First pick
Bois des Bezelles
Wood or forest
300 ha1.4 km of path
20 minto walk all 1.4 km of path
2.8 km southfrom the center
Chemin Rural Numéro 2 de Janvry à Saint-Jean de Beauregard
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Lionel Allorge · CC BY-SA 3.013%woodland
Outdoors in Les Ulis · protected areas, woods and footpaths
Les Ulis has more footpaths per km² than 9 in 10 French towns
Footpaths add up to 59 km across Les Ulis (10.9 km per km²). No protected area reaches Les Ulis; the nearest, Haute Vallée de Chevreuse Regional Nature Park, is 1 km from the town center. Waymarked hiking routes add up to 2 km in Les Ulis. France has no Outdoors Grade yet: these are the figures, each beside the compared towns’ median.
Protected areas
0.2%
of the commune’s land
Nearest: Haute Vallée de Chevreuse Regional Nature Park, 1 km
Woodland
13%
of the land, mapped on OpenStreetMap
Compared town: 13%
Footpaths
59 km
10.9 km per km²
Compared town: 1.7 km per km²
Hiking routes
2.2 km
waymarked, GR and others
Compared town: 0.3 km per km²
Parks & woods
10
named, in or within 400 m of the commune
First: Bois des Bezelles
Throughout this page, the Essonne 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 Les Ulis?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and less good.
A place of footpaths10.9 km per km² of mapped footpath, against 1.7 km per km² for the median compared town.Protected land nearbyHaute Vallée de Chevreuse Regional Nature Park is 1 km from the town center.
What sets Les Ulis apart: its footpaths, then protected land close by.
Against French towns
How Les Ulis 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 areas0.2%Share of the land in a national park, regional nature park, nature reserve or Natura 2000 site
52out of 100
Woodland13%Share of the land mapped as forest or woods on OpenStreetMap
48out of 100
Footpaths10.9 km per km²Km of mapped footpath and track open on foot, per km² of the commune
99out of 100
Hiking routes0.4 km per km²Km of waymarked hiking routes (GR and others), per km² of the commune
54out of 100
Percentiles among compared French towns; ties count half.
Towns its size
Les Ulis has the most footpaths per km² of 41 towns its size
The 40 compared French towns nearest in population (24,825 to 27,106 residents), by km of footpath per km². Hover for each one’s protected land and woods; click for its page.
From Les Ulis (10.9 km per km²) to Sainte-Suzanne (0.4 km per km²).
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Paths (km/km²) | Woodland | Protected | Coast | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Les Ulis Essonne | 10.9 | 13% | 0.2% | 156 km |
| 2 | Villeneuve-la-Garenne Hauts-de-Seine | 9.8 | 4.2% | 0% | 141 km |
| 3 | Vichy Allier | 8.8 | 1.3% | 12% | 290 km |
| 4 | Grigny Essonne | 8.7 | 7.2% | 0% | 170 km |
| 5 | Élancourt Yvelines | 8.2 | 26% | 3.5% | 138 km |
| 6 | Gradignan Gironde | 6.8 | 17% | 0% | 26 km |
| 7 | Sannois Val-d'Oise | 6 | 17% | 0% | 135 km |
| 8 | Armentières Nord | 5.9 | 3.8% | 0% | 50 km |
| 9 | Cenon Gironde | 5.4 | 8.9% | 0% | 18 km |
| 10 | Brunoy Essonne | 5.2 | 18% | 0% | 170 km |
| 11 | Eaubonne Val-d'Oise | 5 | 1.9% | 0% | 134 km |
| 12 | Alençon Orne | 4.8 | 2.3% | 5.5% | 97 km |
| 13 | Lambersart Nord | 4.7 | 3.4% | 0% | 59 km |
| 14 | Lormont Gironde | 4.7 | 12% | 7.4% | 16 km |
| 15 | Castelnau-le-Lez Hérault | 4.6 | 4.5% | 1.2% | 11 km |
| 16 | Miramas Bouches-du-Rhône | 4 | 9.2% | 5.7% | 18 km |
| 17 | Béthune Pas-de-Calais | 4 | 4% | 0% | 60 km |
| 18 | Eysines Gironde | 3.9 | 7.6% | 3.1% | 15 km |
| 19 | Hénin-Beaumont Pas-de-Calais | 3.8 | 5.6% | 0% | 80 km |
