>>1052332It's one of my favorite place out there to go /out/
Granted it's not the Pyrenees nor the Alps, we aren't talking about high mountains here.
But it's heavily forested, the climate is quite varied with clear Mediterranean influence in the south that fades the further north you go, it's one of the places here with the most biodiversity, it's sparsely populated and when it is it's always quaint old villages, and it may not be very high but there are some pretty challenging hike to do.
I think you must not think about the Cévennes like you'd think about the other French National Parks. The Alpine ones are nature/wildlife reserves, whereas the Cévennes is this and much more as it has a long history spanning over 2 millenias. There are no people living in most the other National Parks and has never been, whereas the Cévennes aims to protect not only the natural aspects but also the cultural and historical sides of this range. Which is why the Cévennes and some surrounding areas are UNESCO World Heritage sites, sure the mountains itself are pretty and all but it's even better if you enjoy history, traditions and old stones (which I agree is more a /trv/ thing than purely /out/)
And it's surrounded by other nice ranges, the Espinouse (pic related), Caroux, Montagne Noire, the Ardèche mountains and high altitudes plateaux such as the Aubrac and the Causses
To make it short I'd say yeah the Cévennes are really worth it but don't expect pure wilderness, the atmosphere of the place is partly due to the thousands of men who left their trace there before we were born.
There are more impressive places nature-wise but this one is comfy as fuck and feels really isolated despite the crowded Med seaside not that far.
Since I like a few castles and old towns on my hikes it's great
