Map

The Aigoual forest is the result of a huge reforestation project, which began at the end of 19th century. At this time the mountain was bare, the soil furrowed by the process of erosion and the floods in the valleys were catastrophic. The trees had been cleared by peasants for cultivation, by the over pasturing of animals during the transhumance, but also by lumberjacks tree felling for firewood and to fuel the glass factories. The forester Georges Fabre embarked on the task of reforesting the Aigoual. It was a huge undertaking. With the help of the botanist Charles Flahault, arboretums* were created to test non-native species to see how well they could adapt to the land and climate of the massif.
Nowadays the Aigoual national forest covers 16 000 hectares, spread over the Gard and the Lozere.

The Observatory at Mont Aigoual

" Prendre un bon bol d'air " (take a good bowl of air), this expression makes complete sense on the summit of Mont Aigoual!
Work was first started on the observatory in 1887 and it was finally finished in 1894. On clear days from the summit (1567m) there are amazing 360° panoramic views. There is an exhibition which gives a behind the scenes glimpse of meteorologists work, the museum has a collection of old instruments used to measure weather conditions and photos of the massif before it was reforested.

The climatic conditions are extreme : the summit is one of the wettest places in France, the wind speeds have been recorded at 250 km/hour and there is a lot of snow and fog in autumn and winter.

* brochures for the arboretums are available at the Maison de Pays.