The Ardèche (Occitan: Ardecha) is a 125-kilometre (78 mi) long river in south-central France, a right-bank tributary of the River Rhône. The river gives its name to the French department of Ardèche.
Geography
The Ardèche river has a length of 125 km (78 mi) and a drainage basin with an area of approximately 2,376 km2 (917 sq mi).[1]
The Ardèche river starts in the Massif Central, within the Parc naturel régional des Monts d'Ardèche ("Regional nature park Mountains of Ardèche"), in the commune of Astet (Ardèche department), at an elevation of about 1,430 m (4,692 ft).[3]
The valley of the Ardèche is very scenic, in particular a 30-kilometre (19 mi) section known as the Ardèche Gorges (or the Canyon of Ardèche). The walls of the river here are limestonecliffs up to 300 metres (980 ft) high. A kayak and camping trip down the gorge is not technically difficult and is very popular in the summer. The most famous feature is a natural 60-metre (200 ft) stonearch across the river known as the Pont d'Arc.
Finally, the river flows into the Rhône river, on the right side, near the communePont-Saint-Esprit, Gard department.[4]
Communes
The Ardèche passes through the following regions, departments and communes:[1]
↑ 1.01.11.2"L'Ardèche (V50-0400)" (in French). SANDRE - Portail national d'accès aux référentiels sur l'eau. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 25 October 2016.
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