Gardon
The Gardon near the Pont du Gard
Origin	Cévennes
Mouth	Rhône 43°51′6″N 4°36′54″E / 43.85167°N 4.615°E / 43.85167; 4.615 (Rhône-Gardon)Coordinates: 43°51′6″N 4°36′54″E / 43.85167°N 4.615°E / 43.85167; 4.615 (Rhône-Gardon)
Basin countries	France
Length	133 km
Avg. discharge	32 m³/s
Basin area	2,200 km²

The Gardon or Gard (Occitan and French: Gardon, Gard) is a river in southern France. It is the namesake of the Gard département.

The Gardon is 133 km long including its longest tributary "Gardon de Saint-Jean". It rises in the Cévennes range of mountains and ends into the Rhône River (right-side tributary) at Beaucaire, across from Vallabrègues.

Several of its tributaries are also called Gardon.

The Roman aqueduct Pont du Gard and the 16th-century Pont Saint-Nicolas are two historic bridges that cross the Gardon. The Gorge du Gardon, which ends at Pont Saint-Nicolas, is a popular recreation area for kayaking, canoeing, rock climbing, and hiking.

In September 2002 and again in December 2003, the Gardon had record level floods that damaged many of its bridges including the Pont Saint-Nicolas, which has since been fully restored. The river today shows few signs of the floods.

The village of Collias, approximately 12 kilometers downriver from the Pont Saint-Nicholas, has several kayak and canoe rental agencies which will bus customers upriver to the Pont Saint-Nicholas (until the river level drops low in late June). Departing from Collias by kayak or canoe will bring you to the Pont du Gard in about an hour and one-half. It is possible to kayak or canoe under the Pont du Gard.

[edit] Places along the river

• Lozère
• Gard : Anduze, Saint-Jean-du-Gard , Saint-André-de-Valborgne, Remoulins , Montfrin

La Grand-Combe and Alès are situated on the "Gardon d'Alès", the major left tributary.

[edit] References

• http://www.geoportail.fr
• The Gardon at the Sandre database

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Gardon

• Regordane Info - The independent portal for The Regordane Way or St Gilles Trail. The Regordane Way runs alongside The Gardon river from Ners south-eastwards (in English and French)