Tour of the lakes between Cantal and Puy de Dôme

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A lovely walk that partly follows theGR®®30along a wooded path with little elevation gain. Beautiful views over the various lakes – Crégut, Tact, Laspialade and Taurons – and towards the Monts du Sancy.

Details

n°3332719
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 6.01 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 10 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 472 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 486 ft
  • ▲
    Highest point: 3,196 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 2,828 ft
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Photos

View of Lac de la Cregut.

Description of the walk

Park in the Lac de la Crégut car park by the reservoir.

(S/E) Follow the D30 for a few metres, then turn left onto theGR®®30, which runs alongside Lac de la Crégut.

(1) When you reach the end of Lac de la Crégut, continue to follow theGR®®30, which crosses the woods to reach Lac du Tact.

(2) Take the forest track on the right, still following theGR®®30which runs alongside Lac du Tact.

(3) When you reach the end of the lake, continue along theGR®®30and take the path on the right which climbs gently through the woods.

(4) When you reach the sign for Laspialade, leave theGR®®30and take the path on the right, marked with a yellow stripe, which leads due south to Lac de Laspialade.

(5) When you reach the D30, follow it for 600 metres, turning left until you reach the hamlet of La Casbah.

(6) Then take the road on the right. Caution! After the second chalet on the right-hand side, turn onto the path on the right, continuing to follow the yellow-striped markings along a stony path that descends into the forest to a forest track.

(7) Take this forest track to the right, where you’ll rejoin theGR®®30route at the far end of Lac du Taurons, near the pumping station. Continue along theGR®®30to the right, which leads back to the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 2,841 ft - Car park - Lac de la Crégut
  2. 1 : mi 0.73 - alt. 2,841 ft - Northern tip of the - Lac de la Crégut
  3. 2 : mi 1.44 - alt. 2,887 ft - Lac du Tact
  4. 3 : mi 2.36 - alt. 2,894 ft - North-eastern tip of the - Lac du Tact
  5. 4 : mi 3.19 - alt. 3,179 ft - Laspialade
  6. 5 : mi 3.88 - alt. 3,094 ft - Lac de Laspialade
  7. 6 : mi 4.3 - alt. 3,117 ft - La Casbah
  8. 7 : mi 5.12 - alt. 2,864 ft - Forest track
  9. S/E : mi 6.01 - alt. 2,844 ft

Worth a visit

After your hike, take advantage of the nearby Lac de Lastioulles to relax at the water sports centre.

Always be cautious and plan ahead when you're outdoors. Visorando and the author of this route cannot be held responsible for any accidents occurring on this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

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Reviews and comments

4.5 / 5
Based on 30 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.6 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.6 / 5
Route interest
4.4 / 5
User 18475623

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 17, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Actually, to make sure you don’t get it wrong, you need to cross-reference the explanations with the map, because it’s true that there are moments when you’re in doubt.
At the Casbah, it really is the second chalet on the right; there’s a yellow mark on one of the wooden posts of the fence, though it’s quite faint.
The walk is varied and enjoyable; we met some friendly people, including two young people doing the GR30, and an older couple between points 3 and 4 who had stopped at the site where there are remains of Resistance fighters, along with a rather moving information panel.
To sum up, I’m very glad I went on this walk.

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fgregory63
fgregory63

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 28, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

A shaded walk, which is no small thing these days… and much of it runs alongside the water, which is also very pleasant. But there are very few photo opportunities… a shame

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RYSD
RYSD
• Edited:

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 29, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

At point 5, it is at least 500 metres before the Kasbah.
At point 6, the sign should specify ‘Casbah (from behind)’ immediately on the right, on the street below the bakery.
The chalets are really unclear and I didn’t see any yellow markings. On top of that, as there was no mobile signal with Viso, I switched to MAPS.ME. As the path wasn’t shown on the map and there were no yellow markings, I followed a different path which did lead us to Les Torons but in the opposite direction to the resort.
The result was 15 km instead of 9.5 km. It’s not a big deal, just a heads-up that the signposting needs reviewing.
Thanks, Maps.me.
This doesn’t detract in any way from how enjoyable this walk was, especially with two dogs.
We only came across one group of five, but they included a furious, hysterical shrew who didn’t like the dogs and hurled abuse at us – to which we naturally responded. It’s unacceptable that some people can’t stand the sight of dogs, even when they’re on a lead.
We’ll definitely do it again.
Thank you.

