The Chaîne des Puys is a north-south alignment of 80 volcanic cones, lava flows, and maars (explosion craters) stretching 40 kilometres along the plateau west of Clermont-Ferrand. The chain was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2018 and represents one of the finest examples of monogenetic volcanism in the world — a volcanic landscape where each eruption creates a new feature rather than adding to a single structure. The youngest eruptions occurred around 6,000 years ago, making this geologically very recent.
Hiking in the Chaîne des Puys is one of the main activities around Clermont-Ferrand. In addition to the Puy de Dôme (the highest summit), the Puy de Pariou (a beautifully preserved crater with a walking trail around its rim) and the Puy de la Vache (a red cinder cone with a distinctive crater) are particularly accessible. The Parc Naturel Régional des Volcans d'Auvergne, which covers the chain and extends south, has trail maps and visitor information at the Col de Guéry viewpoint, 20 kilometres west of Clermont.