Tour of Puy Mary in three days

de fr

A lovely three-day hike with wild camping and some challenging climbs.

Details

n°30491841
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 33.60 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3 days 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Difficult
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 8,435 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 8,412 ft
  • ▲
    Highest point: 5,823 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 2,913 ft

Photos

Vue sur Puy Mary
Vue depuis le Puy Mary
Vue depuis le Roc des Ommbres
Vue sur le Roc des Ombres

Stages of the route

This route needs several days, find the details below:

  1. S
    Du Falgoux au Col de Legal

    Tour of the Puy Mary - GR400

    ↔11.14 mi ↗3,278 ft ↘2,251 ft
    A beautiful three-day hike, sleeping in a bivouac, with interesting variations in altitude.
    View the route
  2. 2

    From the Col de Legal to the Col de Cabre

    ↔12.89 mi ↗3,560 ft ↘2,589 ft
    The second stage of my three-day tour of Puy Mary, with an overnight stay in a bivouac. Passing through villages where you can stock up on supplies if necessary
    View the route
  3. E

    From the Col de Cabre to Le Falgoux via Puy Mary

    ↔9.53 mi ↗1,601 ft ↘3,573 ft
    The third and final stage of my three-day tour of Puy Mary, featuring the ascent of Puy Mary
    View the route

Notes

Please note: water supply is limited; make sure to fill up at village fountains (if safe to drink) or ask local residents.

I’ve done this walk three times, with slight variations, but it’s always been just as enjoyable!

  1. In August 1996, in the direction described, except for the section between Pas de Peyrol and Le Falgoux.
  2. In August 2003, in the opposite direction (clockwise): it was a heatwave!!!
  3. On 21, 22 and 23 May 2011, once again following the route described.

First night’s accommodation: you can stay at the Lodge du Col de Legal
Passing through villages during the second stage, where you can stock up on supplies if needed

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.

Reviews and comments

4.8 / 5
Based on 3 reviews
Reliability of the description
5 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.7 / 5
Route interest
4.7 / 5
User 21859744

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 24, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A brilliant hike! We did it over three days, camping along the way, at our own pace, and it was absolutely brilliant
A magnificent route with stunning scenery all the way. A few patches of snow still remained, including one that was a bit dangerous, so approach with caution
Otherwise, nothing to report, everything went very well — a lovely circular pattern 👌

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User 27197087

Great hike completed in August 2025. Be careful with water supplies: we found some at the Col du Legal, in Mandailles and at Puy Mary.
Be careful on the technical section at the Rolland breach, where you will need to use your hands and it can be slippery if it rains.

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User 23596440
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 14, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Trail route completed in 7.5 hours, following 80-90% of the GR400.
Please note that from the Pas de Peyrol, it is essential to follow the GR trail, as the GPX track at the Puy de la Tourte is slightly off and does not go up to the Puy de la Tourte (it goes down to the left and is quite steep, even impassable), so following the GR does not add any extra distance.
13/08/2025

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Bennett
Bennett

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 17, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A superb hike through the lush green landscapes of the Cantal! Almost the entire route follows the GR 400. Two points to note:
- the so-called shortcut on the second day, above Mandaille, just after leaving the road, was impossible for me to follow. There was absolutely no trail at the edge of the forest 😕. I just had to guess, so I headed for the GR 400 and followed it without any trouble.
- Regarding water: Day 1: at the restaurant on the Col de Légal (nothing before that, unless I’m mistaken); Day 2: Mandaille, of course, but plenty of springs both before and after Mandaille; Day 3: at the pass below Puy Mary. In short, it’s not a major problem.
A lovely hike that I’d highly recommend!

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christophe85
christophe85

Hello Camille,

It’s a lovely route either way. I’ve done it both ways. The first climb going the other way (from Le Falgoux to the Col de Cabre) is quite a slog, though!

Enjoy the hike

Christophe

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Camille.dhm
Camille.dhm
• Edited:

Hello, the walk looks great, but I’ve got a quick question: is it about the same level of difficulty going the other way round?

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christophe85
christophe85

You’re in for a treat if the weather’s nice. Enjoy your walk

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Emilie44
Emilie44

Thanks, problem sorted. I’m looking forward to the hike at the end of June.

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bernardino
bernardino ★

Good evening
By clicking on the link in the confirmation message above, you’ll be able to access the full description.
Good luck with your search and, above all, enjoy your upcoming hike.

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Emilie44
Emilie44

Hello. We’d like to follow the same route as you on the three-day hike around Puy Mary in June, but I can’t seem to find the full description you wrote about it
I thought it was brilliant. Could you send it to me if you don’t mind? I don’t understand why, when I log into Visorando, the app tells me the walk doesn’t exist. Have a lovely rest of the day. Emilie

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The GPS track and description are the property of this route's author. Please do not copy them without permission.