Despite its wildness, the Mercantour sometimes has the appearance of a motorway. The expansive landscape does little to dispel the feeling of being cramped in the face of crowded parking lots and congested roads.
Nearly 500 to 800,000 tourists visit national parks each year, and most of them are concentrated in a few attractions, and for good reason. “Not to be missed”as we read in the tourist brochures.
In high season, the Gordolasque Valley, Lake Allos and the Merveilles Valley are all hit by storms, although these locations are in the heart of the park, where the rules are the strictest.
These mountains have a network of nearly 550 km and dominate six valleys, but there are still countless alternative routes. (1). How to highlight them? Or is this a bad idea?
Prefer pedagogy to quotas
“We don’t have a fixed location, it depends on the venue”“, Erin Comeau countered. The park director estimated “Each has its pros and cons” To disperse the flow of hiking tourists.
She posed this dilemma: “Because areas that are less frequented by people are better protected, but conversely, the fauna there is greatly disturbed, so we have to find a balance.”
But what to do? Unlike the Calanques National Park, which has a quota system, Mercantour refuses to adopt one. “Such harsh measures […] To protect the rock carvings, parts of the Vallée des Merveilles are only accessible by guided tour by appointment“”, Erin Comeau recalled.
have bandirector “More like pedagogy. There are twenty to thirty sworn guards who conduct predatory raids year-round. In the summer, they are reinforced by about thirty seasonal workers. They educate the public, who don’t always realize that certain actions are prohibited.”
But that still doesn’t stop tourists from gathering in the same place…
Increase transparency to avoid “disappointments”
“We can’t force hikers to discover other points of interest, but if we inform them properly, they can discover them on their own.”Emmanuel Gastaud, who is in charge of communications for the park, said: “Overcrowded places are not attractive to people coming to the mountains”let’s take a look “A change of scenery, peace”.
To avoid “Let down” Therefore, the park plays the transparent card with tourists. “This is the first time in France […] In sensitive natural areas”: July, “Smart Meter” It was set up at the Countet car park in Gordolasque to directly measure occupancy (set at 6,000 visitors per month). This can be viewed on the website FuRao.com (2) Park rights are indicated on signs in the valley and along the roads.
Just as Lake Alos sometimes resembles a small seaside resort, it is an alpine version, receiving 1,000 tourists a day. From 2021, with the consent of the municipality, Due to the advance reservation system, parking capacity is limited to 30%.
Are these devices destined to become widely used in tense areas? “Relying on artificial intelligence and GPS, the initial results are satisfactory”“, assured Erin Comeau. Therefore, the director announced the deployment “Over the next few years, it will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis.”
(1) Explore the Mercantour and the trails of the Alpi Marittime Park in Italy: destination.marittimemercantour.eu
(2) Check the occupancy rate of Gordolasque:
“People take the easiest path and follow the best marked routes”
“Compared to other hills in the Alps, the Mercantour isn’t that busy.” However, Michèle Viale, section president of the French Alpine Club, observed that hikers find themselves “On the same road.” How to explain it?
“People take the easiest path and follow the best marked routes”“The mountain girl retorted. She is experienced and will not hesitate to try other ways. “Little to no maintenance”. The result: they became paths that disappeared into the rubble.
Repair costs after Alex were 3.5 million euros
The President regrets that these routes are not suitable as the cairns erected by those who know the hills well are not sufficient to help you find your way if you are inexperienced. “Better maintenance, labeling and safety”.
The Mercantour National Park recalls on its website that over the past 16 years, more than 3 million euros have been invested in the restoration of trails.
It was also specified that €3.5 million would be allocated for the repair of damage caused by Storm Alex on 2 October 2020. Almost half of this funding will be committed in 2021 to complete a third of the repair work within three years.
