First pick
Parc de l'île
Park or garden
10 ha2.1 km of path
30 minto walk all 2.1 km of path
1.7 km northfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Wikipedro · CC BY-SA 4.048%woodland
Outdoors in Pontarlier · protected areas, woods and footpaths
48% of Pontarlier is woodland, more than in 9 in 10 French towns
Footpaths add up to 101 km across Pontarlier (2.4 km per km²). No protected area reaches Pontarlier; the nearest, Vallées du Drugeon et du Haut-Doubs (Natura 2000), is 2.2 km from the town center. Pontarlier has 23 km of waymarked hiking routes. 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: Vallées du Drugeon et du Haut-Doubs, 2.2 km
Woodland
48%
of the land, mapped on OpenStreetMap
Compared town: 13%
Footpaths
101 km
2.4 km per km²
Compared town: 1.7 km per km²
Hiking routes
23 km
waymarked, GR and others
Compared town: 0.3 km per km²
Parks & woods
16
named, in or within 400 m of the commune
First: Parc de l'île
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 Pontarlier?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and less good.
A wooded commune48% mapped woodland, more than in 90% of compared French towns, against 13% for the median compared town.A mountain communeThe town center sits at 821 m (IGN).Protected land nearbyVallées du Drugeon et du Haut-Doubs (Natura 2000) is 2.2 km from the town center.
What sets Pontarlier apart: its woods, then the mountains.
Against French towns
How Pontarlier 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
47out of 100
Woodland48%Share of the land mapped as forest or woods on OpenStreetMap
90out of 100
Footpaths2.4 km per km²Km of mapped footpath and track open on foot, per km² of the commune
65out of 100
Hiking routes0.6 km per km²Km of waymarked hiking routes (GR and others), per km² of the commune
65out of 100
Percentiles among compared French towns; ties count half.
Towns its size
Pontarlier has the 13th fewest footpaths per km² of 41 towns its size
The 40 compared French towns nearest in population (17,435 to 18,710 residents), by km of footpath per km². Hover for each one’s protected land and woods; click for its page.
From Jouy-le-Moutier (10.3 km per km²) to Ambarès-et-Lagrave (0.4 km per km²).
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Paths (km/km²) | Woodland | Protected | Coast | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jouy-le-Moutier Val-d'Oise | 10.3 | 23% | 0% | 123 km |
| 2 | Saint-Égrève Isère | 5.8 | 22% | 30% | 208 km |
| 3 | Bonneuil-sur-Marne Val-de-Marne | 5.8 | 3.6% | 0% | 163 km |
| 4 | Chennevières-sur-Marne Val-de-Marne | 5.4 | 6.2% | 0% | 163 km |
| 5 | L'Isle-d'Abeau Isère | 5.2 | 9.8% | 0% | 242 km |
| 6 | Floirac Gironde | 5.1 | 16% | 2.6% | 19 km |
| 7 | Bischheim Bas-Rhin | 5.1 | 3.6% | 0.6% | 449 km |
| 8 | Villeneuve-Loubet Alpes-Maritimes | 5 | 30% | 16% | On it |
| 9 | Faches-Thumesnil Nord | 4.4 | 0.2% | 0% | 66 km |
| 10 | Balma Haute-Garonne | 4.2 | 6.4% | 0% | 142 km |
| 11 | Éragny-sur-Oise Val-d'Oise | 4.1 | 15% | 0% | 124 km |
| 12 | Chamalières Puy-de-Dôme | 4.1 | 3.4% | 0.1% | 258 km |
| 13 | Moissy-Cramayel Seine-et-Marne | 3.9 | 4.7% | 0% | 180 km |
| 14 | Écully Rhône | 3.8 | 14% | 0% | 253 km |
| 15 | Garches Hauts-de-Seine | 3.7 | 2.5% | 0% | 144 km |
| 16 | Bry-sur-Marne Val-de-Marne | 3.6 | 7% | 0% | 158 km |
| 17 | Cognac Charente | 3.5 | 13% | 17% | 43 km |
| 18 | Avion Pas-de-Calais | 3.4 | 13% | 0% | 77 km |
| 19 | Hendaye Pyrénées-Atlantiques | 3.4 | 8% | 26% | On it |
| 20 | Osny Val-d'Oise | 3.2 | 14% | 0.1% | 119 km |
| 21 | Hem Nord | 3 | 5.1% | 0% | 64 km |
| 22 | Le Puy-en-Velay Haute-Loire | 2.9 | 12% | 0% | 165 km |
| 23 | Le Pontet Vaucluse | 2.9 | 2.8% | 3.4% | 56 km |
| 24 | Louviers Eure | 2.8 | 55% | 0.1% | 64 km |
