First pick
Bois de l'Orde
Wood or forest
70 ha
3.4 km north-westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Chabe01 · CC BY-SA 4.05.8%of the land protected
Outdoors in Châtillon-sur-Chalaronne · protected areas, woods and footpaths
Almost every home in Châtillon-sur-Chalaronne is within 800 m of a park or wood
Mapped woodland covers 4.1% of Châtillon-sur-Chalaronne. Footpaths add up to 13 km across Châtillon-sur-Chalaronne (0.7 km per km²). Protected areas cover 5.8% of Châtillon-sur-Chalaronne’s land. France has no Outdoors Grade yet: these are the figures, each beside the compared towns’ median.
Protected areas
5.8%
of the commune’s land
Compared town: 0.1%
Woodland
4.1%
of the land, mapped on OpenStreetMap
Compared town: 13%
Footpaths
13 km
0.7 km per km²
Compared town: 1.7 km per km²
Hiking routes
0 km
waymarked, GR and others
Compared town: 0.3 km per km²
Parks & woods
5
named, in or within 400 m of the commune
First: Bois de l'Orde
Throughout this page, the Ain median and the France median are the median of compared communes (those with an overall grade), each figure its own median.
Against French towns
How Châtillon-sur-Chalaronne compares with French towns
Each figure against the 3,798 compared French towns (communes with an overall grade): the marked bar is the town’s, the line the median. Described, not graded.
Protected areas5.8%Share of the land in a national park, regional nature park, nature reserve or Natura 2000 site
66out of 100
Woodland4.1%Share of the land mapped as forest or woods on OpenStreetMap
19out of 100
Footpaths0.7 km per km²Km of mapped footpath and track open on foot, per km² of the commune
23out of 100
Hiking routes0 km per km²Km of waymarked hiking routes (GR and others), per km² of the commune
12out of 100
Percentiles among compared French towns; ties count half.
Towns its size
Châtillon-sur-Chalaronne has the 9th fewest footpaths per km² of 41 towns its size
The 40 compared French towns nearest in population (5,196 to 5,305 residents), by km of footpath per km². Hover for each one’s protected land and woods; click for its page.
From Saint-Clément-de-Rivière (6.3 km per km²) to Mormant (0.3 km per km²).
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Paths (km/km²) | Woodland | Protected | Coast | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saint-Clément-de-Rivière Hérault | 6.3 | 43% | 2.7% | 18 km |
| 2 | Brou-sur-Chantereine Seine-et-Marne | 5.9 | 62% | 0% | 159 km |
| 3 | Vaux-sur-Seine Yvelines | 5.2 | 57% | 63% | 120 km |
| 4 | Le Rove Bouches-du-Rhône | 4.3 | 0% | 86% | On it |
| 5 | Vernaison Rhône | 4 | 15% | 0% | 239 km |
| 6 | Bauvin Nord | 3.9 | 12% | 0% | 69 km |
| 7 | Moulins-lès-Metz Moselle | 3.5 | 17% | 0% | 328 km |
| 8 | Séméac Hautes-Pyrénées | 3.2 | 21% | 0.4% | 134 km |
| 9 | Mulsanne Sarthe | 2.8 | 47% | 0% | 143 km |
| 10 | Le Bourget-du-Lac Savoie | 2.8 | 57% | 13% | 244 km |
| 11 | Pont-Sainte-Marie Aube | 2.7 | 7.9% | 0.9% | 272 km |
| 12 | Beynost Ain | 2.2 | 10% | 4.9% | 263 km |
| 13 | Nuits-Saint-Georges Côte-d'Or | 2.1 | 25% | 69% | 403 km |
| 14 | Nans-les-Pins Var | 2 | 39% | 100% | 23 km |
| 15 | Villers-le-Lac Doubs | 2 | 45% | 100% | 370 km |
| 16 | Valleiry Haute-Savoie | 1.9 | 30% | 0% | 286 km |
| 17 | Mouilleron-le-Captif Vendée | 1.8 | 6.8% | 0% | 33 km |
| 18 | Forcalquier Alpes-de-Haute-Provence | 1.8 | 17% | 100% | 76 km |
| 19 | Laillé Ille-et-Vilaine | 1.5 | 21% | 0% | 61 km |
| 20 | Tresses Gironde | 1.5 | 9.1% | 0% | 20 km |
| 21 | Farébersviller Moselle | 1.2 | 1.7% | 0% | 363 km |
| 22 | Gorges Loire-Atlantique | 1.1 | 10% | 0% | 52 km |
| 23 | Saint-Saturnin-lès-Avignon Vaucluse | 1.1 | 1.3% | 9.7% | 56 km |
| 24 | Brebières Pas-de-Calais | 1 | 8% | 0% | 90 km |
| 25 | Condat-sur-Vienne Haute-Vienne | 0.9 | 17% | 0% | 160 km |
| 26 | Cazouls-lès-Béziers Hérault | 0.9 | 5.7% | 0% | 22 km |
