First pick
Forêt de Chailluz
Wood or forest
1,424 ha71.2 km of path
15 h 50 minto walk all 71.2 km of path
5.9 km north-eastfrom the center
Chemin du MaupertuisChemin de l'IntendantRoute Forestière du Fau du Carré+5 paths
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Richard Martignoni · CC BY-SA 4.016%woodland
Outdoors in École-Valentin · protected areas, woods and footpaths
École-Valentin has more footpaths per km² than 8 in 10 French towns
13 km of footpaths cross École-Valentin (3.9 km per km²). École-Valentin has 4 km of waymarked hiking routes. No protected area reaches École-Valentin; the nearest, Dame Blanche nature reserve, is 4.5 km from the town center. France has no Outdoors Grade yet: these are the figures, each beside the compared towns’ median.
Protected areas
0%
of the commune’s land
Nearest: Dame Blanche nature reserve, 4.5 km
Woodland
16%
of the land, mapped on OpenStreetMap
Compared town: 13%
Footpaths
13 km
3.9 km per km²
Compared town: 1.7 km per km²
Hiking routes
3.8 km
waymarked, GR and others
Compared town: 0.3 km per km²
Parks & woods
2
named, in or within 400 m of the commune
First: Forêt de Chailluz
Throughout this page, the Doubs median and the France median are the median of compared communes (those with an overall grade), each figure its own median.
What kind of place
What kind of outdoors place is École-Valentin?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and less good.
A place of footpaths3.9 km per km² of mapped footpath, against 1.7 km per km² for the median compared town.Protected land nearbyDame Blanche nature reserve is 4.5 km from the town center.
What sets École-Valentin apart: its footpaths, then protected land close by.
Against French towns
How École-Valentin 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 areas0%Share of the land in a national park, regional nature park, nature reserve or Natura 2000 site
22out of 100
Woodland16%Share of the land mapped as forest or woods on OpenStreetMap
56out of 100
Footpaths3.9 km per km²Km of mapped footpath and track open on foot, per km² of the commune
84out of 100
Hiking routes1.2 km per km²Km of waymarked hiking routes (GR and others), per km² of the commune
88out of 100
Percentiles among compared French towns; ties count half.
Towns its size
École-Valentin has the most footpaths per km² of 41 towns its size
The 40 compared French towns nearest in population (2,556 to 2,606 residents), by km of footpath per km². Hover for each one’s protected land and woods; click for its page.
From École-Valentin (3.9 km per km²) to Hilsenheim (0 km per km²).
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Paths (km/km²) | Woodland | Protected | Coast | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | École-Valentin Doubs | 3.9 | 16% | 0% | 405 km |
| 2 | Josselin Morbihan | 3.7 | 15% | 0% | 36 km |
| 3 | Villejust Essonne | 2.4 | 4.4% | 0% | 160 km |
| 4 | Sainte-Feyre Creuse | 2.1 | 30% | 0% | 222 km |
| 5 | Tourville-la-Rivière Seine-Maritime | 2 | 15% | 15% | 55 km |
| 6 | Camiers Pas-de-Calais | 2 | 30% | 32% | On it |
| 7 | Sain-Bel Rhône | 1.9 | 12% | 0% | 253 km |
| 8 | Damparis Jura | 1.6 | 35% | 0% | 401 km |
| 9 | Hardricourt Yvelines | 1.6 | 15% | 0.4% | 118 km |
| 10 | Longueil-Annel Oise | 1.5 | 21% | 0% | 116 km |
| 11 | Mornas Vaucluse | 1.5 | 35% | 5% | 84 km |
| 12 | Le Palais Morbihan | 1.5 | 5% | 26% | On it |
| 13 | Saint-Jean-du-Gard Gard | 1.4 | 84% | 100% | 62 km |
| 14 | Watten Nord | 1.4 | 24% | 100% | 18 km |
| 15 | Beautor Aisne | 1.3 | 3.6% | 40% | 133 km |
| 16 | Bessèges Gard | 1.3 | 66% | 100% | 81 km |
| 17 | Villenauxe-la-Grande Aube | 1.3 | 13% | 0% | 223 km |
| 18 | Cattenom Moselle | 1.1 | 37% | 0% | 308 km |
| 19 | Pîtres Eure | 0.9 | 47% | 0.2% | 64 km |
| 20 | Grâces Côtes-d'Armor | 0.8 | 12% | 0% | 17 km |
| 21 | Villages du Lac de Paladru Isère | 0.8 | 21% | 0% | 230 km |
| 22 | La Calmette Gard | 0.7 | 29% | 0% | 43 km |
| 23 | Avelin Nord | 0.6 | 6.1% | 0% | 72 km |
| 24 | La Châtaigneraie Vendée | 0.6 | 4.5% | 0% | 48 km |
| 25 | Trélon Nord | 0.6 | 78% | 100% | 156 km |
| 26 | Le Cailar Gard | 0.4 | 2% | 68% | 17 km |
| 27 | Xertigny Vosges | 0.4 | 42% | 0% | 417 km |
| 28 | Frans Ain | 0.4 | 4% | 0% | 275 km |
| 29 | Baldersheim Haut-Rhin | 0.4 | 63% | 60% | 446 km |
| 30 | Toucy Yonne | 0.4 | 24% | 0% | 288 km |
| 31 | Saint-Yzan-de-Soudiac Gironde | 0.3 | 13% | 3% | 19 km |
| 32 | Charly-sur-Marne Aisne | 0.3 | 21% | 0% | 177 km |
| 33 | Clairac Lot-et-Garonne | 0.3 | 7.7% | 0% | 105 km |
| 34 | Semussac Charente-Maritime | 0.3 | 3.8% | 6.9% | 5.1 km |
| 35 | Vivy Maine-et-Loire | 0.3 | 15% | 100% | 140 km |
| 36 | Nogent-sur-Vernisson Loiret | 0.2 | 46% | 0.3% | 249 km |
| 37 | Eymet Dordogne | 0.2 | 8.6% | 0.4% | 86 km |
| 38 | Athies-sous-Laon Aisne | 0.2 | 8.9% | 0% | 159 km |
| 39 | Noyen-sur-Sarthe Sarthe | 0.1 | 28% | 0% | 126 km |
| 40 | Cauchy-à-la-Tour Pas-de-Calais | 0.1 | 0.4% | 0% | 54 km |
| 41 | Hilsenheim Bas-Rhin | 0 | 28% | 18% | 465 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 École-Valentin
Named parks, gardens and woods in the commune or within 400 m, the biggest and best-pathed first: Forêt de Chailluz leads, at 1,424 ha. Directions go to a point inside.