| 20 | La Garde Var | 3.8 | 7.6% | 25% | On it |
| 21 | Biarritz Pyrénées-Atlantiques | 3.5 | 11% | 3.5% | On it |
| 22 | Le Grand-Quevilly Seine-Maritime | 3.4 | 4.9% | 0.1% | 50 km |
| 23 | Saint-Ouen-l'Aumône Val-d'Oise | 3.2 | 7.4% | 0% | 123 km |
| 24 | Vertou Loire-Atlantique | 3.1 | 19% | 0% | 41 km |
| 25 | Sens Yonne | 3.1 | 4.6% | 0% | 249 km |
| 26 | Le Bouscat Gironde | 3 | 1.4% | 0% | 16 km |
| 27 | Brétigny-sur-Orge Essonne | 3 | 9.5% | 0% | 169 km |
| 28 | Aurillac Cantal | 2.7 | 2.9% | 0.2% | 195 km |
| 29 | Vernon Eure | 2.5 | 56% | 3.5% | 90 km |
| 30 | Lunel Hérault | 2.2 | 0.4% | 0.6% | 14 km |
| 31 | Libourne Gironde | 2 | 2.5% | 14% | 30 km |
| 32 | Villeparisis Seine-et-Marne | 1.9 | 13% | 0% | 153 km |
| 33 | Saintes Charente-Maritime | 1.9 | 12% | 9.3% | 26 km |
| 34 | Les Pavillons-sous-Bois Seine-Saint-Denis | 1.9 | 0% | 0% | 151 km |
| 35 | Saumur Maine-et-Loire | 1.5 | 15% | 100% | 133 km |
| 36 | Muret Haute-Garonne | 1.5 | 10% | 3.2% | 150 km |
| 37 | Cavaillon Vaucluse | 1.1 | 3.2% | 100% | 45 km |
| 38 | Étampes Essonne | 1 | 12% | 0% | 172 km |
| 39 | Vierzon Cher | 0.8 | 44% | 0% | 265 km |
| 40 | Sèvremoine Maine-et-Loire | 0.6 | 5.3% | 0% | 70 km |
| 41 | Sainte-Suzanne Réunion | 0.4 | 31% | 49% | On it |
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 Les Ulis
Named parks, gardens and woods in the commune or within 400 m, the biggest and best-pathed first: Bois des Bezelles leads, at 300 ha. Directions go to a point inside.
Parc Nord
Park or garden
39 ha6.4 km of path
1 h 25 minto walk all 6.4 km of path
0.8 km northfrom the center
La Coulée VerteCoulée Verte
Directionsto a point inside
Bois des Carrés
Wood or forest
108 ha5.4 km of path
1 h 10 minto walk all 5.4 km of path
3 km south-eastfrom the center
Chemin du MuguetChemin de Saint-Jean-de-BeauregardChemin de la Vallée
Directionsto a point inside
Parc des Deux Lacs
Park or garden · 0 m outside the commune
12 ha2.8 km of path
40 minto walk all 2.8 km of path
3.4 km eastfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Bois Persan
Wood or forest
32 ha3.7 km of path
50 minto walk all 3.7 km of path
1.7 km north-eastfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Bois de la Grille Noire
Wood or forest · 220 m outside the commune
33 ha3.4 km of path
45 minto walk all 3.4 km of path
2.7 km north-eastfrom the center
Avenue d'accès à l'ancienne station d'Orsay-État
Directionsto a point inside
Bois de la Cyprenne
Wood or forest
28 ha3.6 km of path
50 minto walk all 3.6 km of path
1.6 km north-eastfrom the center
Chemin du Pont des Sapins
Directionsto a point inside
Parc de la Grande Maison
Park or garden · 180 m outside the commune
5.6 ha2 km of path
25 minto walk all 2 km of path
1.6 km north-westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
All 10 named parks, gardens and woods
Bois des BezellesWood or forest · 300 ha · 1.4 km of path
DirectionsParc NordPark or garden · 39 ha · 6.4 km of path
DirectionsBois des CarrésWood or forest · 108 ha · 5.4 km of path
DirectionsParc des Deux LacsPark or garden · 12 ha · 2.8 km of path · just outside
DirectionsBois PersanWood or forest · 32 ha · 3.7 km of path
DirectionsBois de la Grille NoireWood or forest · 33 ha · 3.4 km of path · just outside
DirectionsBois de la CyprenneWood or forest · 28 ha · 3.6 km of path
DirectionsParc de la Grande MaisonPark or garden · 5.6 ha · 2 km of path · just outside
DirectionsParc urbainPark or garden · 5.2 ha · 1.8 km of path
DirectionsParc de l'ÉquinoxePark or garden · 0.4 ha · 0.1 km of path
DirectionsSource: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL): named parks, gardens and woods; sizes are the whole site.
