Lac Chauvet

Lac Chauvet is a small volcanic lake in the commune of Picherande, in the Puy-de-Dôme department of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of France. Sitting in the Monts Dore massif at roughly 1,176 metres above sea level, it lies within the Regional Nature Park of the Auvergne Volcanoes. It's the kind of place travelers come to for silence and raw volcanic scenery rather than crowds or facilities.

What kind of lake is this, exactly?

Lac Chauvet occupies a maar, a crater carved out by a phreatomagmatic explosion. This type of eruption happens when rising magma meets groundwater, a lake, or a stream — the sudden contact between molten rock and water triggers a violent thermal shock, blasting a deep, nearly circular hole into the surrounding rock. Over time, that crater filled with water to form the lake seen today. The eruption dates back to the Quaternary period; several sources place it around 15,000 years ago, toward the end of the last glaciation. One geological quirk is worth noting: the ring of ejected material typically found around a maar is largely absent here. Researchers believe it may have been scoured away by the glacier that covered this part of Auvergne at the time. Glacial moraine also partly filled in the crater basin afterward.

How big and how deep is Lac Chauvet?

The lake is almost perfectly circular, a direct legacy of the round explosion crater it fills. Its surface area is about 0.54 square kilometres, and it reaches several dozen metres in depth, making it disproportionately deep relative to its modest surface size compared with most lakes in the region. Its coordinates are approximately 45.460°N, 2.831°E. Forests and pastureland typical of the Monts Dore surround the shoreline, and the enclosed, crater-shaped basin gives the water a notably self-contained, almost hidden feel.

Can you swim or fish here?

This is the detail most visitors need before planning a trip: Lac Chauvet sits on private land, and swimming, fishing, and walking a full loop around the shoreline are all prohibited. The lake functions primarily as a scenic viewpoint and a destination for walks rather than a spot for water-based recreation.

What can visitors actually do around the lake?

Despite the restrictions on the lake itself, the surrounding area remains open to hikers. The starting point is the car park by the lake, from which marked trails head into the Montbert forest. A shorter, family-friendly loop covers about 7 kilometres, running mostly through woodland. A longer, more demanding route stretches just over 13 kilometres and leads to the Cascade de la Barthe waterfall, following a stream, crossing footbridges, and passing through beech forest and pastures along the way. It's a walk that ties together two of the region's natural landmarks — a volcanic lake and a forest waterfall — in a single outing.

Frequently asked questions

Is Lac Chauvet a volcanic lake? Yes. It occupies a maar, a crater formed by a phreatomagmatic eruption that later filled with water.

Can you swim or fish in Lac Chauvet? No. The lake is privately owned, and swimming, fishing, and completing a full circuit of the shore are all forbidden.

How do you get to Lac Chauvet? The starting point is the car park at the lake in the commune of Picherande, from which marked hiking trails begin.

What else is there to see nearby? The longer hiking route (about 13 km) leads through the Montbert forest to the Cascade de la Barthe waterfall.

Where exactly is the lake located? In the Monts Dore massif, in the commune of Picherande (Puy-de-Dôme), at an elevation of roughly 1,176 metres, within the Regional Nature Park of the Auvergne Volcanoes.