Gran Paradiso National Park, Italy

Established in 1922, the Gran Paradiso National Park, Italy (Parco nazionale del Gran Paradiso), is the first Italian national park.
Located between the Aosta Valley and Piedmont regions, the park is named after Gran Paradiso mountain, which is included in the park, and is contiguous with the French Vanoise national park.
Protecting lots of species (chamois, marmots, bearded vulture, golden eagle, etc.), the park was initially created to protect the endangered alpine ibex, avoiding its extinction.
Before its creation, the Gran Paradiso National Park was a personal hunting ground for king Victor Emmanuel II (the the Royal Hunting Reserve of the Gran Paradiso, created in 1856).
The alpine ibex remains the emblem of the park.

The following pictures of the Gran Paradiso National Park, Italy, were taken on the heights of Valnontey, in the Cogne valley.
Hiking from Valnontey to the Rifugio Vittorio Sella (Climber and photographer, 1859 – 1943), on the trail along the Grand Loson torrent.

Waterfall Gran Paradiso, Grand Loson torrent
F6.3, 1/80 sec, 17 mm, ISO400, Canon EOS 7D

Trail from Valnontey to Rifugio Vittorio Sella
F11, 1/80 sec, 34 mm, ISO800, Canon EOS 7D

Chamois of Gran Paradiso national park, Italy
F6.3, 1/1600 sec, 600 mm, ISO800, Canon EOS 7D Mark II

Misty mountains, Clouds in the valley
F13, 1/1600 sec, 70 mm, ISO320, Canon EOS 7D Mark II

Ruins along Gran Paradiso hiking trails
F11, 1/130 sec, 17 mm, ISO800, Canon EOS 7D

Valnontey hights, hiking in Gran Paradiso, Italy
F13, 1/1250 sec, 10 mm, ISO500, Canon EOS 7D

Chamois portrait, Wildlife of Gran Paradiso
F6.3, 1/1250 sec, 600 mm, ISO800, Canon EOS 7D Mark II

Torrent created by melting snow, Italian Alps
F14, 1/640 sec, 28 mm, ISO160, Canon EOS 7D

Chamois, unicorn version
F6.3, 1/2000 sec, 600 mm, ISO800, Canon EOS 7D Mark II

Gran Paradiso landscape, national park Italy
F14, 1/250 sec, 17 mm, ISO160, Canon EOS 7D

Marmot walking on the snow
F6.3, 1/2000 sec, 600 mm, ISO160, Canon EOS 7D Mark II

Chamois on the heights, Gran Paradiso park
F5.6, 1/8000 sec, 240 mm, ISO800, Canon EOS 7D Mark II

Trails are not ready yet :) Gran Paradiso, Italy
F7.1, 1/640 sec, 41 mm, ISO640, Canon EOS 7D

Little mountain creek
F5.6, 1/800 sec, 279 mm, ISO320, Canon EOS 7D Mark II

Alpine ibex in Gran Paradiso National Park, Italy
F6.3, 1/800 sec, 600 mm, ISO800, Canon EOS 7D Mark II

Probably another shelter, near the Rifugio Vittorio Sella, Gran Paradiso
F13, 1/320 sec, 17 mm, ISO160, Canon EOS 7D

Hiking trail leading to the Rifugio Vittorio Sella, Gran Paradiso
F13, 1/400 sec, 45 mm, ISO160, Canon EOS 7D

Chamois silhouette on mountain ridge, snow capped mountains
F10, 1/5000 sec, 150 mm, ISO320, Canon EOS 7D Mark II

I hope you liked my photos of the Gran Paradiso National Park, Italy. Maybe it will motivate you to go hiking on some of its amazing trails.
The pictures serie illustrate the hike from Valnontey to almost the Rifugio Vittorio Sella.
I say almost, as I thought I had reached it and then decided to go back due to the changing weather conditions.
In fact, it was another mountain hut, 250 meters further away from the Rifugio Vittorio Sella, but I couldn’t see it from where I was ^^