The salt fountain cirque trail
Chastreix
No dogs allowed
Distance 8Km
Duration 2h15
Hiking route BOUCLE
Marking yellow
In pictures
Visitor alert
Route description
One of the department’s most beautiful hikes, it takes in the impressive glacial valley of the Fontaine Salée, offering breathtaking views of the south face of the Puy de Sancy and panoramas of the Artense and Cézallier mountains : fabulous !
Guidebook with maps/step-by-step
Step 1 : Start sign on right at hairpin bend after parking lot. Take the wide forest track. Follow signs for “Fontaine salée” (departmental signs). After leaving the forest, go through two gates and reach a chicane. After a ruin, turn right and take the narrow grassy path winding through the forest. Continue until you reach a chicane at the end of the wood.
Step 2 : From the chicane, follow the grassy path down into the valley to a gate and, turning left, to an information panel and a wooden footbridge over the stream.
Step 3 : Take the footbridge (panoramic view of the Fontaine Salée cirque) and walk along the fence until you reach the GR®30. At this point, turn around. Back at the chicane at point 1, continue straight ahead along the same path as before. After about 100 m, leave the outward path and turn right onto a flat forest path. Once out of the forest, pass three stepladders. After the third, climb up to the right. Pass a fourth stepladder and follow the path along the forest edge. After a chicane, join the D615 road (view of the Monts du Cantal) and turn left to return to the starting point.
Proposed and managed by the Conseil départemental du Puy-de-Dôme – PDIPR.
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Opening hours
From 01/04 to 31/10/2026.
Subject to favorable snow and weather conditions.
Additional information
For your own safety, always take a bottle of water, a hat, warm clothing and footwear suitable for walking.
Depending on weather conditions, certain itineraries are not recommended in bad weather (fog) or are not practicable, or even forbidden, during the winter season.
Some sites are fragile, so stay on the marked trails. Avoid picking wild flowers and disturbing wildlife. Pick up your garbage.
Animals are not allowed on some routes.
Environment
Mountain location
Downloadable :
Photo credits : CD63/David Frobert, CD63/David Frobert, CD63/A.Péronnet, CD63/A.Péronnet, DR Réserve Naturelle de Chastreix-Sancy
Updated on 3 July 2026 by Conseil départemental du Puy-de-Dôme