Massif Central

The Massif Central is a mountain range that occupies the center of the southern half of metropolitan France. With a surface area of 85,000 km2, or approximately 15% of the metropolitan territory, it is the largest massif in the country. The massif is of medium altitude and its reliefs are often rounded by erosion. It culminates at 1,885 meters at the volcanic summit of Puy de Sancy. It is home to the vast majority of mainland French volcanoes.

Eleven departments are located entirely within the massif: Aveyron, Lozère, Cantal, Haute-Loire, Puy-de-Dôme, Allier, Loire, Creuse, Haute-Vienne, Corrèze, and Lot. But overall, it extends over 22 departments.

Ten natural parks

With its 10 natural parks, it constitutes one of the largest protected natural areas in Europe. It contains a great diversity of landscapes: volcanoes and lakes of Auvergne, maquis of the Cévennes, gorges of the Ardèche, arid causses...

• Auvergne Volcanoes Regional Natural Park

It is the largest regional natural park in metropolitan France; It includes the Chaîne des Puys, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2018, the Monts Dore, Artense, Cézallier and the Monts du Cantal.

• Cévennes National Park

It is located mainly in the departments of Lozère, Gard and Ardèche. Its heart is inhabited and exploited by permanent residents (agriculture and hunting).

• Millevaches Regional Natural Park in Limousin

This park is located in the heart of the departments of Corrèze, Creuse and Haute-Vienne, from 400m to 1000m altitude.

Endless hiking possibilities

The number of GR® trails in the Massif Central reflects its size: almost ten!

Here are the main hiking trails:

• GR65® Way of St. James: three of the four French Ways of St. James pass through the Massif Central: the via Lemovicensis, the via Tolosana and, above all, the most popular, the via Podiensis.
  
  
• Stevenson Trail GR70®: 170 km in the footsteps of the famous Scottish writer and his donkey, in the Cévennes.
  
  
• Larzac Crossing GR71®: largely in the Grands Causses Regional Natural Park.
  
  
• Auvergne Lakes Tours GR30®: a 9-day hike around the Auvergne lakes and the Auvergne Volcanoes Regional Natural Park.
  
  
• The Grande Traversée du Massif Central (GTMC): from the north to the south of the Massif Central, it will take you from Clermont-Ferrand to the village of Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert, on the edge of this diverse massif.

Before If you're going hiking in the Massif Central, don't forget to equip yourself properly: backpack, comfortable shoes, water bottles, hiking poles, etc. Discover our range of hiking poles dedicated to the regions and massifs of France, and in particular our hiking pole "Massif Central" and our best-seller, "St Jacques de Compostelle".

Also feel free to check out our article "Choosing the right hiking poles".

Source: http://www.parcs-massif-central.com/grands-itineraires/balades-et-randos_32.html