Expert
Parc national des Calanques (cœur) · Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
- Distance
- 62.4 km / 38.8 mi
- Elevation gain
- 1,373 m
- Typical duration
- 16 hr
- Forest
- Waymarked route
- Long-distance path
Best Forest Hikes in France
We track 2,030 routes that match this search in France. They average 9.2 km and 224 m (735 ft) of ascent, with the longest running to 270 km.
That is 18 percent of the 11,497 routes we map in France. They are shorter than the local average, 9.2 km against 13.2 km, which is what makes this a practical shortlist for a half day.
Forest trails are the dependable choice: shade when it is hot, shelter when it is not, and a completely different character once the leaves turn. The mix is broad: 881 are rated easy and 210 are hard or harder, so there is something here whether you have two hours or a full day. A good share of them are loops, so you can park once and finish where you started.
Trails
Moderate
Parc national des Cévennes (cœur) · Occitania
- Distance
- 12.7 km / 7.9 mi
- Elevation gain
- 434 m
- Typical duration
- 3 hr 17 min
- Mountain
- Summit push
- Forest
Hard
Parc national des Cévennes (cœur) · Occitania
- Distance
- 23.6 km / 14.7 mi
- Elevation gain
- 1,388 m
- Typical duration
- 7 hr 16 min
- Mountain
- Summit push
- Forest
Hard
Parc national des Écrins (cœur) · Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
- Distance
- 19.8 km / 12.3 mi
- Elevation gain
- 436 m
- Typical duration
- 4 hr 55 min
- Forest
Hard
Parc national des Cévennes (cœur) · Occitania
- Distance
- 15.7 km / 9.8 mi
- Elevation gain
- 721 m
- Typical duration
- 4 hr 23 min
- Mountain
- Canyon and gorge
- Forest
Moderate
Parc national des Cévennes (cœur) · Occitania
- Distance
- 12.0 km / 7.4 mi
- Elevation gain
- 521 m
- Typical duration
- 3 hr 17 min
- Canyon and gorge
- Forest
- Panoramic viewpoint
Hard
Parc national des Cévennes (cœur) · Occitania
- Distance
- 18.6 km / 11.6 mi
- Elevation gain
- 716 m
- Typical duration
- 5 hr 4 min
- Lake
- Mountain
- Forest
Expert
Parc national des Cévennes (cœur) · Occitania
- Distance
- 35.9 km / 22.3 mi
- Elevation gain
- 1,239 m
- Typical duration
- 9 hr 58 min
- Mountain
- Summit push
- Forest
Expert
Parc national des Cévennes (cœur) · Occitania
- Distance
- 38.7 km / 24.1 mi
- Elevation gain
- 852 m
- Typical duration
- 10 hr
- Forest
Moderate
Parc national des Cévennes (cœur) · Occitania
- Distance
- 9.3 km / 5.8 mi
- Elevation gain
- 460 m
- Typical duration
- 2 hr 38 min
- Waterfall
- Forest
- Waymarked route
Hard
Parc national des Écrins (cœur) · Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
- Distance
- 16.4 km / 10.2 mi
- Elevation gain
- 1,351 m
- Typical duration
- 5 hr 28 min
- Waterfall
- Forest
- Waymarked route
Moderate
Parc national des Cévennes (cœur) · Occitania
- Distance
- 7.8 km / 4.8 mi
- Elevation gain
- 223 m
- Typical duration
- 1 hr 57 min
- Coastal
- Forest
- Waymarked route
Expert
Grand Est · France
- Distance
- 74.8 km / 46.5 mi
- Elevation gain
- 1,645 m
- Typical duration
- 19 hr
- Forest
- Pilgrimage route
- Waymarked route
Expert
Bourgogne – Franche-Comté · France
- Distance
- 151 km / 94.0 mi
- Elevation gain
- 3,329 m
- Typical duration
- 40 hr
- Forest
- Pilgrimage route
- Waymarked route
Easy
Guadeloupe National Park · Guadeloupe
- Distance
- 2.0 km / 1.2 mi
- Elevation gain
- 44 m
- Typical duration
- 29 min
- Waterfall
- River
- Forest
Moderate
Parc national des Cévennes (cœur) · Occitania
- Distance
- 8.9 km / 5.6 mi
- Elevation gain
- 561 m
- Typical duration
- 2 hr 42 min
- Forest
- Castle and ruins
- Waymarked route
Expert
Normandy · France
- Distance
- 168 km / 104 mi
- Elevation gain
- 3,696 m
- Typical duration
- 45 hr
- Mountain
- Forest
- Waymarked route
Expert
Normandy · France
- Distance
- 161 km / 100.0 mi
- Elevation gain
