8 hikes to do with children (from 3 years old)
Because hiking is even better when you can share it with family, here are 8 walks near the campsite tested and approved with our children, between volcanoes, waterfalls and lakes of Auvergne. Good news: all these hikes start from the Les Volcans campsite or are located less than 30 minutes drive away.
Puy de la Combegrasse
Allow about an hour with children to do this loop from the campsite. There is a nice little côte to climb the puy but without major difficulté. And the little climb is worth the détour: at the top you will have a
panorama à 360° on the chain of puys d'un côté and on the Sancy massif on the other side (with 2 tables d'orientation). On the path you may encounter sheep grazing, cows or horses. C'est also a très
beautiful place to admire the sunset (prévoir warm clothes) !
The big +: départ from the campsite and l'
one of the most beautiful panoramas of the région.
The
hike of Puy de Combegrasse
Tour of Lake Servière
Walk of 40 à 60 minutes (départ à 10 min from the campsite), très accessible as there is no dénivelé. The only difficulté is the première part of the path with many roots. But après the path is très walkable, with large spaces, small échelles to pass clôtures, small bridges in the wet zone... Children love it! En été you even have chances to find raspberries at the end of the route, or mushrooms à l'automne.
A 10 minutes from the campsite, on the road to Mont-Dore, good indication and parking aménagé.
The
tour of the lake Servière on Balirando
Puy de Vichatel
Second deepest crater of the puy chain, this volcano offers a beautiful hike in the woods (very pleasant on sunny days) with beautiful viewpoints at the summit. The walk lasts about 1h30 or 2h with children, from the parking lot of the col de la ventouse (about 5 min from the campsite), there are nice climbs but on a very passable path.
The
Puy de Vichatel on Balirando
Rossignolet and Queureuilh Waterfall
A 25 min from the campsite, at Mont-Dore. A loop d'an hour approx on an easy path for children (only a few montées and a sometimes slippery passage before the Rossignolet waterfall). A large part of the path is in woodland, très agréable in all weather, and a section runs along the rivière with possibilité of water games for children (construction of dams, bark boats d'écorces...).
Both waterfalls are really worth the détour !
The
randonnée the Ronde of waterfalls on the site of Sancy
Tour of Lac Pavin
A 30 min from the campsite, à Besse. The loop takes about an hour, with very little elevation gain and a path often wide and easy. You will only need to keep an eye on your younger children: even if the path isn't dangerous, the lake is always at the bottom. D'origine volcanique (93m deep), this lake offers
an incredible landscape in all seasons and its water takes on magical colours! By extending the walk by a few minutes, you can enjoy beautiful viewpoints from above (good signs on site).
Bonus: stop in the very beautiful village of Besse and stroll (or have a snack!) in its medieval lanes.
The
tour of Lake Pavin on the Sancy website
The geyser trail at Sainte-Marguerite
A 30 minutes from the campsite: a trail balisé leads us along the l'Allier between différentes springs of an old thermal site today à abandoned. Après a few minutes of easy walking, we débouche face the geyser that becomes active every 20 min or so, a nice surprise that étonne à each time the children! Several other springs are also of intérêt nearby (
some photos ). The path is fairly flat and easy, possibilité so you can take vélos or draisiennes.
Information on the location and access
Idées en plus : It is possible to take advantage of the éplacement to visit Vic-le-Comte à proximity, to discover the wild Quayres waterfall or to go up and admire the panorama from the virgin of Monton.
Puy de Montenard
A 5 minutes from the campsite. It's the
volcano furthest south in the chain of puys, you can see it well from the campsite. The hike starts from the village of Zanières and is well marked. The first part is uphill and mainly through woods up to the summit of the puy where
a very beautiful view opens onto the Sancy massif . The return is on a gentle slope back to the starting point. In total, between 1h30 and 2h of very accessible walking.
For adults, it is possible to start directly from the campsite heading towards the narse of Espinasse for a total of 14km.
Information about the Balirando site
Tour of the Gergovie plateau
A 20 minutes from the campsite. At the site of
the battle that opposed the armies of Vercingetorix and Julius Caesar! The tour of the plateau presents no difficulty, with very little elevation gain. Be careful only on very hot days as there are very few shaded areas. You will have
magnificent viewpoints throughout the route: on the chain of puys, on Clermont-Ferrand, on the Livradois... which makes it a very pleasant walk for the little ones as well as the grown‑ups!
Take the opportunity to
visit the brand‑new museum of the Battle of Gergovie , fascinating to understand what happened on the plateau a few hundred years ago
Pour les jours de vent,
prenez un cerf-volant, le spot est topissime :-)
Information on the Destination Auvergne website
Hiking with young children, it’s taking the time to observe, to marvel and to share good moments together. In Auvergne, the volcanic landscapes, lakes and forests offer an ideal playground for accessible walks full of surprises. To each his pace, the essential is to enjoy the path… and the memories we create as a family.
Don’t hesitate to ask us for advice at reception during your stay at the campsite :-)
As with all hikes, going for a walk with children requires a minimum of equipment for your safety: closed shoes (good sneakers, hiking boots...) and warm clothing in your bag (most of these walks are above 1000m altitude). Also think about a water bottle and a small snack to motivate the troops!
