Lac de Guéry, Volcanic lake at Mont-Dore, France.
Lac de Guéry is a mountain lake in the Auvergne region at approximately 1244 meters elevation, formed within a natural depression shaped by ancient lava flows from the Puy-de-Dôme area. The water spreads across a quiet surface, ringed by forests and open slopes that invite walking and exploration.
Lac de Guéry formed about two million years ago when a lava flow from puy Gros dammed a torrent, and glacial overdeepening shaped the basin. In 2020 the Puy-de-Dôme departmental council voted to buy the lake from EDF for 200,000 euros; the sale took effect in 2021, with European Union support for the financing.
The lake gives its name to the Col de Guéry and the Guéry cross-country ski area beside it. It also appears in popular culture: it is the setting and a key element of the plot of the TV film La Fulgurée. An inn stands at the southern end of the water.
The D 983 runs along roughly a third of the shoreline, so the lake is easy to reach by road from Mont-Dore, about 8 km away toward Clermont-Ferrand. An inn stands at the southern end of the water. Storms are frequent and often violent with hail, so hikers should watch the weather. Fishing runs from early March to 15 November.
In early March, when the ice reaches at least 15 cm, ice fishing through holes cut in the frozen surface is practised here, a technique the sources describe as unique in France. The lake is also the first difficulty of the Sancy winter trail, held each January.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 93,587 contributors worldwide.