| 25 | Cluses Haute-Savoie | 2.8 | 33% | 0% | 264 km |
| 26 | Soisy-sous-Montmorency Val-d'Oise | 2.6 | 5% | 0% | 135 km |
| 27 | Carvin Pas-de-Calais | 2.5 | 5.3% | 0% | 73 km |
| 28 | Digne-les-Bains Alpes-de-Haute-Provence | 2.5 | 50% | 4% | 85 km |
| 29 | Pontarlier Doubs | 2.4 | 48% | 0% | 359 km |
| 30 | Sanary-sur-Mer Var | 2.2 | 16% | 0% | On it |
| 31 | Lunéville Meurthe-et-Moselle | 2.1 | 9% | 0.1% | 389 km |
| 32 | Limay Yvelines | 2.1 | 16% | 6.1% | 112 km |
| 33 | Châteauneuf-les-Martigues Bouches-du-Rhône | 2 | 17% | 27% | 6 km |
| 34 | Bagnols-sur-Cèze Gard | 1.6 | 27% | 8.2% | 79 km |
| 35 | Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume Var | 1 | 41% | 34% | 33 km |
| 36 | Brignoles Var | 0.9 | 48% | 17% | 34 km |
| 37 | Romorantin-Lanthenay Loir-et-Cher | 0.8 | 30% | 100% | 249 km |
| 38 | Vire Normandie Calvados | 0.6 | 3.9% | 0% | 41 km |
| 39 | Segré-en-Anjou Bleu Maine-et-Loire | 0.5 | 4.6% | 0% | 108 km |
| 40 | Mauges-sur-Loire Maine-et-Loire | 0.5 | 4.7% | 11% | 88 km |
| 41 | Ambarès-et-Lagrave Gironde | 0.4 | 4.8% | 35% | 11 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 Pontarlier
Named parks, gardens and woods in the commune or within 400 m, the biggest and best-pathed first: Parc de l'île leads, at 10 ha. Directions go to a point inside.
Forêt du CHG de Pontarlier
Wood or forest
30 ha1.1 km of path
15 minto walk all 1.1 km of path
2.6 km southfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Parc des Ouillons
Park or garden
4.3 ha1.7 km of path
20 minto walk all 1.7 km of path
0.8 km north-westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Forêt Communale de Pontarlier - Série 4
Wood or forest
20 ha0.4 km of path
3.3 km south-eastfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Forêt Communale des Granges-Narboz
Wood or forest
8.2 ha1.5 km of path
20 minto walk all 1.5 km of path
2.9 km south-westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Forêt Communale des Verrières-de-Joux
Wood or forest
15 ha0.3 km of path
6.3 km eastfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Forêt Communale de Pontarlier - Série 1
Wood or forest
12 ha
2.4 km south-eastfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Forêt Communale de Doubs
Wood or forest
7.7 ha0.1 km of path
3.6 km north-eastfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
All 16 named parks, gardens and woods
Parc de l'îlePark or garden · 10 ha · 2.1 km of path
DirectionsForêt du CHG de PontarlierWood or forest · 30 ha · 1.1 km of path
DirectionsParc des OuillonsPark or garden · 4.3 ha · 1.7 km of path
DirectionsForêt Communale de Pontarlier - Série 4Wood or forest · 20 ha · 0.4 km of path
DirectionsForêt Communale des Granges-NarbozWood or forest · 8.2 ha · 1.5 km of path
DirectionsForêt Communale des Verrières-de-JouxWood or forest · 15 ha · 0.3 km of path
DirectionsForêt Communale de Pontarlier - Série 1Wood or forest · 12 ha
DirectionsForêt Communale de DoubsWood or forest · 7.7 ha · 0.1 km of path
DirectionsGrand CoursPark or garden · 1.3 ha · 0.6 km of path
DirectionsForêt Communale de Pontarlier — Série 1Wood or forest · 7.6 ha
DirectionsForêt Communale de Pontarlier - Série 3Wood or forest · 3.9 ha · 0.1 km of path
DirectionsSquare Saint-RochPark or garden · 0.4 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsParc Jeanine DessayPark or garden · 0.3 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsPromenade de la Croix de PierrePark or garden · 0.3 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsSquare Gaston GalfionePark or garden · 0.3 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsSquare ClemenceauPark or garden · 0.4 ha
DirectionsSource: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL): named parks, gardens and woods; sizes are the whole site.
