Photo camera in hand: Puy Mary volcano. Views of Auvergne.

Le Puy Mary is a huge extinct volcano, the vastest in Europe (2 700 sq. km. of surface). It’s recognizable form the distance of tens kilometers.

Le Puy Mary (Mari Pueg in Occitan) is one of the current traces of an ancient volcano, it was the biggest in Europe and has created the Monts du Cantal. His summit rises to 1783 metres. Aged about 6.5 million years ago, the Puy Mary was formed by the accumulation of viscous lava above the fireplace power of the volcano, then has been eroded by ice, which gives its present form pyramidal horn. It is surrounded glacial valleys of the seven party star around the summit: Vallee de l'Impradine et de la Santoire, Vallee de la petite Rhue, Vallee du Mars, Vallee de la Maronne, Vallee de l’Aspre, Vallee de la Bertrande, and Vallee de la Jordanne.

First mountain from the ocean, the Puy Mary is the most watered of France (it fell by an average of 2.5 metres of water per year). The name "Puy Mary" comes from Marius became Mari in Occitan, St Mauriac in Auvergne death to 600, a disciple of Saint Austremoine and first evangelizer du Cantal. It passes through the Col du Pas de Peyrol (1589 metres, the highest road pass the Massif Central). The access road through the pass is impractical in the winter and is completely closed to traffic from November to May. The site, known for its panorama, every year nearly 600000 visitors. From the Col du Pas de Peyrol, we reached the summit on foot in 30 to 45 minutes, on a path laid out as a fairly steep staircase in some places. Along the trail grows gentian large yellow or gentian whose root that can reach 1.50 meters used in the preparation of several liquors, the most famous are the Salers and Aveze. Administratively, the summit is at the meeting point of four communes du Cantal: Falgoux to the west, north Claux, Lavigerie to the east and Mandailles-Saint-Julien south.