| 27 | Valence Tarn-et-Garonne | 0.9 | 8.2% | 0.6% | 154 km |
| 28 | Mignaloux-Beauvoir Vienne | 0.9 | 17% | 0% | 121 km |
| 29 | Tourves Var | 0.9 | 44% | 83% | 32 km |
| 30 | Blotzheim Haut-Rhin | 0.8 | 16% | 0% | 424 km |
| 31 | Villette-d'Anthon Isère | 0.8 | 14% | 1.8% | 260 km |
| 32 | Marquise Pas-de-Calais | 0.7 | 1.2% | 100% | 6.8 km |
| 33 | Châtillon-sur-Chalaronne Ain | 0.7 | 4.1% | 5.8% | 293 km |
| 34 | Surzur Morbihan | 0.7 | 8.8% | 100% | On it |
| 35 | Jonquières Vaucluse | 0.7 | 1.9% | 2.4% | 74 km |
| 36 | Guémené-Penfao Loire-Atlantique | 0.6 | 9.4% | 2.7% | 44 km |
| 37 | Florensac Hérault | 0.6 | 3.6% | 0.8% | 10 km |
| 38 | Saint-Lyphard Loire-Atlantique | 0.4 | 6.2% | 100% | 8.4 km |
| 39 | Vindry-sur-Turdine Rhône | 0.4 | 17% | 0% | 260 km |
| 40 | Champniers Charente | 0.3 | 9.7% | 0% | 81 km |
| 41 | Mormant Seine-et-Marne | 0.3 | 7.5% | 0% | 195 km |
The map
Parks, woods, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park or wood. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is the commune’s boundary.
Green: parks, gardens and woods mapped on OpenStreetMap, named or not.© OpenStreetMap contributors · INPN / PatriNat · IGN
Places to walk
Parks and woods to walk in, in and around Châtillon-sur-Chalaronne
Named parks, gardens and woods in the commune or within 400 m, the biggest and best-pathed first: Bois de l'Orde leads, at 70 ha. Directions go to a point inside.
Bois Bourlier
Wood or forest · 0 m outside the commune
54 ha
4.3 km northfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Arboretum
Park or garden
7.8 ha0.9 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.9 km of path
1.7 km south-westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Parc du Clos Janin
Park or garden
1.3 ha0.6 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.6 km of path
Centralin the middle of Châtillon-sur-Chalaronne
Directionsto a point inside
Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL): named parks, gardens and woods; sizes are the whole site.
Protected areas
5.8% of Châtillon-sur-Chalaronne lies in protected areas
The protected areas reaching the commune, and the nearest: national parks, regional nature parks, nature reserves and Natura 2000 sites.
Natura 2000 site
La Dombes
5.8% of the commune1.2 km from the center
Natura 2000 site
La Dombes
5.8% of the commune1.2 km from the center
Share of the commune’s land
Any protected area5.8%
Natura 2000 site5.8%
Designations overlap (a regional park can hold a Natura 2000 site), so the rows don’t add up; the first counts each piece of land once.
5.8% of Châtillon-sur-Chalaronne’s land is protected, more than in 66% of compared French towns; the median compared town in Ain has 1.2%.
Source: INPN / PatriNat, protected areas July 2026, Natura 2000 December 2024; shares of IGN’s commune boundary.
Footpaths and woods
13 km of footpaths cross Châtillon-sur-Chalaronne
Paths, bridleways, steps and tracks open on foot, and waymarked hiking routes, mapped on OpenStreetMap inside the commune; woods are mapped forest and woodland, private woods included.
Footpaths
13 km
0.7 km per km²
Hiking routes
0 km
waymarked: 0 km per km²
Woodland
4.1%
about 0.7 km² of mapped woods
Km per km² of the commune · mapped on OpenStreetMap
Châtillon-sur-ChalaronneAin medianFrance median
Footpaths0.7
Hiking routes0
012 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
Châtillon-sur-ChalaronneAin medianFrance median
Woodland4.1%
0%50%100%
That is less than in 77% of compared French towns for footpaths per km², and for woodland less than in 81% of compared French towns. Hiking routes often follow paths and lanes already counted, so the two lengths overlap: don’t add them. Every home in Châtillon-sur-Chalaronne is within 800 m of a mapped park or wood, as in most French towns.
Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), extracts of October 25, 2026 (Geofabrik).
