Le Puy Mary (Cantal)
It's not just the size that matters. The Puy Mary is not the highest of the Cantal mountains, but this 1,783 meter high lava pyramid has become the most emblematic of the Cantal volcanoes. Originally, a huge strato-volcano, the largest in Europe, sat here. Glacial erosion has gradually eaten away at this giant. Today it only takes a few minutes on foot to climb the 200 meters of elevation difference between Peyrol and Puy Mary. But up there, what a panorama! The landscape seems to have remained unchanged for three million years. The view covers 360 ° on the Puy Griou, the Plomb du Cantal and the seven grassy valleys that radiate in a star around the mountain. The Auvergne, which unfolds majestically before our eyes, knows how to marry opposites: harsh and soft, mineral and green, volcanic and soothing. On days of great clarity, Mont-Blanc even lets see its immaculate point. To avoid the summer crowds, hike nearby, around the Puy de la Tourte: you are alone and the landscape is just as splendid.
The forest of Tronçais (Allier)
Aerial view of the Tronçais forest. F. Lechenet / Allier Auvergne Tourisme
Considered the most beautiful oak forest in Europe, the Tronçais forest takes on its formal attire in autumn. Planted by Colbert to supply wood for the royal navy, the famous three-hundred-year-old oaks intone, with beeches and charms, a golden polyphony bursting with golden yellows, dark reds and flamboyant oranges. You have to walk with your nose in the air to admire the colorful foliage, because the 40-meter high barrels place the plant vault at the height of a cathedral. The impression is majestic, nothing intimidating. Breathing in the lungs the scent of humus and chopped wood, we visit remarkable oaks like old friends: Saint-Louis (450 years old), Chêne carré, Sentinelle (6.55 meters in circumference), Twins (born from the same stock 403 years ago)… Several trails cover the 11,000 hectares of the oak grove.
The Hautes Chaumes du Forez (Puy-de-Dôme, Loire)
Les Hautes Chaumes is a natural site in the Natura 2000 network. Jasserie du Coq noir
Finally alone ! Right lung of the Auvergne, the Livradois-Forez Regional Natural Park attracts less crowds than that of the Volcanoes of Auvergne, its left lung. So much the better, because it is precisely their isolation that makes the somewhat austere charm of the Forez mountains. By gaining altitude, the forests of "fayards" (beeches) disappear to make way for a heath with callune and blueberries. On the Égaux plateau, the absence of trees clears the view up to the Pilat massif and even, on a clear day, to the chain of the Alps. You can run for breath in this tawny and red heath swept by the north wind, the "burle". Formerly hawkers planted raised stones to orient themselves in the blizzard which, each winter, transforms these Scottish Highlands into polar pack ice. The jasseries, summer farms covered with thatch, made welcoming refuges on this desolate land given to the winds. This is still the case at the jasserie du Coq noir, transformed into a restaurant, museum and boutique. 2km away, at the Col des Supeyres, the Colporteur des Jasseries path allows you to explore the moor in a 3-hour loop.
Jasserie du Coq noir. 04 73 95 31 33 www.coq-noir.fr
The Fer-à-Cheval circus (Haute-Savoie)
At the edge of Haute-Savoie, the Giffre valley. Getty Images
At the edge of Haute-Savoie, the Giffre valley ends in apotheosis with a horseshoe-shaped circus. This grandiose amphitheater, which spans 5 km in length, forms the largest mountainous circus in Europe. In fine weather, the glaciers that festoon its high cliffs feed around thirty waterfalls. That of Le Rouget (80 meters high) is the best known with its two projections, and the most refreshing. On the other side of the cirque, the Ruan and Prazon glaciers feed the Giffre, which cheerfully makes its way among birch and spruce. Not far away, it's the end of the world - and it's official since that's what this cashed dead end is called. Here we are in the territory of chamois and ibex. In this kingdom of water, sap and silence, we keep raising our heads to survey the high peaks of the Tenneverge (2985 m). What hides this immense curtain of mountains that no road climbs? Switzerland, it seems. To check, we should leave this alpine haven of peace. So what?
The combe d'Arclusaz, Massif des Bauges (Haute-Savoie)
Located between Chambéry, Aix-les-Bains, Annecy and Albertville, the Massif des Bauges Regional Natural Park is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Getty Images
Less known than the Aravis or Chartreuse mountains, the Bauges range contains all the riches that we are entitled to demand from a regional natural park: wild and unspoiled nature, postcard alpine pastures and even a cheese (Tomme des Bauges) which could go back to the neighboring Reblochon. Imagine a raised plateau guarded by high cliffs. On one edge of this plateau, a limestone smile: the valley of Arclusaz (we pronounce "Arcluse"). Geologists see it as a superb example of a perched syncline. Hikers find there the promise (held) of a bucolic stroll among meadows carpeted with multicolored flowers: bellflower, centaury, rapunzel, knotwort ... Cows graze on these sloping meadows. Their bells accompany us to the Col d'Arclusaz. The valley is interrupted by a vertiginous precipice. Fortunately, the gaze can escape far towards the summits of the Chartreuse, Oisans and Grésivaudan.
