La Fontaine Salée

A day's walk from Picherande allows you to discover the impressive glacial cove of Fontaine Salée, whose pastoral activity is now protected by a nature reserve.

Details

n°1543376

Creation:
09 Oct 2018

Last update:
22 Oct 2018

Last review:
06 Jan 2025

Activity: Walking
Distance: 20.40 km
Average duration: 7h 35
Difficulty: Difficult
Back to start: Yes
Ascent: + 604 m
Descent: - 599 m
Highest point: 1,642 m
Lowest point: 1,103 m

Country: France
Areas: Massif central, Monts Dore
City: Picherande (63113)
Start/End: N 45.46423° / E 2.768969°
IGN map(s): Ref. 2432ET, 2432ETR, 2433SB
Hour-by-hour weather

Avalanche risk assessment bulletin

Discover Visorando Premium

Downloads

Open in the mobile app

Download GPX GPX

Download PDF PDF

Photos

Horses against the backdrop of the Monts du Cantal

Description of the walk

Park in the car park at the post office in Picherande.

(S/E) Go up the street behind the war memorial, keep left and join the D149. Continue along the road towards Super-Besse, then turn left to go to La Bourérie.

Red and white^GR®30markings

(1) In the village, take a path on the right and at the next crossroads, continue climbing opposite to reach a small road.

(2) Follow this for a few metres, then turn left before the first houses in Chareire and continue along the track. At the entrance to the forest, turn left onto a path that crosses a meadow and continues through the undergrowth. At the crossroads, go straight ahead, past a farm and onto the road.

(3) Cross it and climb up opposite via a stony, damp path. Continue through the rocky chaos, keeping to the left. At the top, follow the good path on the left that climbs up through the beech forest. Stay on this path until you reach the entrance to the Fontaine Salée cove.

(4) Go through the fence on the right and climb up through the meadow (there are views along the entire route). Cross the first ladder and continue straight ahead. After the rocks, turn left to reach a fence and follow it to the next ladder. Climb over it and head up towards Puy Gros; go over another fence and continue under Puy Gros. Then turn right to begin the descent, go under two ski lifts and continue to the next ladder.

No more markings

(5) Leave the^GR® here and descend to the right along the path through the meadows, crossing three ladders to reach the Col de la Geneste.

(6) Cross the road and follow a path on the right that joins it fairly quickly. Take this path and rejoin the road just before a hairpin bend.

(7) At this junction with the road, immediately follow a good path to the left between the fences (viewpoint over Lake Chauvet and Césallier).

(8) At the farm, turn right onto the small road and follow it to the entrance to the forest.

(9) Turn left onto the path that runs along the edge of the woods, then left again and down into the forest. Join another path, follow it to the right, then take a small road that passes in front of the campsite. Continue left to reach Picherande (S/E).

Waypoints

S/E : km 0 - alt. 1,118 m - Post office car park
1 : km 1.97 - alt. 1,106 m - Turn right onto the GR30.
2 : km 3.52 - alt. 1,170 m - Road to the right then to the left
3 : km 5.55 - alt. 1,174 m - Cross the D644.
4 : km 8.05 - alt. 1,340 m - Fence on the right
5 : km 11.09 - alt. 1,622 m - On the right, leave the GR
6 : km 13.18 - alt. 1,366 m - Col de la Geneste
7 : km 14.65 - alt. 1,307 m - Path on the left
8 : km 15.67 - alt. 1,279 m - Road on the right
9 : km 17.11 - alt. 1,247 m - Path on the left at the edge of the woods
S/E : km 20.4 - alt. 1,117 m - Post office car park

This route passes through a protected area, which may be subject to special regulations:

Réserve naturelle nationale de Chastreix-Sancy - more information

Reviews and comments

4.4 / 5

Based on 10 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.4 / 5

Ease of following the route
4.1 / 5

Route interest
4.7 / 5

pierrechd

06 Jan 2025 at 09:05 3600

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 02, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Beautiful view, at least until Puy Gros, after which, lost in the fog, I lost track of the GR30 and turned back because of the cold and the approaching night.

The GR section is pretty.

