The Gorges du Tarn is a canyon formed by the Tarn River between the Causse Méjean and the Causse de Sauveterre, in southern France. The canyon is mainly located in the Lozère département, and partially in the Aveyron département.

It extends from the village of Quézac to Le Rozier, on 53 kilometres (33 mi).

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The Royal Gorge (also Grand Canyon of the Arkansas) is a canyon on the Arkansas River near Cañon City, Colorado. With a width of 50 feet (15 m) at its base and a few hundred feet at its top, and a depth of 1,250 feet (380 m) in places, the 10-mile-long canyon is a narrow, steep gorge through the granite of Fremont Peak. It is one of the deepest canyons in Colorado.

Natural history

The path of the Arkansas River was already set when the granite uplift that would eventually form the Rocky Mountains began. About 3 million years ago as the mountains began to rise from the surrounding plains, the Arkansas River--then only a small rivulet--began to wear away at the stone it flowed across. Scientists estimate that the mountains surrounding the canyon rose at a rate of approximately one foot every 2500 years. Over the millennia, this small stream grew, cutting a deep channel for itself through the surrounding granite. The gorge's peculiar shape, contrasted to broad canyons such as the Grand Canyon, can be attributed to this long, direct erosion through hard rock.

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The Rio Grande Gorge runs from northwest to southeast of Taos, New Mexico, through the basalt flows of the Taos Plateau volcanic field. The gorge depth is 800 feet just south of the Gorge Bridge, which spans the gorge ten miles northwest of Taos.

The gorge is known for its world class white water (up to Class V), steep pocketed rock climbing, and many ancient and beautiful petroglyphs. Petroglyphs in the gorge have inspired many of the prints and patterns on trinkets, mugs, and t-shirts sold in local shops. At the bottom of the gorge, the Rio Grande is flanked by hidden hot springs and many ruins. The former Chili Line also ran here.

The gorge is featured in the film Terminator Salvation and was the setting for the wedding between Mickey and Mallory Nox in Natural Born Killers.

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Pine Creek Gorge, better known as the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania, is situated in approximately 160,000 acres (650 km²) of the Tioga State Forest in the U.S. State of Pennsylvania along Pine Creek. The Canyon begins south of Ansonia, near Wellsboro, along U.S. Route 6 and continues for approximately 47 miles (76 km) south. The maximum depth of the canyon is 1,450 feet (442 m) at Waterville, near the southern end. At Leonard Harrison and Colton Point State Parks, the depth is more than 800 feet and the distance from rim to rim is approximately 4,000 feet (1200 m).

The canyon is located in Tioga State Forest and several state parks are on or near it, keeping it largely undeveloped and natural. Along the canyon floor, the Pine Creek Rail Trail, a public path used for biking and hiking, stretches the entire length. More recreation is available at the canyon along the West Rim Trail. The West Rim trail is strictly for hiking and its 30 miles follow the western edge of the canyon.

Formation

Pine Creek Gorge is a product of the last ice age. Pine Creek had flowed northeasterly until about 20,000 years ago. The creek was dammed by rocks, soil, and other debris, pushed there by the receding Laurentide Continental Glacier. The dammed creek formed a lake near the present town of Ansonia. The glacial meltwater that filled the lake overflowed the debris dam. This caused a reversal of the flow of Pine Creek. The creek flooded to the south and quickly carved a deep channel on its way south to the West Branch Susquehanna River.

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The New River Gorge National River is a unit of the United States National Park Service designed to protect and maintain the New River Gorge in southern West Virginia. Established in 1978, the NPS-protected area stretches for 53 miles (85 km) from just downstream of Hinton to Hawks Nest State Park near Ansted.

New River Gorge is also home to some of the country's best whitewater rafting. The focus of this rafting is in the New River Gorge from the Cunard put-in to the Fayette Station take-out. The river levels for the New River Gorge and most other major whitewater rivers in the United States can be checked at American Whitewater.

New River Gorge is also one of the most popular climbing areas on the east coast with over 1,400 established rock climbs. The cliffs at "The New" are located just below the rim of the gorge and are made up of a very hard Nuttall sandstone. The rock is very featured, and an abundance of crack and face routes, with occasional large roofs. Almost all climbs are one pitch long and range from 30 to 120 feet (37 m) in height. Majority of the routes in the gorge are for advanced climbers in 5.10-5.12 range of Yosemite Decimal System with about equal number of traditional and sport climbs.

New River Gorge National River

New River Gorge National River was established in 1978 as a unit of the national park system. Located in the Appalachian Mountains of southern West Virginia, the park encompasses over 72,808 acres (295 km2) of land along 53 miles (85 km) of the New River from Bluestone Dam to Hawks Nest State Park. A rugged, white water river, flowing northward through deep canyons, the New River is among the oldest rivers on the continent. The park is rich in cultural and natural history and offers an abundance of scenic and recreational opportunities.

President Jimmy Carter signed legislation establishing New River Gorge National River on November 10, 1978 (Public Law 95-625). As stated in the legislation, the park was established as a unit of the national park system “for the purpose of conserving and interpreting outstanding natural, scenic, and historic values and objects in and around the New River Gorge and preserving as a free-flowing stream an important segment of the New River in West Virginia for the benefit and enjoyment of present and future generations.”

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The Linville Gorge Wilderness ("The Grand Canyon of North Carolina") is the third largest wilderness area in North Carolina (Shining Rock Wilderness, Joyce-Kilmer Slickrock Wilderness) and one of only two wilderness gorges in the Southern United States (with Bald River Gorge Wilderness in Tennessee). Maintained by the United States Forest Service, it comprises 11,786 acres (47.7 km²) around the Linville River, and is situated inside the Pisgah National Forest. The river is approximately 1,400 feet (400 m) below the ridge, thus hiking in and out of the Gorge is challenging and enjoyable for those who like serious hiking. The plant and animal community is extremely diverse, with a dense hardwood/pine forest and a wide variety of smaller trees and other plants as well as bear, fox, raccoon, trout, grouse, turkey, vultures, owls, hawks, copperheads, and timber rattlesnakes.

History

Prior to the European colonization of North America, virtually all of western North Carolina was inhabited by tribes of the Cherokee Indians. In the Cherokee language, the Linville River is called Ee-see-oh, which means "river of many cliffs" when literally translated. Early white settlers named the river Linville in honor of John and William Linville, explorers who were scalped by the Cherokee in the gorge in 1766.

The steepness of the sides, the depth of the gorge, and the peaks of the Jonas Ridge to the east and Linville Mountain to the west made settlement impractical in the 1800s and 1900s. In the early 20th century, logging was a major industry in the surrounding region, but the gorge itself was spared clearcutting. The forbidding nature of the terrain made resource extraction unprofitable, which is the primary reason why the gorge is one of the few remaining examples of old growth forest in the Blue Ridge Mountains range. No industrial logging ever took place within the gorge, and its virgin forests span 10,000 acres (40 km2). The gorge is remarkably free of manmade structures, and of the four major gorges in North Carolina, the Linville Gorge is the only one without a road in the bottom.

Formal protection of the area began in 1952, when the land was purchased with funds donated by John D. Rockefeller. When the Wilderness Act was approved by Congress and signed into law by President Johnson in 1964, the Linville Gorge Wilderness became one of the first formally designated Wilderness areas of the new National Wilderness Preservation System. It is the only gorge or canyon in the United States that was labeled a wilderness area in the initial year of the Wilderness Act that has never changed in acreage. It is managed by the Grandfather Ranger District of the United States Forest Service.

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