When to get out
The best walking months in Châtillon-sur-Chalaronne: April to September
Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at Baneins, 4.1 km away, and the daylight at the town’s latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 15 to 30 °C and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.0 | 10.3 | 11.8 | 13.5 | 14.9 | 15.7 | 15.4 | 14.1 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.4 | 8.6 |
| High (°C) | 7 | 9 | 13 | 17 | 22 | 26 | 28 | 28 | 23 | 17 | 11 | 7 |
| Rain (mm) | 60 | 51 | 53 | 73 | 80 | 73 | 79 | 76 | 78 | 100 | 95 | 64 |
February is the driest month (51 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 28 °C). 100 mm of rain falls in October, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 48 nights a year. The climate in Châtillon-sur-Chalaronne →
Neighbors
Next to Châtillon-sur-Chalaronne
The nearest towns of 2,500 or more, colored by the share of their land in protected areas.
VonnasSaint-Didier-sur-ChalaronneVillars-les-DombesMontmerle-sur-SaôneBelleville-en-BeaujolaisLa Chapelle-de-GuinchayChâtillon-sur-Chalaronne
Under 1%1–10 %10–25 %25–50 %50 %+
| Town | Protected | Woodland | Paths (km/km²) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Châtillon-sur-Chalaronne | 5.8% | 4.1% | 0.7 |
| Vonnas 3,255 · 12 km | 0% | 9.9% | 0.3 |
| Saint-Didier-sur-Chalaronne 2,934 · 13 km | 4% | 7.4% | 0.4 |
| Villars-les-Dombes 5,163 · 14 km | 67% | 12% | 0.7 |
| Montmerle-sur-Saône 3,799 · 16 km | 20% | 13% | 2.4 |
| Belleville-en-Beaujolais 14,016 · 17 km | 7.1% | 5.4% | 1.1 |
| La Chapelle-de-Guinchay 4,018 · 18 km | 5.6% | 5.5% | 0.5 |
Villars-les-Dombes and Montmerle-sur-Saône have at least twice as much protected land.
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Protected areas. National-park cores, national parks’ outer areas, regional nature parks, nature reserves and Natura 2000 sites, from INPN. A national park’s core is strictly protected; its outer area and a regional park are charters between communes, not bans. Designations overlap, so the total counts each piece of land once.
- Woodland. Forest and woods as OpenStreetMap maps them, private woods included: woods nobody has mapped are missing, and a mapped wood isn’t necessarily open to walkers.
- Footpaths and hiking routes. Footpaths, bridleways, steps and tracks open on foot, then waymarked hiking routes (GR and others) measured apart. A route often follows a path or lane already counted: the two overlap. Paths nobody has mapped are missing.
- Green space nearby. The share of residents (INSEE’s 200 m grid) within 800 m, as the crow flies, of a mapped park, garden or wood edge. It measures nearness, not a way in. Guadeloupe and French Guiana have no grid: their pages say whether the town center is within 800 m.
- The coast. The straight-line distance from the town center to OpenStreetMap’s coastline, which follows the tide line into estuaries. A commune is on the coast when the coastline crosses its boundary.
- No grade yet. U.S. and UK towns have an Outdoors Grade; French towns don’t yet. Each figure is set beside the median of compared communes (those with an overall grade) in the département and in France, each figure its own median.
Questions about the outdoors in Châtillon-sur-Chalaronne
Is Châtillon-sur-Chalaronne in a national or regional nature park?
No, but 5.8% of its land is in a nature reserve or a Natura 2000 site.
Are there good walks in Châtillon-sur-Chalaronne?
OpenStreetMap maps 13 km of footpaths and tracks open on foot in the commune, 0.7 km per km² (the median compared town: 1.7 km per km²).
How much of Châtillon-sur-Chalaronne is woodland?
4.1% of the commune is mapped woodland, private woods included; the median compared French town has 13%.
Is Châtillon-sur-Chalaronne near the sea?
No: the coast is 293 km from the town center, as the crow flies.
When is the best time for walking in Châtillon-sur-Chalaronne?
April to September: long days, mild highs and little rain, from Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at the nearest suitable station.
Why is there no Outdoors Grade for French towns?
TownRatings grades the outdoors in the U.S. and the UK; the French figures are new and not graded yet. This page sets each one beside the median compared French town instead.
Sources: INPN / PatriNat (protected areas 2026, Natura 2000 2024) · © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL (paths, hiking routes, woods, coast, gardens) · INSEE, Filosofi 2021 200 m grid (residents) · IGN Admin Express (boundaries) · Météo-France normals 1991–2020 · Medians and percentiles: TownRatings, over compared French towns, updated November 9, 2026. Under the Licence Ouverte / Open Licence 2.0 (Etalab).
Contains public sector information under the Licence Ouverte / Open Licence 2.0 (Etalab): INSEE, DGFiP, the Interior Ministry’s statistics service (SSMSI), the Ministry of Education (DEPP), the Health Ministry’s statistics service (DREES) and the Housing Ministry (Carte des loyers). Commune boundaries: IGN Admin Express.