Canoe La Cazelle – Gorges du Tarn

We went to Canoë La Cazelle – Gorges du Tarn with our dog in Lozère! In the Cévennes, near Sainte-Énimie, go down to the Castelbouc campsite.

There, park in the car park near the campsite and ask to rent a canoe at the reception. You don't need to be a resident of the campsite for this.

We asked if the dog could come upstairs and the manager agreed with no problem.

This walk is easy, the depth of the water rarely exceeds 1 m and we even had to get out of the canoe several times because it was rubbing against the stones, in summer the water level drops a lot and our dog weighs 35 kilos...

She wasn't very reassured at first, so remember to have your dog sniff the canoe and get him into it on dry land before you set off. Also bring treats to coax him. We had taken a single canoe for 2 adults + 1 dog, it allows us to take beautiful photos and take turns paddling. The canoes are supplied with an airtight watertight container large enough to accommodate a backpack.

Remember to take a bottle of water and sunscreen if you visit in the summer.

Also remember to put a harness on your dog or a life jacket. Like any ride on water, you need to be able to grab your dog easily when needed.

There are several choices of walks with different durations, we made the shortest:

Castelbouc > Sainte Énimie takes about 2 hours taking your time, count 4 hours if you stop to play or have a picnic, there are several pebble beaches where you can disembark easily. There are 2-3 quick passages but we had no problem even though it was our first canoe trip. there are 1 or 2 passages where you have to get out of the canoe to carry it, the canoe weighs its weight, that's also why I suggest taking 1 for 2. Arrived at Sainte-Énimie, don't be mistaken of canoe rental (they all have a different color). Proceed to the bridge, a shuttle is waiting for you at the car park and will take you back to the campsite.

I advise you to leave before 10:30 am, otherwise it may be very crowded.

Musher and Sophie: “Remember to equip your dog with a safety jacket for a safe exit!”