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Best Forest Hikes near Paris

118 routes near Paris qualify, ranked below by how much walkers rate them. They average 16.5 km and 343 m (1,125 ft) of ascent, with the longest running to 185 km.

That is 65 percent of the 181 routes we map near Paris. They are shorter than the local average, 16.5 km against 21.3 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: 29 are rated easy and 25 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

Expert

Les Portes de Paris

Ile-de-France · France

Distance
52.2 km
/ 32.5 mi
Elevation gain
1,149 m
Typical duration
13 hr
  • Mountain
  • Forest
  • Waymarked route
Expert

De la Bièvre à l'Orge

Ile-de-France · France

Distance
79.9 km
/ 49.6 mi
Elevation gain
1,758 m
Typical duration
21 hr
  • Mountain
  • Forest
  • Waymarked route
Expert

Du Val d'Yerres à l'Étampois

Ile-de-France · France

Distance
185 km
/ 115 mi
Elevation gain
4,077 m
Typical duration
49 hr
  • Mountain
  • Forest
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Chemin Charles Péguy

Ile-de-France · France

Distance
5.2 km
/ 3.2 mi
Elevation gain
114 m
Typical duration
1 hr 15 min
  • Forest
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

GRP Bois de Vincennes (boucle)

Ile-de-France · France

Distance
9.8 km
/ 6.1 mi
Elevation gain
216 m
Typical duration
2 hr 22 min
  • Forest
  • Waymarked route
Hard

La Seine impressionniste

Ile-de-France · France

Distance
31.8 km
/ 19.7 mi
Elevation gain
699 m
Typical duration
8 hr 10 min
  • Forest
  • Waymarked route
Expert

Au grès de la Juine

Ile-de-France · France

Distance
44.9 km
/ 27.9 mi
Elevation gain
988 m
Typical duration
11 hr
  • Mountain
  • Forest
Expert

Chemin des Marais

Ile-de-France · France

Distance
46.8 km
/ 29.1 mi
Elevation gain
1,029 m
Typical duration
12 hr
  • Mountain
  • Forest
Hard

Aigrefoin

Ile-de-France · France

Distance
16.6 km
/ 10.3 mi
Elevation gain
343 m
Typical duration
4 hr 1 min
  • Forest
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Autour de la Bernon

Ile-de-France · France

Distance
11.8 km
/ 7.4 mi
Elevation gain
260 m
Typical duration
2 hr 51 min
  • Forest
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Auvers

Ile-de-France · France

Distance
9.7 km
/ 6.0 mi
Elevation gain
213 m
Typical duration
2 hr 20 min
  • Forest
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Bois de Vincennes

Ile-de-France · France

Distance
5.0 km
/ 3.1 mi
Elevation gain
110 m
Typical duration
1 hr 12 min
  • Forest
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Bois de Vincennes

Ile-de-France · France

Distance
4.0 km
/ 2.5 mi
Elevation gain
88 m
Typical duration
58 min
  • Forest
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Bois de Vincennes

Ile-de-France · France

Distance
4.0 km
/ 2.5 mi
Elevation gain
88 m
Typical duration
58 min
  • Forest
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Bois de Vincennes

Ile-de-France · France

Distance
5.2 km
/ 3.2 mi
Elevation gain
114 m
Typical duration
1 hr 15 min
  • Forest
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Bois de Vincennes

Ile-de-France · France

Distance
4.1 km
/ 2.5 mi
Elevation gain
90 m
Typical duration
59 min
  • Forest
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Bois de Vincennes

Ile-de-France · France

Distance
3.1 km
/ 2.0 mi
Elevation gain
69 m
Typical duration
46 min
  • Forest
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Bois de la Tour du Lay

Ile-de-France · France

Distance
2.0 km
/ 1.3 mi
Elevation gain
45 m
Typical duration
30 min
  • Forest
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Boucle Forêt

Ile-de-France · France

Distance
2.4 km
/ 1.5 mi
Elevation gain
53 m
Typical duration
35 min
  • Forest
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Boucle Forêt Réduit

Ile-de-France · France

Distance
0.4 km
/ 0.3 mi
Elevation gain
9 m
Typical duration
6 min
  • Forest
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Boucle VMA Bures sur Yvette

Ile-de-France · France

Distance
3.1 km
/ 1.9 mi
Elevation gain
11 m
Typical duration
40 min
  • Forest
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Boucle dans les Gombries

Hauts-de-France · France

Distance
10.8 km
/ 6.7 mi
Elevation gain
239 m
Typical duration
2 hr 37 min
  • Forest
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Boucle de l'Abbaye

Ile-de-France · France

Distance
4.8 km
/ 3.0 mi
Elevation gain
106 m
Typical duration
1 hr 10 min
  • Forest
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Boucle de la Mérantaise

Ile-de-France · France

Distance
8.1 km
/ 5.1 mi
Elevation gain
179 m
Typical duration
1 hr 58 min
  • Forest
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Bouray

Ile-de-France · France

Distance
11.0 km
/ 6.8 mi
Elevation gain
242 m
Typical duration
2 hr 39 min
  • Forest
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Chevry Gometz

Ile-de-France · France

Distance
15.0 km
/ 9.3 mi
Elevation gain
349 m
Typical duration
3 hr 39 min
  • Forest
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Circuit des 25 bosses

Ile-de-France · France

Distance
15.0 km
/ 9.3 mi
Elevation gain
330 m
Typical duration
3 hr 37 min
  • Forest
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Du Vaularon aux Fauvettes

Ile-de-France · France

Distance
7.7 km
/ 4.8 mi
Elevation gain
100 m
Typical duration
1 hr 45 min
  • Forest
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

En Forêt des Abbayes

Hauts-de-France · France

Distance
6.9 km
/ 4.3 mi
Elevation gain
151 m
Typical duration
1 hr 40 min
  • Forest
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

En forêt de Saint-Germain

Ile-de-France · France

Distance
10.6 km
/ 6.6 mi
Elevation gain
234 m
Typical duration
2 hr 34 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.

Distance, ascent, walking time and difficulty for the top routes
RouteDistanceAscentTimeDifficultyBest season
Via Turonensis par Orléans, Palaiseau - EtréchyIle-de-France47.0 km1,033 m12 hrExpertApril to October
Les Portes de ParisIle-de-France52.2 km1,149 m13 hrExpertApril to October
via Turonensis, Palaiseau - RambouilletIle-de-France51.2 km1,126 m13 hrExpertApril to October
Grand Tour de Paris, Franchard - Villiers-Saint-FrédéricIle-de-France159 km3,496 m42 hrExpertApril to October
Grand Tour de Paris, variante par BonnellesIle-de-France20.2 km445 m5 hr 2 minHardApril to October
De la Bièvre à l'OrgeIle-de-France79.9 km1,758 m21 hrExpertApril to October
Du Val d'Yerres à l'ÉtampoisIle-de-France185 km4,077 m49 hrExpertApril to October
L'Essonne - Aux Confins de la BeauceCentre-Val de Loire63.0 km1,386 m16 hrExpertApril to October
La Brie Verte - Boucle 2 - Forêt de MalvoisineIle-de-France38.9 km855 m10 hrExpertApril to October
Du Gâtinais au Morvan, Bois-le-Roi - FontainebleauIle-de-France19.4 km426 m4 hr 48 minHardApril to October

If you only have time for one, start with Via Turonensis par Orléans, Palaiseau - Etréchy, Les Portes de Paris, via Turonensis, Palaiseau - Rambouillet. 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

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