About Cascade du Sartre
Cascade du Sartre was one of the taller waterfalls that we’ve encountered among the agricultural lands of this part of the Cantal Department within the Central Massif of south central France.
Despite the department’s idyllic rolling hills and pastures, there’s a volcanic legacy manifested in extinct volcanoes (particularly the Puy Mary) protruding through some of the rolling hills and pasturelands.
It’s this volcanic legacy that allowed La Petite Rhue (the stream that the Cascade du Sartre is on) to drop 32m in a satisfyingly vertical trajectory.
As for experiencing this waterfall, it was merely a matter of finding the parking (see directions below) and then walking a short distance (about 100m) to a lookout.
The parking area had a picnic table, some interpretive signs, and signs urging you not to hop the fence and try to get near the waterfall (which you can hear but not necessarily see).
The path pretty much followed a fence (which itself followed the contours of the cliffs resulting from the cutting action of La Petite Rhue) and the continuation of the D262 Road.
The fencing then turned to the right away from the road leading us to the aforementioned lookout while also allowing us to see some of the neighboring pastures.
This lookout offered a direct view of the Cascade du Sartre, and with the way the fencing was arranged by the authorities, it seemed like the intent was for this lookout to be the extent of a brief visit here.
However, I felt that the experience was rather limited since the falls was somewhat distant and there were lots of foliage conspiring to limit (or even block) the view.
So that opened my mind to potentially pursuing a way to better interact with this waterfall, and that was when I saw that there was an informal path from the backside of the lookout area that potentially brought me to the base of the waterfall.
At first, the obstacles seemed rather sketchy and steep with some mild dropoff as well as some poison oak exposure.
However, as I took my time concentrating on each obstacle and taking slow but sure steps, I made it down to the bottom before I even knew it.
Indeed, I made it down by La Petite Rhue stream in a well-vegetated area fronting the Cascade du Sartre (along with blooming flowers among the vegetation seen during my June 2025 visit).
And the view from down here (with the potential to scramble even closer to the waterfall though the footing was muddy and slippery) made this experience more than the lookout that I was at earlier.
Anyways, I realize that this scramble wasn’t for everyone, and I’d consider it more of an optional add-on (though the ratings on this page reflect my scramble and the experience from the bottom).
For example, I personally found the scramble to the bottom to be worthwhile, but my wife was happy with the lookout up above and wasn’t interested in doing this scramble.
So after having my fill of this experience, I wound up going back the way I came and ended up spending about 45 minutes away from the car.
Conversely, my wife only spent 15 minutes away from the car as she experienced the Cascade du Sartre without even bother going to the bottom.
Authorities
Cascade du Sartre resides near the town of Cheylade in the Cantal department of the Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes Region of France. It may be administered by the authorities of the Cheylade Commune. For information or inquiries about the area as well as current conditions, visit their tourism office website.
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