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fabienneriehl
fabienneriehl

Hello
Thank you for your feedback
As the description dates from 2020, there may have been changes to the route and signage!
I hope you still enjoyed discovering these lakes
Happy future hikes.

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User 27488258

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 30, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

We found that the written description lacked a little precision.
Particularly in the village of Laspialade, where a path is indicated on the signpost: could you specify whether it is an entrance or exit sign?
And in the last stage, indicate that there is a footbridge that connects to the starting point.
In this regard, should it be noted that the car park is small?
It is a bit confusing with the three different colours of markings on the route: blue, green, red...
Thank you for reading.

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Paul Sentenac
Paul Sentenac

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

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

A beautiful, shaded hike. No difficulties.

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Gisèle 94
Gisèle 94

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 12, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Pleasant hike.
Often shaded.
Enjoy the lakes.
Nice picnic area when you arrive at Lac du Tact.

A short section on the road between points 5 and 6 (600 m), fortunately not too busy.

Please note:

  • Poorly signposted towards point 1
  • Before point 2, leave the main path and turn right onto the path marked La Crégut (follow the GR)

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Gisèle 94
Gisèle 94

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 12, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Pleasant hike.
Often shaded.
Enjoy the lakes.
Nice picnic area when you arrive at Lac du Tact.

A short section on the road between points 5 and 6 (600m), fortunately not too busy.

Please note:

  • Poorly signposted towards point 1
  • Before point 2, leave the main path and turn right onto the path marked La Crégut (follow the GR)

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Cecile Cantal
Cecile Cantal

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 03, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike with varied landscapes, views of the lakes half the time, and beautiful forests with green moss that are not dark. On Lake Tact, there is a lovely spot for a picnic with wooden tables set up on a ledge over the lake. The elevation gain is modest and very enjoyable.
A wonderful discovery, thank you to the author!

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françoise cournol
françoise cournol

It's true that animals' behaviour is often unpredictable! From one moment to the next, from one animal to another, there are sometimes surprises... This year there have been a lot with the cows! Let's stay alert!
Enjoy your walks and have a great end to the summer.

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isola
isola

Hello,
I'm just sharing my experience.
The donkeys were on the path.
I had three dogs on very short leashes.
We passed by a donkey that came up to us braying. I think it was scared, and so were my dogs. The owner called it back, shouting, and we walked past calmly without running, but my dogs were pulling in all directions because they were scared.
Afterwards, we saw the owner again and agreed that perhaps the leashes for the three dogs, two of which were puppies who had never seen a donkey before, caused a bit of panic for everyone, and that it might have been better without leashes.

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françoise cournol
françoise cournol

Hello,
i don't understand your comment about dogs, especially since I did this hike with two wolfhounds on a leash. Everything went well, we kept the dogs on a very short leash and climbed a little higher than the donkeys. No damage!

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isola
isola

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 20, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A magnificent hike, which I did with my three dogs on a Sunday in August, without encountering many people (about ten in total).
Two things to note: 1) you cross private land with donkeys, which are used to dogs and humans, but keep your dogs off the leash, as I had mine on a lead and one of the donkeys started charging at us and panicking. The owner intervened to stop it. 2) In Laspialade, you cross an area where there is a sign prohibiting entry due to forestry work. i went through anyway because there was no one there (it was Sunday)

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françoise cournol
françoise cournol

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 12, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

.....

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Bruno leray
Bruno leray

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 05, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Nice hike, some signposts are missing, but with the Visorando app there's no problem. Without it, though, it's not easy.

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