Lac de Sauvages

A family walk offering beautiful views of the Limon Plateau on the other side of the Santoire Valley.

Details

780370
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 5.58 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 1h 50 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 94 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 95 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,235 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1,174 m

Description of the walk

From the D23, between Fortuniès and the D3, take a small road on the right and park 600 metres further on in the small car park on the edge of Lac de Sauvages.

(S/E) Continue along the small road towards the south-west. Pass the farm and continue along the road heading south. When the road makes a sharp right turn, continue along the small road that branches off to your left in the bend. At the hamlet of Péjouzou, the road turns right.

(1) Continue along the path that branches off to the left in the bend (signposted "Tour du Lac de Sauvages, retour"). Further on, go through a fence and then, in the meadow, walk along the fence on your right for about 100 metres. Then you will see a V-shaped passage in the fence on the other side of the meadow on your left. Cut across the meadow to reach this passage. On the other side, you will find a wide path and signs. Continue left towards "Lac de Sauvages".

(2) You will arrive at the edge of a beautiful marshy pond. Continue to the left, following the direction indicated by the sign for "Tour du Lac de Sauvages, départ" (Tour of Lac de Sauvages, start). Ignore the paths on the right and continue between the pine forest and a large meadow.

(3) At the fork, ignore the path furthest to the right and continue in the direction of "Tour du Lac de Sauvages", still on the edge of the pine forest.

(4) At the end of the meadow, leave the wide path and follow a path coming from the left (signposted "Lac de Sauvages"). Continue between the meadow and the woods, heading north then north-west, ignoring the paths that branch off to the right into the woods.

(5) Cross a stile to enter the meadow and walk along the fence. Shortly afterwards, go through a gate and continue along the fence, veering westwards.

(6) Go through another gate to leave the meadow. After about 300 metres, you will return to the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 1,176 m - Car park on the edge of Lac de Sauvages.
  2. 1 : km 1.36 - alt. 1,188 m - Path on the left
  3. 2 : km 2.11 - alt. 1,210 m - Pond
  4. 3 : km 2.72 - alt. 1,233 m - Turn left at the fork.
  5. 4 : km 3.91 - alt. 1,223 m - On the left
  6. 5 : km 4.76 - alt. 1,188 m - Stepladder
  7. 6 : km 5.27 - alt. 1,190 m - Barrier
  8. S/E : km 5.58 - alt. 1,177 m - Car park on the edge of Lac de Sauvages.

Notes

Easy hike, standard hiking equipment required.

Worth a visit

Discover more hikes in this area with a description or the Visorando app here

(S/E) Pedal boats and fishing permits can be hired at the bar-restaurant.

(2) I really like this pond, which is wilder than Lac de Sauvages. The marshes are richer in flora and fauna.

Reviews and comments

4.6 / 5
Based on 9 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.6 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.6 / 5
Route interest
4.6 / 5
User 27714189

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 15, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

No specific information to report

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cccenmaraude
cccenmaraude

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 18, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful walk in the vastness of the Cantal mountains!
So we extended the route:
at point 3: straight ahead, then left at the intersection of four paths (altitude 1,217 on the IGN map).
This leads to a car park with a cabin: the Refuge de la Boissonnière, a nice spot where we had a picnic.
Return via the path immediately to the left, which takes you back to point 4.

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Philippe et Cath
Philippe et Cath

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 04, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

This route is marked with signposts... except for a small section (in the middle of cows!).
Very pleasant, easy going with magnificent views of the Puy Marie mountains on one side and the Planèze plateau on the other... Passing through natural alleys of small fir trees... it's like being in Santa Claus's country!
A very beautiful 5.5 km walk with little elevation gain. A must-do!

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soleg66
soleg66

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 28, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A really lovely short walk with beautiful views of the Cantal and Sancy mountains.
Thank you for this itinerary!

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legendarme
legendarme

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 06, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely, easy family walk to start a week of hiking in the Cantal.
A beautiful lake and stunning views.

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Marianne et Heidi
Marianne et Heidi

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 18, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

At (1), after crossing the fence, head straight across the field towards the stepladder and the signs. Bonus: mushroom picking!
Between (3) and (4), the path is flooded, but you can go through the woods to get around it.
At (4), a sign saying "no dogs, even on a leash" posed a problem for us as we had started the walk with Heidi. The reason for this is that you have to walk among cows, but we got through without any trouble with the dog on a leash.
At (5), the stepladder (5) is no longer there. A sign points in a direction we didn't follow; we went under the barrier and followed the planned route and the green markings.
The walk is not long, almost flat, the scenery is beautiful, and we also really liked the pond (2).

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daliavilers
daliavilers

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

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

The only point of interest, as far as we are concerned, are the basalt columns visible just after the hamlet near the restaurant.
Otherwise, the route is rather monotonous, especially the second part after the pond.
In short, it's a walk to stretch your legs, but nothing more.

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grandin
grandin ★

Lorène Ihry

You can post photos directly on the homepage of this hike by clicking on the "Action" button and then "Post photos".

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Lorène ihry
Lorène ihry
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 30, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A very pleasant walk, perfect for families.
With three children aged between 10 and 8, we took our time and completed it in 1 hour 40 minutes.
The scenery is delightful, and we crossed a meadow accompanied by the region's pretty cows. The system for crossing the fences is very practical.
I highly recommend it.

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QUEYRASLOVER
QUEYRASLOVER
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 26, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Beautiful panoramic view of Pas de Peyrol and Puy Mary (very close by) and, if the weather is clear, the Sancy mountain range in the distance.
Note that the trail follows the route of a PR marked in green.

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