La maison Colette et Boutterin
Park or garden · 250 m outside the commune
4.1 ha
1.3 km southfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL): named parks, gardens and woods; sizes are the whole site.
Protected areas
Dame Blanche nature reserve is the nearest protected area, 4.5 km away
The protected areas reaching the commune, and the nearest: national parks, regional nature parks, nature reserves and Natura 2000 sites.
Nature reserve
Dame Blanche nature reserve
4.5 km from the town center
Share of the commune’s land
Any protected area0%
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.
Source: INPN / PatriNat, protected areas July 2026, Natura 2000 December 2024; shares of IGN’s commune boundary.
Footpaths and woods
Footpaths and woods in École-Valentin
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
3.9 km per km²
Hiking routes
3.8 km
waymarked: 1.2 km per km²
Woodland
16%
about 0.5 km² of mapped woods
Km per km² of the commune · mapped on OpenStreetMap
École-ValentinDoubs medianFrance median
Footpaths3.9
Hiking routes1.2
02.55 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
École-ValentinDoubs medianFrance median
Woodland16%
0%50%100%
That is more than in 84% of compared French towns for footpaths per km², and for woodland more than in 56% 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 École-Valentin is within 800 m of a mapped park or wood, as in most French towns.
6 named hiking routes within 2 km
GR (long-distance)Other named walk
GR 1457.5 km
Dame Blanche et Vieux Tilleul4.8 km
Le Vieux Tilleul4.8 km
Le Cul des Prés1.7 km
Les Fonds de Chailluz1.7 km
Les Hauts de Divicius1.2 km
GR 145 passes within 2 km of École-Valentin.
Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), extracts of October 25, 2026 (Geofabrik).
When to get out
The best walking months in École-Valentin: April to September
Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at Besancon, 2.6 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) | 8.9 | 10.2 | 11.8 | 13.5 | 15.1 | 15.9 | 15.6 | 14.2 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.2 | 8.5 |
| High (°C) | 6 | 8 | 12 | 16 | 20 | 24 | 26 | 26 | 21 | 16 | 10 | 6 |
| Rain (mm) | 90 | 81 | 85 | 87 | 108 | 98 | 89 | 96 | 101 | 112 | 107 | 105 |
February is the driest month (81 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 26 °C). 112 mm of rain falls in October, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 58 nights a year. The climate in École-Valentin →
Neighbors
Next to École-Valentin
The nearest towns of 2,500 or more, colored by the share of their land in protected areas.
Miserey-SalinesLes AuxonsBesançonThiseSaôneSaint-VitÉcole-Valentin
Under 1%1–10 %10–25 %25–50 %50 %+
| Town | Protected | Woodland | Paths (km/km²) |
|---|---|---|---|
| École-Valentin | 0% | 16% | 3.9 |
| Miserey-Salines 2,661 · 1.8 km | 0% | 37% | 2.7 |
| Les Auxons 2,533 · 3.8 km | 0% | 43% | 1.1 |
| Besançon 118,489 · 3.8 km | 0.6% | 37% | 5.3 |
| Thise 2,994 · 6.6 km | 0% | 49% | 2.7 |
| Saône 3,195 · 11 km | 28% | 43% | 1.1 |
| Saint-Vit 5,133 · 16 km | 0% | 30% | 1.2 |
Saône has at least twice as much protected land. Miserey-Salines, Les Auxons and Besançon are more wooded.
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 École-Valentin
Is École-Valentin in a national or regional nature park?
No. The nearest protected area is Dame Blanche nature reserve, 4.5 km from the town center.
Are there good walks in École-Valentin?
OpenStreetMap maps 13 km of footpaths and tracks open on foot in the commune, 3.9 km per km² (the median compared town: 1.7 km per km²); 4 km of waymarked hiking routes cross it.
How much of École-Valentin is woodland?
16% of the commune is mapped woodland, private woods included; the median compared French town has 13%.
Is École-Valentin near the sea?
No: the coast is 405 km from the town center, as the crow flies.
When is the best time for walking in École-Valentin?
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 4, 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.