The Gardon or Gard (

Occitan Occitan may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the Occitania territory in parts of France, Italy, Monaco and Spain. * Something of, from, or related to the Occitania administrative region of France. * Occitan language Occitan (; ...

and

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

: ''Gardon, Gard'', , ) is a

river A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. Although the ...

in southern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...

. It is the namesake of the department of Gard. Several of its tributaries are also called ''Gardon''. It is long, and takes its source in the commune of

Saint-Martin-de-Lansuscle Saint-Martin-de-Lansuscle (; oc, Sent Martin de Lansuscla) is a commune in the Lozère department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and milit ...

, in the

Cévennes The Cévennes ( , ; oc, Cevenas) is a cultural region and range of mountains in south-central France, on the south-east edge of the Massif Central. It covers parts of the ''départements'' of Ardèche, Gard, Hérault and Lozère. Rich in geogr ...

mountain range. In its upper course it is also referred to as ''Gardon de Saint-Martin''. From its furthest source, that of its

tributary A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainag ...

Gardon de Saint-Jean The Gardon or Gard (Occitan and French: ''Gardon, Gard'', , ) is a river in southern France. It is the namesake of the department of Gard. Several of its tributaries are also called ''Gardon''. It is long, and takes its source in the commun ...

", it is 133 km long. It flows into the

Rhône The Rhône ( , ; wae, Rotten ; frp, Rôno ; oc, Ròse ) is a major river in France and Switzerland, rising in the Alps and flowing west and south through Lake Geneva and southeastern France before discharging into the Mediterranean Sea. At Ar ...

(right-side tributary) at Comps, north of Beaucaire, across from Vallabrègues.

Features

The

Roman aqueduct The Romans constructed aqueducts throughout their Republic and later Empire, to bring water from outside sources into cities and towns. Aqueduct water supplied public baths, latrines, fountains, and private households; it also supported min ...

Pont du Gard and the 16th-century Pont Saint-Nicolas are two historic bridges that cross the Gardon. The

Gorges du Gardon The Gorges du Gardon form a canyon carved out by the river Gardon, a tributary of the Rhône with its source in the Cévennes. They are located in the heart of the Gard department in the Occitanie region. The local nature reserve of the Gorges du ...

, which ends at Pont Saint-Nicolas, is a popular recreation area for

kayaking Kayaking is the use of a kayak for moving over water. It is distinguished from canoeing by the sitting position of the paddler and the number of blades on the paddle. A kayak is a low-to-the-water, canoe-like boat in which the paddler sits facin ...

canoeing Canoeing is an activity which involves paddling a canoe with a single-bladed paddle. Common meanings of the term are limited to when the canoeing is the central purpose of the activity. Broader meanings include when it is combined with other ac ...

, rock climbing, and

hiking Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A His ...

. The village of Collias, approximately downriver from the Pont Saint-Nicolas, has several kayak and canoe rental agencies which will bus customers upriver to the Pont Saint-Nicolas (until the river level drops low in late June). Departing from Collias by kayak or canoe will bring you to the Pont du Gard in about an hour and one-half. It is possible to kayak or canoe under the Pont du Gard. Though, at times, the river is not high enough to allow for passage.

Floods

In September 2002 and again in December 2003, the Gardon had record level

flood A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are an area of study of the discipline hydrol ...

s that damaged many of its bridges including the Pont Saint-Nicolas, which has since been fully restored. The river today shows few signs of the floods.

Places along the river

Lozère Lozère (; oc, Losera ) is a landlocked department in the region of Occitanie in Southern France, located near the Massif Central, bounded to the northeast by Haute-Loire, to the east by Ardèche, to the south by Gard, to the west by Aveyron, ...

* Gard : Anduze, Saint-Jean-du-Gard,

Saint-André-de-Valborgne Saint-André-de-Valborgne (; oc, Sant Andrieu de Valbornha) is a commune in the Gard department in southern France. Population See also *Communes of the Gard department This is a list of the 351 Communes of France, communes of the Gard De ...

, Remoulins,

Montfrin Montfrin () is a commune in the Gard department in southern France. Population The residents are called ''Montfrinois'' in French. Geography Montfrin is located between Nîmes and Avignon, from Pont du Gard. The Gardon flows through the commu ...

La Grand-Combe La Grand-Combe (; oc, La Grand Comba) is a commune in the Gard department in southern France. Geography The town lies on the opposite bank of the river Gardon d'Alès from Les Salles-du-Gardon. It is 13 km upstream and north of Alès in the ...

and

Alès Alès (; oc, Alès) is a commune in the Gard department in the Occitanie region in southern France. It is one of the sub-prefectures of the department. It was formerly known as ''Alais''. Geography Alès lies north-northwest of Nîmes, on t ...

are situated on the

Gardon d'Alès The Gardon d'Alès is a tributary of the Gardon in the Lozère and Gard departments, France. It is long. Its source is in the Cévennes near Saint-Privat-de-Vallongue. It flows through the town Alès Alès (; oc, Alès) is a Communes of Fra ...

, the major left tributary.

References

External links

Regordane Info - The independent portal for the Regordane Way or St Gilles Trail. The Regordane Way runs alongside the river Gardon from Ners south-eastwards
{{Authority control Rivers of France Rivers of Gard Rivers of Lozère Rivers of Occitania (administrative region)