Le Grand Sarcoui and Le Puy des Goules

de fr

Short hike to the summit of Grand Sarcoui and the magnificent volcano with its perfect crater, Puy des Goules.
A magnificent view of the volcano park from each of the two summits.
This hike is not technically difficult and is suitable for families who want to discover the magic of volcanoes.
Moderator's note added on 13/09/2021: access to the Sarcoui caves is difficult and the summit is now off-limits (see comments).

Details

n°4228242
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 8.12 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 15 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 339 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 340 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,146 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 914 m
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Photos

View from the Puy des Goules
At the top of the Grand Sarcoui
The caves
Start of the hike

Description of the walk

Park in the Goules car park, located on the D941 after the village of La Fontaine du Berger (when coming from Orcines).

(S/E) From the car park, take the path through the undergrowth to the intersection with a beautiful track.

(1) Turn right onto this beautiful forest path through the undergrowth, which has a slight upward slope. Continue to a new intersection where signs indicate the direction of Sarcoui and Puy des Goules.

(2) Turn right towards Sarcoui. Reach the Grand Sarcoui cave. Then turn left onto a path that climbs to the top of the volcano.

(3) Turn around, descend back to the cave, then turn right to return to the intersection you took earlier.

(2) Turn right and follow the path for about 200 metres.

(4) Then turn left towards Puy des Goules. Reach the rim of this splendid, perfectly regular Strombolian crater.

(5) Walk around the crater (beautiful 360° panorama). N.B. It is possible to descend to the bottom of the crater.

(5) Descend (north-northeast).

(4) At the bottom, continue along the path on the left and keep going straight ahead, ignoring the two paths that branch off to the left and right. Continue downhill until you reach a crossroads. Then turn right and continue around the Grand Sarcoui. Ignore the path that branches off to the right and keep going straight ahead. You will reach another crossroads at an altitude of 963 metres.

(6) Turn right and continue without leaving the path (east) until you reach the D559.

(7) Follow the road to the right. At the 916-metre mark.

(8) Turn off onto the wide path on the right for a few metres, then take the path on the right again. Walk alongside a beautiful meadow on the left and a pine forest on the right until you reach an intersection.

(9) Continue left to point 964. Continue straight ahead, ignoring the other paths that branch off to the left and right. You will come to a forest road. Follow it for a few metres until you reach a small path that branches off to the right before the departmental road. Take this path on the right to return to the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 979 m - Parking des Goules
  2. 1 : km 0.35 - alt. 982 m - Forest path on the right
  3. 2 : km 1.05 - alt. 1,049 m - Head towards Sarcoui. - Grand Sarcouy
  4. 3 : km 1.66 - alt. 1,143 m - Grand Sarcouy
  5. 4 : km 2.46 - alt. 1,057 m - At the foot of Puy des Goules
  6. 5 : km 2.77 - alt. 1,129 m - Puy des Goules
  7. 6 : km 4.7 - alt. 965 m - Fork
  8. 7 : km 5.68 - alt. 916 m - Route D559
  9. 8 : km 6.16 - alt. 916 m - Fork in the path, wide path on the right
  10. 9 : km 6.81 - alt. 934 m - Intersection - Grand Sarcouy
  11. S/E : km 8.12 - alt. 978 m - Parking des Goules

Worth a visit

Grand Sarcoui Cave - An ancient Merovingian quarry, not very deep, from which trachytic lava blocks were extracted to make sarcophagi (5th-7th century). The name Sarcouy comes from an Auvergne form of "coffin".

Reviews and comments

3.5 / 5
Based on 11 reviews
Reliability of the description
3.3 / 5
Ease of following the route
3.2 / 5
Route interest
4.1 / 5
Lemataf
Lemataf

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 14, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Hello, as mentioned previously, please be careful between points 4 and 6, as the path disappears shortly after turning right and searching for it can be dangerous. It is impossible to continue, so you will need to turn back.
All other walks with Visorando: excellent!

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lafamillelacour
lafamillelacour
• Edited:

Not updated at all. We found ourselves in the middle of the forest on impassable and even dangerous paths. The second part of the hike after the Puy des Goules is simply pointless

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MtheFog
MtheFog

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 06, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

It's a shame to be an outlaw to climb to the top of Grand Sarcoui, but in any case, it's worth it.

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CS63
CS63

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 04, 2023
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hello
Very beautiful landscape, but the route is no longer suitable for the terrain.
Access to the Grand Sarcoui cave is no longer possible, nor is the path to the summit.
The view from Puy des Goules is superb.
After descending from the summit, the route no longer corresponds to the landscape.
Fallen trees have altered the terrain.
We were forced to descend through the woods to find more accessible paths.
Thanks to the Visorando app and its IGN maps for guiding us.

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Mamay78
Mamay78

Overall rating : 2.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 01, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The starting point is at the end of the car park. You can't get any further after the cave, and the entire route after the descent from Puy Goules is terribly poorly signposted and explained. Luckily, we had the app to help us. It's poorly maintained, which is a shame because it's very pleasant... It needs to be re-explained.

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chloeant
chloeant

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 18, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Please note that the start of the hike has been changed, but it is clearly marked from the car park. The top of the Grand Sarcoui is now closed to the public. A beautiful hike with some good elevation gains at the beginning to see the Grand Sarcoui and then the Puy des Goules. The return trip is through the forest after the Puy des Goules. We did it in June, when there were very few people.

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mariefrancoise6
mariefrancoise6

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 28, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

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Rémymonik
Rémymonik

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 11, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

interesting route, however, there are many more trails than shown on the map

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claudekiko
claudekiko

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 13, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The cave can indeed be viewed from the outside. However, the passageway can still be used to reach the Grand Sarcoui. The climb is steep, but the reward is at the top, with a beautiful view of the various volcanoes.
The view from Puy des Goules is even more splendid with the crater in the foreground.
There are no markings on the paths, so a GPS is very useful. However, the path between 6 and 7 has become impassable (due to brush clearing and felled trees). After searching in vain for a way through, we turned back.

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dommathot@gmail.com
dommathot@gmail.com

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 16, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

The cave and the summit of Sarcoui are no longer accessible, which detracts somewhat from the appeal of the walk.

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baladesdujeudi
baladesdujeudi

Overall rating : 2.3 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 09, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

In some places, the paths are not visible and cannot be used without GPS. Please note that climbing to the summit of Sarcoui is prohibited; stop at the cave and be aware of dangerous descents in some places. Otherwise, beautiful scenery.

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Marie Françoise 63
Marie Françoise 63

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 25, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The Visorando route is inaccurate in three or four sections: for example, there are two very steep and slippery sections, whereas there are very pleasant paths and trails nearby that lead in the same direction.

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rambler45
rambler45

Hello,
I appreciate Visorando's hiking suggestions. At the moment, I am consulting the Puy de Dôme department a lot because I would like to live there.
I really enjoy hiking and living in nature. I currently live in Montargis, which is too polluted for my health and has too many flat hikes. Except for the pleasant Montargis forest, the landscape is rather monotonous. I would like to hear your opinion about possibly moving to your region. I have noticed that Ceyssat seems suitable, with not too many inhabitants, and with the countryside, nature and volcanoes nearby.
St Genès Campanelle, with its pastures, forest and volcanoes, might also be suitable, but the population of nearly 3,438 is likely to be overwhelming.
Thank you in advance for your suggestions. I am also interested in a book detailing the possibilities offered by the villages (altitude, housing, geographical location, environmental interest, hiking opportunities). Kind regards, Nicole Lecointe

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