Protected areas
Vallées du Drugeon et du Haut-Doubs is the nearest protected area, 2.2 km away
The protected areas reaching the commune, and the nearest: national parks, regional nature parks, nature reserves and Natura 2000 sites.
Natura 2000 site
Vallées du Drugeon et du Haut-Doubs
2.2 km from the town center
Natura 2000 site
Vallées du Drugeon et du Haut-Doubs
2.2 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
101 km of footpaths and 23 km of hiking routes cross Pontarlier
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
101 km
2.4 km per km²
Hiking routes
23 km
waymarked: 0.6 km per km²
Woodland
48%
about 19.7 km² of mapped woods
Km per km² of the commune · mapped on OpenStreetMap
PontarlierDoubs medianFrance median
Footpaths2.4
Hiking routes0.6
01.53 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
PontarlierDoubs medianFrance median
Woodland48%
0%50%100%
That is more than in 65% of compared French towns for footpaths per km², and for woodland more than in 90% 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 Pontarlier is within 800 m of a mapped park or wood, as in most French towns.
5 named hiking routes within 2 km
GR (long-distance)Other named walk
GR 14516 km
Via Cluny Variante Morteau Etape 219 km
Pontarlier to Les Hôpitaux-Neufs8.3 km
Via Cluny Variante Morteau Etape 32.5 km
Via Cluny Variante Morteau Etape 11.7 km
GR 145 passes within 2 km of Pontarlier.
Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), extracts of October 25, 2026 (Geofabrik).
When to get out
The best walking months in Pontarlier: May to September
Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at Pontarlier, 3.3 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 | 15.0 | 15.9 | 15.5 | 14.2 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.3 | 8.5 |
| High (°C) | 5 | 6 | 10 | 14 | 17 | 21 | 24 | 24 | 19 | 15 | 9 | 5 |
| Rain (mm) | 115 | 105 | 108 | 105 | 140 | 125 | 123 | 121 | 114 | 129 | 131 | 148 |
April is the driest month (105 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 24 °C). 148 mm of rain falls in December, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 110 nights a year. The climate in Pontarlier →
Neighbors
Next to Pontarlier
The nearest towns of 2,500 or more, colored by the share of their land in protected areas.
DoubsMorteauValdahonOrnansLes FinsPontarlier
Under 1%1–10 %10–25 %25–50 %50 %+
Morteau, Ornans and Les Fins 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 Pontarlier
Is Pontarlier in a national or regional nature park?
No. The nearest protected area is Vallées du Drugeon et du Haut-Doubs, 2.2 km from the town center.
Are there good walks in Pontarlier?
OpenStreetMap maps 101 km of footpaths and tracks open on foot in the commune, 2.4 km per km² (the median compared town: 1.7 km per km²); 23 km of waymarked hiking routes cross it.
How much of Pontarlier is woodland?
48% of the commune is mapped woodland, private woods included; the median compared French town has 13%.
Is Pontarlier near the sea?
No: the coast is 359 km from the town center, as the crow flies.
When is the best time for walking in Pontarlier?
May 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.