First pick
Parc du Moustier
Park or garden
0.6 ha0.4 km of path
Centralin the middle of Milly-la-Forêt
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Anonymous Unknown author · Public domain100%of the land protected
Outdoors in Milly-la-Forêt · protected areas, woods and footpaths
Milly-la-Forêt lies inside Gâtinais Français Regional Nature Park
Protected areas cover 100% of Milly-la-Forêt’s land. 53% of Milly-la-Forêt is mapped woodland. Milly-la-Forêt has 27 km of waymarked hiking routes. France has no Outdoors Grade yet: these are the figures, each beside the compared towns’ median.
Protected areas
100%
of the commune’s land
Compared town: 0.1%
Woodland
53%
of the land, mapped on OpenStreetMap
Compared town: 13%
Footpaths
63 km
1.9 km per km²
Compared town: 1.7 km per km²
Hiking routes
27 km
waymarked, GR and others
Compared town: 0.3 km per km²
Parks & woods
3
named, in or within 400 m of the commune
First: Parc du Moustier
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 Milly-la-Forêt?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and less good.
Inside Gâtinais Français Regional Nature Park100% of the commune is in the regional nature park.A wooded commune53% mapped woodland, more than in 93% of compared French towns, against 13% for the median compared town.On waymarked routes27 km of GR and other hiking routes cross the commune.
What sets Milly-la-Forêt apart: the regional nature park around it, then its woods.
Against French towns
How Milly-la-Forêt 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 areas100%Share of the land in a national park, regional nature park, nature reserve or Natura 2000 site
96out of 100
Woodland53%Share of the land mapped as forest or woods on OpenStreetMap
93out of 100
Footpaths1.9 km per km²Km of mapped footpath and track open on foot, per km² of the commune
55out of 100
Hiking routes0.8 km per km²Km of waymarked hiking routes (GR and others), per km² of the commune
77out of 100
Percentiles among compared French towns; ties count half.
Towns its size
Milly-la-Forêt has the 9th most footpaths per km² of 41 towns its size
The 40 compared French towns nearest in population (4,515 to 4,612 residents), by km of footpath per km². Hover for each one’s protected land and woods; click for its page.
From Gréasque (7.9 km per km²) to Cabannes (0.3 km per km²).
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Paths (km/km²) | Woodland | Protected | Coast | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gréasque Bouches-du-Rhône | 7.9 | 53% | 0% | 19 km |
| 2 | Villiers-sur-Orge Essonne | 4.7 | 7.5% | 0% | 166 km |
| 3 | La Frette-sur-Seine Val-d'Oise | 4.6 | 6.9% | 0% | 131 km |
| 4 | Bizanos Pyrénées-Atlantiques | 3.8 | 12% | 9.4% | 98 km |
| 5 | Leucate Aude | 3.4 | 2.1% | 79% | On it |
| 6 | Mandeure Doubs | 3 | 59% | 11% | 410 km |
| 7 | Annay Pas-de-Calais | 2.1 | 5.8% | 0% | 73 km |
| 8 | Plourin-lès-Morlaix Finistère | 2 | 22% | 0.5% | 5.4 km |
| 9 | Milly-la-Forêt Essonne | 1.9 | 53% | 100% | 192 km |