The high plateaus of Vercors (Isère, Drôme)
Long hike on the high plateaus of Vercors to reach the Grand Veymont. Breathtaking view of all of Vercors and Mont Aiguille. Getty Images
When the tide of clouds surrounds it, the Vercors becomes an island of land. Has it not always been? This spectacular massif arose from the depths of the ocean 23 million years ago… To be convinced of the insular character of this mountain, it is only necessary to explore on foot its high plateaus, the highest and most wilderness of the massif. The most protected also, thanks to the work of the nature reserve, the largest in mainland France (17,000 hectares). The landscapes are at the same time grand and varied: lapiaz with innumerable crevasses, vast alpine meadow (Darbounouse), Mongolian plain (Queyrie), pine forests with hooks, valleys and basins, peaks and teeth ... Mont Aiguille takes on air impregnable citadel, while the Grand Veymont (2,431 meters) hurts the calves, before revealing a landscape to die for… Figuratively speaking. It is neither the Alps nor the Massif Central. It is a roof of the world apart, that the clouds sometimes share with hikers.
The hamlet of Monal (Savoie)
Site classified by virtue of its natural and heritage interest located at 1874 m above sea level, the Monal is one of the most beautiful examples of montagnettes in the Tarentaise. Getty Images
In the mountains, we walk, we run, we ski, we climb, we jump. We rarely ask ourselves. The hamlet of Monal, perched almost at the bottom of the Tarentaise valley, is made for immobile contemplation. This handful of lauze-style stone chalets face the glaciers of Mont Pourri. It is one of the unforgettable postcards of the French Alps. In the meadows, lupins and columbines explode with roses and violets. The laughing, light sound of a stream echoes in the "bouides", old hamlet milk cellars built astride the watercourse. We still make a famous blue, the parsley of Sainte-Foy. The Tarine cows, with the caramel dress and the eyes as underlined of kohl, do they know their chance to graze in such a frame? In autumn, the larches ignite the mountain with red and gold, beneath the impassive Mount Pourri covered with snow. To reach this paradise (which is only busy on sunny days), allow 2.5 hours round trip from the village of Sainte-Foy-en-Tarentaise (less from the Echaillon summer car park).
Hiking at Lac Blanc (Haute-Savoie)
Lac Blanc is perfect for a hike in the Chamonix Valley, offering a magnificent panorama of Mont-Blanc. Getty Images
A balcony on the Mont-Blanc range. A mirror of turquoise water perched on the western slope of the Chamonix valley, Lac Blanc is one of the most beautiful alpine postcards. It is assumed to be difficult to access: we are mistaken. The Flégère cable car, at Praz de Chamonix, saves us from a laborious climb, so that we arrive almost instantly in front of the magnificent panorama of the Mont-Blanc chain: the string of glaciers clinging to the slopes, the mythical peaks (the Drus, the Grandes Jorasses, the Aiguille Verte) and of course, the easygoing Mont-Blanc, wearing his cloudy halo. This frieze of snow-capped peaks is reflected in the water of Lac Blanc, at the edge of which a picturesque refuge gives the desire for retirement. It takes courage to tear yourself away from this 180 ° panorama. Further on, the Cheserys lakes are also the pretext for a marvelous and silent break. It is fine to descend to the bottom of the valley, the head remains up there still long hours.
Family walk without a big drop: 7.3 km downhill with the cable car (12.4 km without the cable car). Ascent time: 1 h 45. Descent: 2 h 45 by the Chéserys lakes.
Charity home in Flatière (Haute-Savoie)
This Christian spiritual retreat center is perched at an altitude of 1,400 meters facing the roof of Europe. LA Flatière Charity Home
In the mountains, sporting activity ultimately aims at only one thing: to silently contemplate the crown of the peaks. The Flatière charity center offers us Mont-Blanc on a plateau, sparing us the tedious walk ... Perched at an altitude of 1,400 meters facing the roof of Europe, this Christian center for spiritual retirement invites us to take the height. All those who, believers or not, want to re-read their lives or discern important choices to be made in the light of God are welcomed there. To encourage contemplation, the six-day retreats for adults and the weekends of conjugal spirituality take place entirely in silence. The exchanges between retreatants, deprived of speech, are only richer. We reconnect better to the world by disconnecting: the laptops remain off. Lessons are offered daily by a priest. Mountain magic or miracle of faith, day after day, your heart soothed by the magnificent spectacle of the Alps, you catch your breath and find answers to your questions.
La Flatière - Foyer de Charité - 943, route de la Flatière, 74310 Les Houches. Phone. : 04 50 55 50 13 and www.flatiere.org .
Snowshoeing around the Roc d'Enfer (Haute-Savoie)
The nights are spent under a teepee heated by a wood stove ... rustic but appreciable comfort. © Rail and ride
Snow falls silently on the Praz de Lys plateau. She soon squeaks under our feet, wearing snowshoes. We are leaving for the Roc d'Enfer, a white paradise that we discover during a three-day independent expedition, with snowshoes and overnight under a teepee. We feel a little trapper during this sporty hike (without excess) in the powder. Food, a small wood stove and a large teepee that can accommodate up to 12 people are distributed in pulkas, these sleds that explorers pull behind them during their expeditions to the polar regions. We make our mark in landscapes of snow-covered firs. On the second day, the climb continues towards Roc d'Enfer with Mont-Blanc and the Swiss peaks as a panorama. In the evening, we bivouac on the ibex territory. The last day takes us gently, through forests and mountain pastures, to the Praz de Lys resort and civilization…
Roc d'Enfer tour in an expedition teepee, with André Genin, mountain guide. 3-day itinerant tour. Steps from 5 to 6 hours, 2 nights in expedition teepee, all meals included: € 395 per person. www.vectormontagne.com .
Read also: Au roc d'Enfer, a snowshoe expedition for an extraordinary adventure
