La Rouvière · Gorges de l'Ardèche · France
Read the cautionsBail with caveats
A short, varied six-pitch route that you reach by abseiling from the rim of the Ardèche gorge and climb back out to the road. Grey walls and crack systems on rough limestone, sustained but never desperate, with superb views over the river. A good first 'abseil-in' multipitch, though the grades feel stiff and the route is vegetated.
Well bolted again after the 2009 vandalism, but the abseil approach has a known rope-jam spot and easy-to-confuse lines, and retreat from the base ledge is awkward.
6a+VII-5.10b6 pitches · 140 mBail with caveats
Gorges Profondes climbs the west-facing wall below the La Rouvière belvedere in the Ardèche gorge, in six pitches and 140 m. You abseil in from chained anchors at the rim to a ledge, then climb back up a fine grey wall, crack systems and a steep, technical 6a+ wall on pitch 5. Climbers describe it as varied, homogeneous and on good, abrasive rock, one of the more accessible multipitch routes in the gorge. The site is little frequented, so aromatic plants grow back in the cracks; parties clean them on the way down. The pitches can be linked into three with a 50 m rope, using only the abseil belays.
No topo we can show. See: Yadugaz07 – Escalade à la Rouvière.
| Pitch | Grade | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| P1 | 6a+VII-5.10b | A fine grey wall, harder than it looks and steep, especially when cold, then cracks. |
| P2 | 6aVI+5.10a | Area of multiple cracks. |
| P3 | 5cVI5.9 | Crack system. The belay at the top (R3) is hard to find; several parties missed it and linked pitches 3 and 4. |
| P4 | 5bVI-5.8 | More cracks, with some earthy and vegetated sections. |
| P5 | 6a+VII-5.10b | Steep, technical wall on good but spaced holds, passing right of a small cave. The best pitch. |
| P6 | 5bVI-5.8 | Easier and pleasant, on good holds to the top of the cliff by the road. |
Drive the gorges road (D290) from Vallon-Pont-d'Arc towards Saint-Martin-d'Ardèche and park at the La Rouvière belvedere, just past the Cirque de la Madeleine. This is not the place called La Rouvière between Vallon and Chames on the IGN map. One 2025 party came by train to Pierrelatte and cycled to the belvedere.
From the belvedere car park walk about 200 m back along the road towards Vallon (upstream) to a cairn by a road sign. A path heads due west to the cliff edge; follow the edge right for 30 to 40 m to a tree and the chained abseil anchor, slightly hidden next to an unlinked two-bolt anchor that is easier to see from the path (that one leads down Kat). Three abseils of about 40 to 45 m on chains reach the ledge at the foot of the route. A party in 2023 reached the ledge on foot from the riverside path instead, through dense brambles and scrub, and does not recommend it.
Loading map
The point marks the crag, not the exact start of the route.
Point from camptocamp waypoint 43241 (La Rouvière)
Contains the route point.
Points from published sources, not surveyed.
Coordinates: 44.33367, 4.51491 (crag)
No descent: the route finishes at the top of the cliff near the road, a few minutes from the belvedere car park.
Bail with caveats
Because you abseil in, the abseil line (three chained anchors) is right there, and you can climb or prusik back up it. Retreat downwards is the problem: the yadugaz07 topo calls retreat from the route very delicate, and the base ledge only connects to the river path through steep scrub. In practice, be sure you can climb the route before you pull your ropes.
14 quickdraws; 16 if you link pitches. Two 50 m ropes for the three 45 m abseils (parties managed with 2×40 m, just). Helmet.
West facing, topping out at about 250 m. In shade until about midday or 1 pm in spring and summer, so climb in the morning in summer; in winter go on calm, sunny afternoons. Very sensitive to the mistral. The route can stay wet in places after rain; in 2017 the R2 belay was rusty and in a very damp spot.
Forecast · next 7 days · 250 m
Loading the forecast.
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| High °C | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Low °C | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Rain mm | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Chance of rain % | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Strongest gusts km/h | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Model forecast for 250 m. It cannot tell you whether the rock is dry. Data: Open-Meteo, CC BY 4.0.
Time plan · 6 pitches
Working out sunrise and sunset.
An estimate. Queues and route finding cost time, and shaded walls go dark before sunset. Local time (Central European time), flat horizon.
Sun on the wall · W-facing
Working out the sunlit hours for this month.
Sun on the wallDaylight, wall in shade● Usual season
From the aspect alone; terrain is ignored. Local time, 15th of each month.
| Measure | Jan | Feb | Mar (usual season) | Apr (usual season) | May (usual season) | Jun (usual season) | Jul | Aug | Sep (usual season) | Oct (usual season) | Nov (usual season) | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean daily high °C | 9 | 10 | 14 | 17 | 22 | 26 | 29 | 29 | 24 | 19 | 13 | 10 |
| Mean daily low °C | 2 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 11 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 14 | 11 | 6 | 3 |
| Rain days 1 mm or more | 8 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 10 | 10 | 9 |
● usual season. 1991-2020 averages at about 171 m; rain is for a 10–25 km grid cell. Weather and climate data: Open-Meteo, CC BY 4.0.
No reports yet.
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Compiled from published sources, last verified October 2026. Bolts, anchors and access change: check a current topo and read the disclaimer.