Over the last decade, rescue archeology in the Val de Loire region has highlighted the existence of well-preserved stratigraphic sequences associated with Middle Paleolithic and/or early Upper Paleolithic remains. The geomorphological contexts are diverse: the Loir valley low terraces, the Gâtine tourangelle loess and the Cher valley slope deposits are the main sources of data. Taphonomic conditions are favourable for archaeological studies, but the incomplete information provided by archeological survey frequently hinders the publication of the results. The grouping of observations, backed up by sedimentary records and radiometric dating, adds to the data on human frequentation in this geographical sector which has been too often relegated to the margins of cultural areas on most distribution maps. Rather than a transit area, rescue archeology results show that human presence was indeed established in the Val de Loire region well before the Last Glacial Maximum.