Protected areas
Haute Vallée de Chevreuse Regional Nature Park is the nearest protected area, 1 km away
The protected areas reaching the commune, and the nearest: national parks, regional nature parks, nature reserves and Natura 2000 sites.
Regional nature park
Haute Vallée de Chevreuse Regional Nature Park
1 km from the town center
Share of the commune’s land
Any protected area0.2%
Regional nature park0.2%
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.
A regional nature park is a charter between communes to look after a landscape: farming, building and hunting go on inside it.
Source: INPN / PatriNat, protected areas July 2026, Natura 2000 December 2024; shares of IGN’s commune boundary.
Footpaths and woods
Footpaths and woods in Les Ulis
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
59 km
10.9 km per km²
Hiking routes
2.2 km
waymarked: 0.4 km per km²
Woodland
13%
about 0.7 km² of mapped woods
Km per km² of the commune · mapped on OpenStreetMap
Les UlisEssonne medianFrance median
Footpaths10.9
Hiking routes0.4
06.513 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
Les UlisEssonne medianFrance median
Woodland13%
0%50%100%
That is more than in 99% of compared French towns for footpaths per km², and for woodland less than in 52% 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 Les Ulis is within 800 m of a mapped park or wood, as in most French towns.
8 named hiking routes within 2 km
GR (long-distance)Other named walk
GR655 OT6 km
GR 655ET1.6 km
De la Bièvre à l'Orge8.4 km
Chemin de Trèves, Igny - Rambouillet7 km
Chemin Charles Péguy5 km
Boucle de l'Abbaye1.8 km
Via Turonensis, Orsay - Palaiseau1 km
Boucle Forêt0.7 km
2 GR routes pass within 2 km of Les Ulis: GR655 OT and GR 655ET.
Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), extracts of October 25, 2026 (Geofabrik).
When to get out
The best walking months in Les Ulis: April and June to September
Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at Gometz-Le-Chat., 2.7 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) | 8.7 | 10.1 | 11.7 | 13.6 | 15.2 | 16.1 | 15.8 | 14.3 | 12.5 | 10.7 | 9.1 | 8.3 |
| High (°C) | 7 | 8 | 12 | 16 | 19 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 21 | 16 | 10 | 7 |
| Rain (mm) | 60 | 54 | 54 | 52 | 73 | 61 | 61 | 60 | 53 | 65 | 67 | 77 |
April is the driest month (52 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 25 °C). 77 mm of rain falls in December, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 46 nights a year. The climate in Les Ulis →
Neighbors
Next to Les Ulis
The nearest towns of 2,500 or more, colored by the share of their land in protected areas.
Bures-sur-YvetteOrsayGometz-le-ChâtelGif-sur-YvetteVillejustVillebon-sur-YvetteLes Ulis
Under 1%1–10 %10–25 %25–50 %50 %+
| Town | Protected | Woodland | Paths (km/km²) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Les Ulis | 0.2% | 13% | 10.9 |
| Bures-sur-Yvette 9,548 · 1.4 km | 0.2% | 26% | 8.5 |
| Orsay 16,498 · 2 km | 0% | 27% | 7.3 |
| Gometz-le-Châtel 2,630 · 2 km | 0.2% | 24% | 2.5 |
| Gif-sur-Yvette 22,544 · 3.7 km | 60% | 28% | 7.8 |
| Villejust 2,558 · 4.5 km | 0% | 4.4% | 2.4 |
| Villebon-sur-Yvette 10,291 · 4.8 km | 0% | 23% | 3.8 |
Gif-sur-Yvette has at least twice as much protected land. Bures-sur-Yvette, Orsay and Gometz-le-Châtel 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 Les Ulis
Is Les Ulis in a national or regional nature park?
No. The nearest protected area is Haute Vallée de Chevreuse Regional Nature Park, 1 km from the town center.
Are there good walks in Les Ulis?
OpenStreetMap maps 59 km of footpaths and tracks open on foot in the commune, 10.9 km per km² (the median compared town: 1.7 km per km²); 2 km of waymarked hiking routes cross it.
How much of Les Ulis is woodland?
13% of the commune is mapped woodland, private woods included; the median compared French town has 13%.
Is Les Ulis near the sea?
No: the coast is 156 km from the town center, as the crow flies.
When is the best time for walking in Les Ulis?
April and June 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.