| Gavarnie Falls | |
|---|---|
 Gavarnie Falls | |
  | |
 | |
| Location | Hautes-Pyrénées (France) |
| Coordinates | 42°41′36″N 0°00′16″W / 42.69333°N 0.00444°W |
| Elevation | ~ 2 200 m |
| Total height | 422 m |
| Number of drops | 2 |
| Longest drop | 281 m |
| Total width | 15 m |
| Watercourse | Gave de Pau |
The Gavarnie Falls (French: Grande Cascade de Gavarnie) is a tiered waterfall in France. With its overall drop of 422 metres, it is the highest waterfall in mainland France.[citation needed] The falls are situated in the Cirque de Gavarnie, near the village Gavarnie in the Hautes-Pyrénées.
The waterfall is the beginning of the Gave de Pau stream. It is fed by a melting snow and a small glacier, located in Spain. This water seeps underground until it appears at the upper rim of waterfall. The average annual flow in the waterfall is 3 m3/s. In summer, when the snowmelt is most intense, it can reach up to 200 m3/s.[1] In winter it sometimes freezes and stops flowing.
The waterfall has 2 - 3 steps; the height of the tallest drop is 281 m.
