Deer in Écrins National Park France Travel Postcard

Écrins National Park, located in the heart of the French Alps, is a dramatic landscape of towering peaks, deep glacial valleys, alpine meadows, and thick forests. Spanning over 900 square kilometres across the departments of Hautes-Alpes and Isère, it is one of France’s oldest and most pristine national parks. The park is home to more than 150 summits above 3,000 metres, including the Barre des Écrins, and offers an extraordinary diversity of habitats, from high-altitude rock and ice to larch forests and mountain pastures. Hikers, naturalists, and photographers are drawn to its rugged beauty and rich alpine biodiversity. Among the park’s most iconic large mammals is the red deer (cerf élaphe), France’s largest wild deer species. These majestic animals roam the lower forests and meadows of Écrins, particularly during dawn and dusk when they emerge to graze. In autumn, the park becomes a stage for one of the most impressive natural events in the French Alps — the red deer rutting season. During this time, the haunting bellows of stags echo through the valleys as males compete for mates, making it an unforgettable experience for wildlife observers. Though shy and elusive, with patience and quiet observation, visitors may spot them moving through clearings or along forest edges, especially near the park’s more remote trails and valleys.