Machine-translated

camdrum13

12 Aug 2024 at 17:52 7200

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 06, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant hike, not very busy at the start and a little busier towards the middle when you reach the higher ground. Superb views of the Cantal mountains.

Machine-translated

coco.channel17

08 Apr 2024 at 14:12 7200

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 07, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful 21 km hike. With a few hills and breathtaking scenery. What a shame that the sand from the Sahara prevents us from seeing the Cantal mountains.

Machine-translated

titofanje

20 Jun 2023 at 11:16 7200

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 17, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Difficult to find your way between km 4 and 6. Otherwise, a beautiful hike.

Machine-translated

Laurent P.

19 Sep 2022 at 21:47 7200

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 18, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful circular offering magnificent views of the Fontaine Salée glacial valley, the Sancy mountain range, Lake Chauvet and the Cantal mountains on the horizon.

Machine-translated

FLOCH

27 Jan 2020 at 21:01 3600

Thank you for taking the time to give your opinion on this hike.

The signposting could be improved in the second part of the route: signposting is not Visorando's responsibility.
Moreover, the author clearly stated that this section was "unmarked" and had to plan his description accordingly.
Best regards

Machine-translated

Toctoc86

27 Jan 2020 at 18:11 3600

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 25, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A very beautiful hike, ranging from moderate to difficult due to the varying terrain at this time of year: rocks, snow, and sections of path covered in ice. But we had wonderful weather, with bright sunshine and little wind, and the sublime view rewarded our efforts.
The signposting could be improved in the second half of the route. The estimated time was 7 hours and 15 minutes, but we did it in 6 hours and 30 minutes with short breaks to drink and eat regularly. (We are both occasional walkers.)

Machine-translated

chafrise

11 Dec 2019 at 13:37 3600

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 04, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

We encountered some difficulties at the Couhay Pass due to snow cover, making it hard to find the rest of the route, but overall it was an interesting experience.

Machine-translated

Pureimpro

04 Sep 2019 at 20:20 7200

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 04, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Machine-translated

LEOJ

17 Aug 2019 at 07:13 7200

No risk of snow in July and August. You can go ahead.
The route does not pass through the peaks of the massif. You will remain below Puy Gros and above Paillaret.
Enjoy your hike.

Machine-translated

Jastrow

16 Aug 2019 at 01:26 7200

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 14, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A very beautiful hike that is not difficult, but is a bit long.
A quick practical note: on 14 and 15 August, it's the gentian festival in Picherande, which means access is difficult. Check before setting out if you plan to hike during this period.
The climb through the woods between La Morangie and the glacial cirque of La Fontaine Salée is very pleasant. The rest of the hike, which climbs just below the Col de Couhay, is also very beautiful (and a little tiring, of course), with mountain pastures at first, then blueberry bushes and gentians everywhere. Just after the ski lift, the small waterfall on the Chareire stream, in the conditions we were in (around 5 p.m. with the golden light of late afternoon), provided a magical spectacle with the Puy Gros in the background. The descent is pleasant, but it's not always easy to follow the path (when you come within sight of the pass, aim for the isolated house; there is a stepladder noted in the description).
There is only one drawback to this route: quite a bit of walking on the D149, at the beginning and especially 1 km near the Col de la Geneste. It is a fairly wide road and was busy that day (perhaps because of the gentian festival!).

Machine-translated

LEOJ

12 Aug 2019 at 17:51 7200

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 12, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A pleasant route exploring the Cirque Glaciaire de la Fontaine Salée. Beautiful views of the Sancy massif from the start to point 9 on the map. The climb up Montagne Haute is quite difficult, but it's wonderful to stop and take photos or when you arrive below Puy Gros, Col de Couhay or Paillaret.

Machine-translated

LeSavardeix

13 May 2019 at 21:50 7200

Hike postponed due to poor weather conditions (snow).

Machine-translated

nateka

20 Mar 2019 at 21:23 3600

Hello,

I would like to go on this hike on Saturday, but as I am not from the area, I don't know if the trail is passable at this time of year. Are there still snow-covered sections?

Thank you.

Machine-translated