Vanoise National Park (French: Parc national de la Vanoise) is a French national park located between the Tarentaise and Maurienne valleys in the French Alps. It includes the Vanoise massif, a large mountain area. The park was established in 1963 and was the first national park created in France.
Vanoise National Park is in the administrative region of Savoie. Small villages such as Champagny-le-Haut, Termignon, La Chiserette, Bramans, Sollières-Sardières, Friburge, Pralognan-la-Vanoise, and Séez are located near the park. The park is surrounded by several large French ski resorts, including Les Trois Vallées, Tignes, Val-d'Isère, Les Arcs, and La Plagne. L'Ecot, a traditional village in Bonneval-sur-Arc, is also inside the protected area of the park.
On the Italian side of the border, the park continues into Gran Paradiso National Park. Together, these two parks cover more than 1250 km², making the area the largest alpine national park.
Wildlife
The park is well known for its group of Alpine ibex (Capra ibex), called bouquetin in French, which is its emblem. The alpine chamois, like the ibex, lives mostly above the tree line. It comes down below the snow line in late fall until early spring to eat grass that isn't covered by ice or snow. Other animals commonly found in Vanoise include Alpine marmot, wolf, Eurasian lynx, mountain hare, Eurasian badger, ermine, and weasel.
More than 100 bird species live in the protected area. Birds of prey are the bearded vulture, golden eagle, and Eurasian eagle-owl. Other birds in the park include black woodpeckers, rock ptarmigans, Alpine accentors, nutcrackers, choughs, and black grouse. The wallcreeper lives on steep cliffs, especially for nesting.
- Ibex on rocky ridgeline
- Marmot