- 3,540 m
- Typical duration
- 43 hr
- Mountain
- Forest
- Waymarked route
Expert
Normandy · France
- Distance
- 165 km / 103 mi
- Elevation gain
- 3,640 m
- Typical duration
- 44 hr
- Mountain
- Forest
- Waymarked route
Hard
Parc national des Cévennes (cœur) · Occitania
- Distance
- 16.4 km / 10.2 mi
- Elevation gain
- 535 m
- Typical duration
- 4 hr 15 min
- Forest
- Waymarked route
Moderate
Parc national des Cévennes (cœur) · Occitania
- Distance
- 7.2 km / 4.4 mi
- Elevation gain
- 216 m
- Typical duration
- 1 hr 49 min
- Forest
- Waymarked route
Moderate
Parc national des Cévennes (cœur) · Occitania
- Distance
- 6.3 km / 3.9 mi
- Elevation gain
- 425 m
- Typical duration
- 1 hr 58 min
- Forest
- Waymarked route
Hard
Parc national des Cévennes (cœur) · Occitania
- Distance
- 12.4 km / 7.7 mi
- Elevation gain
- 677 m
- Typical duration
- 3 hr 35 min
- Forest
- Waymarked route
Moderate
Parc national des Cévennes (cœur) · Occitania
- Distance
- 11.7 km / 7.3 mi
- Elevation gain
- 520 m
- Typical duration
- 3 hr 14 min
- Forest
- Waymarked route
Easy
Parc national des Cévennes (cœur) · Occitania
- Distance
- 3.5 km / 2.2 mi
- Elevation gain
- 77 m
- Typical duration
- 50 min
- Forest
- Waymarked route
Hard
Parc national des Écrins (cœur) · Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
- Distance
- 18.6 km / 11.6 mi
- Elevation gain
- 1,024 m
- Typical duration
- 5 hr 31 min
- Forest
- Waymarked route
Easy
Parc national des Écrins (cœur) · Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
- Distance
- 4.5 km / 2.8 mi
- Elevation gain
- 98 m
- Typical duration
- 1 hr 4 min
- Forest
- Waymarked route
Easy
Parc national des Écrins (cœur) · Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
- Distance
- 3.0 km / 1.8 mi
- Elevation gain
- 65 m
- Typical duration
- 43 min
- Forest
- Waymarked route
Hard
Parc national du Mercantour (cœur) · Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
- Distance
- 13.1 km / 8.1 mi
- Elevation gain
- 1,221 m
- Typical duration
- 4 hr 34 min
- Forest
- Waymarked route
Easy
Parc national des Cévennes (cœur) · Occitania
- Distance
- 4.2 km / 2.6 mi
- Elevation gain
- 236 m
- Typical duration
- 1 hr 13 min
- Forest
- Waymarked route
Moderate
Parc national des Cévennes (cœur) · Occitania
- Distance
- 5.2 km / 3.2 mi
- Elevation gain
- 337 m
- Typical duration
- 1 hr 35 min
- Forest
- Waymarked route
Moderate
Parc national des Cévennes (cœur) · Occitania
- Distance
- 5.4 km / 3.3 mi
- Elevation gain
- 266 m
- Typical duration
- 1 hr 31 min
- Canyon and gorge
- Forest
Moderate
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur · France
- Distance
- 10.1 km / 6.3 mi
- Elevation gain
- 222 m
- Typical duration
- 2 hr 26 min
- Forest
- Waymarked route
Expert
Hauts-de-France · France
- Distance
- 124 km / 76.8 mi
- Elevation gain
- 2,717 m
- Typical duration
- 33 hr
- Forest
- Waymarked route
- Long-distance path
Expert
Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes · France
- Distance
- 146 km / 90.6 mi
- Elevation gain
- 3,208 m
- Typical duration
- 39 hr
- Forest
- Waymarked route
- Long-distance path
Expert
Bourgogne – Franche-Comté · France
- Distance
- 225 km / 140 mi
- Elevation gain
- 4,958 m
- Typical duration
- 60 hr
- Forest
- Waymarked route
- Long-distance path
Expert
Bourgogne – Franche-Comté · France
- Distance
- 99.0 km / 61.5 mi
- Elevation gain
- 2,178 m
- Typical duration
- 26 hr
- Forest
- Waymarked route
- Long-distance path
Expert
Centre-Val de Loire · France
- Distance
- 110 km / 68.5 mi
- Elevation gain
- 2,427 m
- Typical duration
- 29 hr
- Forest
- Waymarked route
- Long-distance path
Expert
Ile-de-France · France
- Distance
- 52.2 km / 32.5 mi
- Elevation gain
- 1,149 m
- Typical duration
- 13 hr
- Forest
- Waymarked route
- Long-distance path
Expert
Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes · France
- Distance
- 270 km / 168 mi
- Elevation gain
- 5,951 m
- Typical duration
- 72 hr
- Forest
- Waymarked route
- Long-distance path
Expert
Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes · France
- Distance
- 87.2 km / 54.2 mi
- Elevation gain
- 1,919 m
- Typical duration
- 23 hr
- Forest
- Waymarked route
- Long-distance path
Moderate
Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes · France
- Distance
- 13.1 km / 8.1 mi
- Elevation gain
- 288 m
- Typical duration
- 3 hr 9 min
- Lake
- Mountain
- Summit push
Moderate
Occitania · France
- Distance
- 10.1 km / 6.3 mi
- Elevation gain
- 594 m
- Typical duration
- 2 hr 59 min
- Lake
- Canyon and gorge
- Forest
Moderate
Parc national des Écrins (cœur) · Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
- Distance
- 9.0 km / 5.6 mi
- Elevation gain
- 415 m
- Typical duration
- 2 hr 30 min
- Forest
Moderate
Parc national des Écrins (cœur) · Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
- Distance
- 5.7 km / 3.6 mi
- Elevation gain
- 321 m
- Typical duration
- 1 hr 41 min
- Forest
Easy
Hauts-de-France · France
- Distance
- 5.1 km / 3.2 mi
- Elevation gain
- 112 m
- Typical duration
- 1 hr 14 min
- Mountain
- Forest
Hard
Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes · France
- Distance
- 26.1 km / 16.2 mi
- Elevation gain
- 574 m
- Typical duration
- 6 hr 38 min
- Forest
- Waymarked route
Moderate
Occitania · France
- Distance
- 9.9 km / 6.1 mi
- Elevation gain
- 217 m
- Typical duration
- 2 hr 23 min
- Forest
- Waymarked route
The shortlist, side by side
The ten highest scoring routes on this page, so you can compare effort before opening any of them.
| Route | Distance | Ascent | Time | Difficulty | Best season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sentier de Grande Randonnée 98Parc national des Calanques (cœur) | 62.4 km | 1,373 m | 16 hr | Expert | April to October |
| La DauphineParc national des Cévennes (cœur) | 12.7 km | 434 m | 3 hr 17 min | Moderate | April to October |
| Les 4000 marchesParc national des Cévennes (cœur) | 23.6 km | 1,388 m | 7 hr 16 min | Hard | April to October |
| Via Alpina Red R128Parc national des Écrins (cœur) | 19.8 km | 436 m | 4 hr 55 min | Hard | April to October |
| MassevaquesParc national des Cévennes (cœur) | 15.7 km | 721 m | 4 hr 23 min | Hard | April to October |
| Le pas de l'aneParc national des Cévennes (cœur) | 12.0 km | 521 m | 3 hr 17 min | Moderate | April to October |
| Le Pont du TarnParc national des Cévennes (cœur) | 18.6 km | 716 m | 5 hr 4 min | Hard | April to October |
| Le versant nord de l'AigoualParc national des Cévennes (cœur) | 35.9 km | 1,239 m | 9 hr 58 min | Expert | April to October |
| Les Sagnoles - VillefortParc national des Cévennes (cœur) | 38.7 km | 852 m | 10 hr | Expert | April to October |
| Les Cascades d'OrgonParc national des Cévennes (cœur) | 9.3 km | 460 m | 2 hr 38 min | Moderate | April to October |
If you only have time for one, start with Sentier de Grande Randonnée 98, La Dauphine, Les 4000 marches. Those are the routes people come back to. Every route on this page links through to a full guide with the map, elevation profile, seasonal advice and what to bring.
Frequently asked questions
Related guides
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- Family-Friendly Hikes in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes1383
- Hiking Trails Under 5 km in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes1352
- Hiking Trails Over 20 km in France1175
- Easy Hiking Trails in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur1123
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- Hiking Trails Under 5 km in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur1105
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