About Cascade de Salins
Cascade de Salins was a memorable waterfall to us because of its position in front of some historical-looking arched bridges.
In reality though, those bridges appeared to be nothing more than road bridges, though it was understandable to think of it as something as ancient as Pont du Gard (an ancient Roman aqueduct not far west of Avignon) given its appearance.
Neighboring structures aside, this 30m waterfall held its own in terms of scenic allure as we were able to view it from various positions throughout the trail leading from its trailhead near the D922 to the waterfall’s other side after having gone behind it. In fact, it was possible to extend the hike beyond the waterfall into about an hour-long loop though we didn’t do the trail beyond visible range of the falls.
The trail started its descent into the gorge after we went through a gate that was merely a few minutes from the car park. It was from the general area before the gate that we were able to get those attractive views of both the waterfall and the bridges behind it in one go.
As we descended further, the bridges started to hide from view and the shadows from within this misty shelter provided much-needed relief from the hot sun (it happened to be 32C on the day of our visit). As we explored the area behind the waterfall, we couldn’t help but notice what appeared to be a spring with signage in French indicating it was some kind of Druid fountain (i.e. if I translated the sign correctly).
We left from the town of Le Mont-Dore and it took us under 90 minutes to get to the unpaved car park for the waterfall, which was just at the boundary of the town of Salins along the D922 leaving Mauriac. Salins is in the Cantal Department of the Auvergne region of the Center of France.
Here’s the driving route that we’d recommend from Le Mont-Dore to Salins.
First, we’d D996 road as we’d leave Mt-Dore westbound, then we’d turn left onto the D922 road. Next, we’d follow the D922 road for about 67km towards the town of Mauriac. We’d then continue along the D922 past Mauriac towards the southeast to the town of Salins, but we’d remain on the D922, which would eventually lead us to the top of the waterfall. There was trailhead parking a few minutes drive before reaching the top of the waterfall.
It is interesting to note that the Auvergne region is where some notable rivers are sourced. Some dramatic examples of these rivers include the Loire (think castles, or chateaux, of the Loire Valley) and the Dordogne (think Bordeaux).
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L-shaped sweep from the trail opposite the falls after already having gone behind it
Bottom up sweep from directly behind the falls
Focusing on the falls from the lookout as a vehicle passes over the falls proving that at least one of the arched bridges is merely a road bridge
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