mountain sports enthusiasts.
Numerous canyons criss-cross the mountains around Grenoble.

Near Grenoble, the canyons of the Vercors massif

The Vercors massif is a plateau, so the canyons are located all around the plateau.
Here’s a quick description of the most interesting canyons on this massif:
– Les moules marinières, a fun canyon located between Grenoble and Gap along the Vercors. An introductory canyon with many jumps and slides
– Le canyon du Furon Located in Sassenage, this is the closest canyon to Grenoble, just 5 minutes away. Made up of two parts, it’s a complete canyon with numerous obstacles, beautiful abseiling descents, jumps and a few slides. At the top, a zip line awaits you. A must!
– Versoud canyon Located at La Rivière between Grenoble and Valence, this is an ideal canyon for an introduction to abseiling techniques. It’s an ideal family activity.
– The Ecouges canyonThis mythical canyoning run, also in two parts, is without doubt the prettiest canyon in the Vercors. The first, technical part is reserved for sporty people, while the second, more fun part is for everyone. It’s our favorite!
– Two other canyons are worth a visit, but they’re less aquatic and more vertical: Ruzand and Pissarde, to be done at the beginning of the season.

Canyoning in the Chartreuse between Grenoble and Lyon

The Chartreuse massif is famous for its liqueur, made by the monks and with its characteristic color, but also for 4 beautiful canyoning descents:
– The L’Infernet canyon, with its very pronounced incision located in Saint Egrève just outside Grenoble, is splendid: the sun barely penetrates to the bottom of the gorge, giving this canyon a unique atmosphere. It’s sure to leave you with some lovely memories, at an EVG or EVJF for example.
– The Grenand canyonnext to Lac d’Aiguebelette is a fun descent for young and old alike, with a wide variety of obstacles.
– The Gorges de Chailles canyon is a huge gorge with an often fearsome flow. It can only be explored at the height of summer, but it’s sure to be a thrill!
– The Gorgette-Crapanoz canyon features the longest abseil in Isère: 120 metres in one go!
This is a very vertical canyon for lovers of long abseiling descents.

The Belledonne massif and all its alpine and winter canyons

The Belledonne massif is essentially made up of Gneiss, which makes it harder for water to carve canyons, so you have to turn to large rivers, which dig more powerfully into the rock.
There’s just one drawback to being able to explore these gorges: you have to wait for a pronounced low-water period, which is often around September or October.
Here are some names of canyons around the Belledonne range and less than 1 hour from Grenoble:
– Lanchatra
– Le torrent du Gâ
– Le diable
– La Meije
– Les Etages
Find out more by following this link.