Hiking · GR 30
Le tour des lacs d’Auvergne
A loop of water-filled craters in the heart of the volcanoes: lakes Pavin, Chambon and Aydat, the shepherds’ huts of the Sancy and villages of black lava stone.
Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Where to sleep on Le tour des lacs d’Auvergne
Halta lists 85 places to sleep within 5 km of the route: 57 campsites, 8 mountain huts, 9 bivouac spots, 11 hotels. For each one, the app shows the real detour from your stage — and it is that distance, not the straight line, that decides how a day ends.
- Campsites
- Mountain huts
- Bivouac spots
- Hotels
Alongside the campsites, mountain huts and bivouac spots drawn from open data, there are the hosts of the Halta community: travellers who welcome others into their homes, usually for free. You write to them before you come; you do not book a slot.
The 8 stages of Le tour des lacs d’Auvergne
An indicative split, drawn on real roads: distances and elevation come from route calculation, not from an estimate. In the app every stage can be adjusted — stretched, cut short, or pushed back a day.
| # | Stage | Distance | Elevation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Le Mont-Dore → Chambon-sur-Lac | 16 km | 873 m |
| 2 | Chambon-sur-Lac → Besse-et-Saint-Anastaise | 11 km | 369 m |
| 3 | Besse-et-Saint-Anastaise → Saint-Nectaire | 16 km | 240 m |
| 4 | Saint-Nectaire → Aydat | 13 km | 436 m |
| 5 | Aydat → Orcival | 16 km | 422 m |
| 6 | Orcival → Saint-Sauves-d'Auvergne | 23 km | 677 m |
| 7 | Saint-Sauves-d'Auvergne → La Bourboule | 5 km | 155 m |
| 8 | La Bourboule → Le Mont-Dore | 7 km | 271 m |
Frequently asked questions about Le tour des lacs d’Auvergne
How many days does Le tour des lacs d’Auvergne take?
Le tour des lacs d’Auvergne takes about 5 days, split into 8 stages over 107 km — an average of 21 km a day. The split is indicative: stages stretch or shorten depending on your form and the weather.
Where can you sleep on Le tour des lacs d’Auvergne?
Halta lists 85 places to sleep within 5 km of Le tour des lacs d’Auvergne: 57 campsites, 8 mountain huts, 9 bivouac spots, 11 hotels. On top of those are the hosts of the Halta community, travellers who welcome others into their homes, usually for free.
How hard is Le tour des lacs d’Auvergne?
Le tour des lacs d’Auvergne is rated moderate, with 3 443 m of cumulative elevation gain over 107 km. Per stage, that works out at roughly 430 m of climbing a day.
Where does Le tour des lacs d’Auvergne go?
Le tour des lacs d’Auvergne runs from Le Mont-Dore to Le Mont-Dore, by way of Saint-Nectaire, Orcival, La Bourboule, across Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. It is travelled on foot and totals 107 km split into 8 stages.
Figures established on 17 September 2026, from Halta’s own data. How they are calculated.
More routes on foot
Étapes indicatives d'après le tour des lacs d’Auvergne (GR 30) (balisage FFRandonnée). Tracé reconstitué par routage (ODbL, openrouteservice.org). Halta 2026-08. Places to sleep: OpenStreetMap, refuges.info and DATAtourisme (ODbL). Photo : Wikimedia Commons (CC).