Located in the Cantal Mountains, in the heart of the largest stratovolcano in Europe, the Puy Mary is one of the highest points in Cantal at 1,783 meters. At the top are 7 glacial valleys: the Aspre, Bertrande, Impradine, Jordanne, Santoire, Maronne, Mars and Petite Rhue.
The impressive puy Mary is the iconic part of a volcano that is now extinct. It has been a protected area since 2012 with the “Grand Site de France” seal of approval. The summit is accessible from Pas de Peyrol, the highest mountain pass in the Massif Central. Before going up, take a look at the visitor center «Maison de Site du Pas de Peyrol”, open from May to the end of October, which explains the volcano formation with an audiovisual presentation.
From the col, a constructed path takes you to the top in about 40 minutes: from the orientation table, the 360° panorama over Auvergne is breathtaking, and on a clear day you can even distinguish Mont-Blanc! The puy Mary, with its characteristic pyramid shape, is located in the heart of the Regional Natural Park of the Volcanoes of Auvergne.
It is very suitable for activities in the middle of nature: in addition to walking, you can make beautiful cycling trips, mountain biking, horseback riding or donkey riding, paragliding but also fishing in the lakes of the massif. When winter comes, you can go cross-country skiing or snowshoeing in the Nordic area of Haut Cantal. Also don’t forget to take a sled dog ride in the winter.
HIKING
On the Puy Mary you will find 34 short walking routes. You can explore the area alone or with a guide. Via the app Espace Nature Puy Mary (IOS and Android) you can find the walk that suits you.
TRAIL RUNNING
The Puy Mary offers a variety of trails for trail running. Thus, a permanent trail space “Espace Trail Puy Mary – Volcan du Cantal” has been created.
Discover more than 20 routes accessible to practitioners of all levels. For more information about the available courses and challenges, please visit the App Espace Nature Puy Mary
CANYONING
Do you feel like a slightly cooler activity during your holiday? Then go canyoning! Under the guidance of professionals you are going to have a great time in the water! Click here for a video of this activity.
BIKE ROUTES
The Puy Mary has more than 200 km of cycling routes. Lovers of height difference can have fun with percentages of 15%. The Tour de France passed through Puy Mary several times, the last time in 2020.
Download here a beautiful route of about 112 km.
HORSE RIDING
You won’t let go of your passion for horses, even during your holiday? Do you want to explore the Cantal massif on horseback? Thanks to several hiking trails equipped with passage for horses, this is possible.
To download the routes go to the App Espace Nature Puy Mary
Click here for more information about horse riding on the Puy Mary.
ROCK CLIMBING
Do you dream of climbing the largest volcano in Europe? Try the via ferrata or rock climbing! At Lac des Graves there are several trails that end with a zipline.
Climbing routes are available on the Puy Mary:
- Roc d’Hozieres (from 5 b to 7 b);
- Puy de la Tourte (until 5c and from 6a to 6c);
- Roc des chamois (up to 5c).
