Malcros canal

From the rocky wilds of the Vieux Chaillol to the green fields in the valley, the Malcros canal is the fruit of an extraordinary endeavour of power and precision. Built between 1873 and 1881, it was designed to supply water to the populated communities of the Champsaur valley.
Water management has always been a crucial subject in the mountains. But although dictated by necessity, it is nevertheless true that this construction is the fruit of a Herculean effort: 61 kilometres of canals and aqueducts between the glacier of Malcros (2,818 m) and the various villages it was intended to supply... and with no power-driven machinery! The «gullies» to Saint-Bonnet were completed in 1878; those to Buissard and Bénévent-et-Charbillac were left high and dry. Avalanches and natural erosion finally got the better of the locals' determination, and they finally abandoned it in 1923.
Today, the «Malcros 2818» association is attempting to restore this historic piece of infrastructure. The laid-out canal path from Malcros to Saint-Michel de Chaillol is a walk not to be missed!