| 10 | Notre-Dame-d'Oé Indre-et-Loire | 1.9 | 2.7% | 0% | 189 km |
| 11 | Communay Rhône | 1.8 | 13% | 0% | 235 km |
| 12 | Grimaud Var | 1.7 | 41% | 4.5% | On it |
| 13 | Plougonvelin Finistère | 1.4 | 4.3% | 0.9% | On it |
| 14 | Chaponnay Rhône | 1.4 | 17% | 0% | 240 km |
| 15 | Biache-Saint-Vaast Pas-de-Calais | 1.3 | 9.2% | 0% | 90 km |
| 16 | Espalion Aveyron | 1.2 | 30% | 3.6% | 144 km |
| 17 | La Guerche-de-Bretagne Ille-et-Vilaine | 1.2 | 0.2% | 0% | 77 km |
| 18 | Jouques Bouches-du-Rhône | 1.2 | 61% | 92% | 40 km |
| 19 | Bonson Loire | 1.1 | 9.6% | 7.9% | 218 km |
| 20 | Bages Pyrénées-Orientales | 1.1 | 0.3% | 0% | 12 km |
| 21 | Jargeau Loiret | 1 | 7.3% | 20% | 218 km |
| 22 | Saint-Aunès Hérault | 1 | 4.7% | 0% | 10 km |
| 23 | Salaise-sur-Sanne Isère | 0.9 | 13% | 9.2% | 207 km |
| 24 | Puget-Ville Var | 0.9 | 23% | 19% | 20 km |
| 25 | Dieulouard Meurthe-et-Moselle | 0.8 | 24% | 100% | 348 km |
| 26 | Castelmaurou Haute-Garonne | 0.8 | 20% | 0% | 143 km |
| 27 | Crespin Nord | 0.7 | 34% | 99% | 105 km |
| 28 | Saint-Martin-de-May Calvados | 0.7 | 2.9% | 0% | 21 km |
| 29 | Sainte-Marie-aux-Chênes Moselle | 0.6 | 2.2% | 0% | 314 km |
| 30 | Lescure-d'Albigeois Tarn | 0.6 | 16% | 0% | 119 km |
| 31 | Montagnac Hérault | 0.6 | 11% | 14% | 17 km |
| 32 | Retiers Ille-et-Vilaine | 0.5 | 0.6% | 0% | 79 km |
| 33 | Macau Gironde | 0.5 | 13% | 100% | On it |
| 34 | Le Thillay Val-d'Oise | 0.5 | 2.5% | 0% | 141 km |
| 35 | Sézanne Marne | 0.4 | 22% | 1.7% | 220 km |
| 36 | Arnas Rhône | 0.4 | 8.7% | 2.2% | 277 km |
| 37 | Hœrdt Bas-Rhin | 0.4 | 3% | 0% | 444 km |
| 38 | Vivonne Vienne | 0.4 | 21% | 0% | 108 km |
| 39 | Camaret-sur-Aigues Vaucluse | 0.3 | 2.4% | 0.8% | 79 km |
| 40 | Tiercé Maine-et-Loire | 0.3 | 12% | 16% | 131 km |
| 41 | Cabannes Bouches-du-Rhône | 0.3 | 1.5% | 14% | 46 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 Milly-la-Forêt
Named parks, gardens and woods in the commune or within 400 m, the biggest and best-pathed first: Parc du Moustier leads, at 0.6 ha. Directions go to a point inside.
Conservatoire des Plantes Médicinales
Park or garden
1.1 ha
1 km south-eastfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Cresson
Park or garden · 290 m outside the commune
0.4 ha
2.9 km northfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL): named parks, gardens and woods; sizes are the whole site.
Protected areas
Protected land in and around Milly-la-Forêt
The protected areas reaching the commune, and the nearest: national parks, regional nature parks, nature reserves and Natura 2000 sites.
Regional nature park
Gâtinais Français Regional Nature Park
100% of the commune
Natura 2000 site
Massif de Fontainebleau
29% of the commune1.3 km from the center
Natura 2000 site
Massif de Fontainebleau
29% of the commune1.3 km from the center
Share of the commune’s land
Any protected area100%
Regional nature park100%
Natura 2000 site29%
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.
