The Puy des Goules (extended)

A peaceful stroll in the heart of the volcanoes of the Chaîne des Puys to discover the volcanic landscapes.

The ascent to the summit of the puy des Goules provides the hiker with different viewpoints of the famous puy de Dôme, the Grand Sarcoui, and
the puys of Côme and du Pariou. It’s the adventure for you to see…

At its summit, stunning panoramas await you, overlooking the Grand Sarcoui, the puy de Dôme, and also the south of the Chaîne des Puys. The puy des Goules takes its name from the Latin "gula," which means "throat."

The puy des Goules stands at 1,146 m: its crater is a regular 200 m in diameter and 40 m deep. It has not emitted any known lava flows, as these may be obscured by more recent deposits.

The northern flank of the volcano was partly destroyed about 13,000 years ago by the eruption of the Grand Sarcoui dome.

This is a strombolian type volcano. This type of volcano is characterized by quite fluid lava that rarely overflows from the crater. This type of volcano is still active in Italy but is currently extinct in the Chaîne des Puys. Its last eruption was about 30,000 years ago, which suggests a deep sleep.

This puy offers a regular crater covered with beech and hazel woodlands, with a difference in vegetation between the inside of the crater furnished with shrubs and the bare eastern edges.

The hazel trees cover the lower part of the volcano; 8,500 years ago, they covered vast expanses. Their return is due to the abandonment of pastures. They are used in basketry and to make divining rods, a practice that dates back to the time of the Celts. And according to legend, hazel trees were used by witches to make their brooms.

Originally, the "goule" referred to a pass separating two puys: an important pass is located at this point "the col des Goules" on the D941. The term later shifted to one of the puys.

Direct access to the Goules parking lot via the D941 road.