Mont Gargan, Mountain summit in Haute-Vienne, France

Mont Gargan is a rounded, forested summit at 730 m on the western edge of the Millevaches plateau, between Saint-Gilles-les-Forêts and La Croisille-sur-Briance in Haute-Vienne. Heather and gorse survive in a ring around the top, where a prairie has replaced part of the moor; 82 hectares are classed as a ZNIEFF. A monumental alley of twisted beeches lines the path up from the car park.

A stone stele at the summit recalls the battle of Mont Gargan, in which several thousand maquis fighters commanded by Georges Guingouin faced a German army division. The chapel of Notre-Dame-du-Bon-Secours was built from 1868 to 1871 by Abbé Louis Joyeux with the help of the population, damaged by wind and vandalism, consolidated in 1992 and owned by the Haute-Vienne department since 1986. Its bell, recovered illegally by a scrap dealer, was found with police help and reinstalled in February 2011.

The summit's chapel, dedicated to Notre-Dame du Bon Secours, was built from 1868 to 1871 by Abbé Louis Joyeux with help from the local population. Wind and vandalism damaged it, and it was consolidated in 1992 by the Haute-Vienne general council and the Friends of Mont Gargan. Its bell, stolen by a scrap dealer, was recovered with police help and reinstalled in February 2011.

A hiking path of about 2.2 kilometers takes visitors through the mountain's different areas, starting from a beech tree alley. The route is well-marked and leads upward to the summit with clear signage throughout.

A common claim in books and on maps is that Mont Gargan is the highest point of Haute-Vienne; it is not. That distinction belongs to Puy Lagarde, 799 metres high, about 25 kilometres to the north-east near Beaumont-du-Lac. The summit's circular look-out table identifies the surrounding landmarks.