Cascade de la Lance

Mudflows
The intensive grazing by flocks erodes the ground, removing plant cover and in addition to excessive deforestation for construction purposes, the ground is left bare and vulnerable to the torrential rain which falls in the valley.
In 1787, half of all the cultivated land was swept away. The swollen Verdon and Lance swept away their dykes to the point where the outskirts of the town were exposed to flooding from the Lance whenever it was even slightly swollen.
There was only one solution: reforestation which the state successfully undertook at the end of the 19th century.

The sawmill

The Annot sandstone boulders
Covered with lichen, the Annot sandstone boulders have quite large grains; their rounded shape tells a story, that of a journey within a glacier 10000 years ago, from the mountain far upstream, which ended with the slow process of erosion by the waters of the mountain stream.
Bare and with sharp edges, there are blocks of limestone that the freezing weather, increasing the size of the cracks, separated from the nearby cliff.

Lance waterfall - The giant's cauldron

Wallcreeper (Tichodroma muraria)
Description
The track winds along between beautiful holiday cottages which date from the late 19th/early 20th century. Here and there, the small channels which convey the waters of the Lance for irrigating crops appear.
At the end of a meadow on the left, a one-storey building can be seen: the old sawmill.
Then the track becomes a path. Il runs alongside the course of the Lance, in the clear shade of the Scotch pines among the undulating terrain, mounds of debris from the nearby ravines. Some of these ravines, which are still active, drain out torrents of water during the plentiful autumn rains and the spring thaw.
The pathway comes close to the cliff. After a few strides at the foot of the cliff, the rhythmical and breath-taking spectacle of the Lance waterfall reveals itself in a cirque of dark rock.
During cold winter’s days, the water freezes and becomes an ice waterfall, the silent echo of the lively waters.
Follow the same route on the return journey.Altimetric profile
Transport
Local bus routes in Alpes-de-Haute Provence, Regular/weekly routes Digne-les-Bains, Barcelonnette, Larche et Digne-les-Bains, Colmars, Allos
Departmental Council Transport Service
Tel.: 00 33 (0)4 92 30 08 00
www.cg04.fr
Provence Railway from Nice to Digne-les-Bains
Tel.: 00 33 (0) 4 97 03 80 80
www.trainprovence.com
SNCF Accès Plus Service for people with reduced mobility
Tel.: 00 33 (0)890 640 650 then press 1 or
Tel.: 36 35 then say “Accès Plus”
www.accesplus.sncf.com
accesplus@sncf.fr
Access and parking
Parking :
Accessibility
Free use of “Joëlette” off-road wheelchair
Colmars-les-Alpes Tourism Office
Tel.: 00 33 (0)4 92 83 41 92
www.colmars-les-alpes.fr
Mercantour National Park at Allos
Tel.: 00 33 (0)4 92 83 04 18
www.mercantour.eu

More information
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