100% of Milly-la-Forêt’s land is protected, more than in 96% of compared French towns; the median compared town in Essonne has 0%. 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
63 km of footpaths and 27 km of hiking routes cross Milly-la-Forêt
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
63 km
1.9 km per km²
Hiking routes
27 km
waymarked: 0.8 km per km²
Woodland
53%
about 18 km² of mapped woods
Km per km² of the commune · mapped on OpenStreetMap
Milly-la-ForêtEssonne medianFrance median
Footpaths1.9
Hiking routes0.8
02.55 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
Milly-la-ForêtEssonne medianFrance median
Woodland53%
0%50%100%
That is more than in 55% of compared French towns for footpaths per km², and for woodland more than in 93% 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 Milly-la-Forêt is within 800 m of a mapped park or wood, as in most French towns.
12 named hiking routes within 2 km
Other named walk
Chemin des Grés et des Bruyères21 km
Chemin des Grés et des Bruyères - variantes19 km
Grand Tour de Paris, Franchard - Villiers-Saint-Frédéric17 km
Vallées de l'Essonne et de l'École15 km
Entre Essonne et Juine14 km
De Saint-Fargeau à Buthiers12 km
Circuit des 25 bosses7 km
chemin de Rumont3.1 km
Promenade de Sucremont3.1 km
Promenade de la Vallée d'Arbonne2.6 km
Sentier Denecourt-Colinet 16 - Raccourci des Châtaigniers0.5 km
Sentier Denecourt-Colinet 16 - Raccourci de la Pierre Blanche0.5 km
Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), extracts of October 25, 2026 (Geofabrik).
When to get out
The best walking months in Milly-la-Forêt: April to September
Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at Courdimanche, 7.2 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 | 15.7 | 14.3 | 12.5 | 10.7 | 9.1 | 8.3 |
| High (°C) | 7 | 9 | 13 | 16 | 20 | 23 | 26 | 26 | 22 | 17 | 11 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 45 | 42 | 44 | 43 | 62 | 56 | 47 | 49 | 46 | 55 | 51 | 55 |
February is the driest month (42 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 26 °C). 62 mm of rain falls in May, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 57 nights a year. The climate in Milly-la-Forêt →
Gardens
2 gardens to visit in Milly-la-Forêt
Named gardens in the commune.
Conservatoire des Plantes MédicinalesIn Milly-la-Forêt
DirectionsConservatoire national des plantes à parfum, médicinales, aromatiques et industriellesIn Milly-la-Forêt
DirectionsSource: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) and Wikidata.
Neighbors
Next to Milly-la-Forêt
The nearest towns of 2,500 or more, colored by the share of their land in protected areas.
MaisseBoutigny-sur-EssonneLa Ferté-AlaisChampcueilCernyLe MalesherboisMilly-la-Forêt
Under 1%1–10 %10–25 %25–50 %50 %+
| Town | Protected | Woodland | Paths (km/km²) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Milly-la-Forêt | 100% | 53% | 1.9 |
| Maisse 2,797 · 6 km | 100% | 33% | 1.3 |
| Boutigny-sur-Essonne 3,146 · 7.3 km | 100% | 40% | 2 |
| La Ferté-Alais 3,731 · 12 km | 100% | 26% | 2.3 |
| Champcueil 2,854 · 12 km | 100% | 44% | 2.5 |
| Cerny 3,531 · 14 km | 100% | 41% | 1.2 |
| Le Malesherbois 8,016 · 14 km | 3.6% | 11% | 0.3 |
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 Milly-la-Forêt
Is Milly-la-Forêt in a national or regional nature park?
Yes: Milly-la-Forêt lies in Gâtinais Français Regional Nature Park (100% of the commune).
Are there good walks in Milly-la-Forêt?
OpenStreetMap maps 63 km of footpaths and tracks open on foot in the commune, 1.9 km per km² (the median compared town: 1.7 km per km²); 27 km of waymarked hiking routes cross it.
How much of Milly-la-Forêt is woodland?
53% of the commune is mapped woodland, private woods included; the median compared French town has 13%.
Is Milly-la-Forêt near the sea?
No: the coast is 192 km from the town center, as the crow flies.
When is the best time for walking in Milly-la-Forêt?
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.