Parc Naturel Régional des Volcans d'Auvergne
Parc Naturel Régional des Volcans d'Auvergne, Regional natural park in Auvergne, France.
Description
Parc Naturel Régional des Volcans d'Auvergne is a protected area in the French Massif Central that covers more than 150 volcanic cones, peat bogs, and forested valleys. The terrain ranges from gentle hills with grazing land to jagged peaks of dark basalt rising above open plateaus.
History
The area was officially designated as a regional park in 1977 to protect the volcanic landscapes and rural communities. The volcanoes themselves went dormant thousands of years ago, with the last activity around 7,000 years in the past.
Culture
The name comes directly from the extinct volcanoes that shape the land and still influence how people live here today. Residents graze cattle on the highland pastures and draw mineral water from springs that have been part of the region for generations.
Practical
The visitor center at Château de Montlosier provides orientation and information about trails that run through all five volcanic ranges. The paths vary in length and difficulty, so it helps to plan ahead and be prepared for changing mountain weather.
Did you know?
Some of the crater bowls fill with snowmelt in spring and form shallow, temporary lakes that disappear again by summer. These shifting water features attract migratory birds that stop here on their way south or north.
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Cantal mountains
65.5 km
Puy Mary
64.3 km
Plomb du Cantal
67.7 km
Puy Griou
66.6 km
Puy de Peyre-Arse
63.3 km
Puy Violent
65 km
Téton de Vénus
64 km
Puy Chavaroche
66.6 km
Château d'eau du Lioran
64.5 km
Puy du Rocher
66.4 km
Cascade de Faillitoux
73.1 km
Puy de Seycheuse
61.4 km
Roc d'Hozières
64.8 km
Cascade de Liadouze
67.7 km
L'Élancèze
70.7 km
Bec de l'Aigle
63.8 km
Puy Bataillouse
64.2 km
Puy de Massebœuf
65.5 km
Église Saint-Germain du Falgoux
61.3 km
Église Saint-Julien de Saint-Julien-de-Jordanne
70.1 km
Église Saint-Jean-Baptiste du Claux
58.1 km
Saint-Jacques de Saint-Jacques-des-Blats Church
69.4 km
Église Saint-Laurent de Mandailles
69.3 km
Oratoire du Sartre
55.8 km
Moulin de Drils
57.9 km
Maison Saury
60.4 km
Puy de la Tourte
62.8 km
Puy de Niermont
58.8 kmDiscover hidden gems everywhere you go!
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