First pick
Bois d'Auch
Wood or forest
253 ha12.9 km of path
2 h 55 minto walk all 12.9 km of path
6 km westfrom the center
Chemin des Taps
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Elgaard · CC BY-SA 4.018%woodland
Outdoors in Auch · protected areas, woods and footpaths
Almost every home in Auch is within 800 m of a park or wood
No protected area reaches Auch; the nearest, Vallée et coteaux de la Lauze (Natura 2000), is 16 km from the town center. 18% of Auch is mapped woodland. Waymarked hiking routes add up to 28 km in Auch. 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: Vallée et coteaux de la Lauze, 16 km
Woodland
18%
of the land, mapped on OpenStreetMap
Compared town: 13%
Footpaths
116 km
1.6 km per km²
Compared town: 1.7 km per km²
Hiking routes
28 km
waymarked, GR and others
Compared town: 0.3 km per km²
Parks & woods
12
named, in or within 400 m of the commune
First: Bois d'Auch
Throughout this page, the Gers 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 Auch 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
Woodland18%Share of the land mapped as forest or woods on OpenStreetMap
59out of 100
Footpaths1.6 km per km²Km of mapped footpath and track open on foot, per km² of the commune
48out of 100
Hiking routes0.4 km per km²Km of waymarked hiking routes (GR and others), per km² of the commune
53out of 100
Percentiles among compared French towns; ties count half.
Towns its size
Auch has the 6th fewest footpaths per km² of 41 towns its size
The 40 compared French towns nearest in population (21,692 to 23,200 residents), by km of footpath per km². Hover for each one’s protected land and woods; click for its page.
From Torcy (11 km per km²) to Chemillé-en-Anjou (0.4 km per km²).
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Paths (km/km²) | Woodland | Protected | Coast | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Torcy Seine-et-Marne | 11 | 17% | 0% | 163 km |
| 2 | Sèvres Hauts-de-Seine | 8.9 | 24% | 0% | 147 km |
| 3 | Arcueil Val-de-Marne | 8.8 | 3.2% | 0% | 153 km |
| 4 | La Madeleine Nord | 8.6 | 0.6% | 0% | 61 km |
| 5 | Fontaine Isère | 8.1 | 37% | 39% | 204 km |
| 6 | Gif-sur-Yvette Essonne | 7.8 | 28% | 60% | 153 km |
| 7 | Vélizy-Villacoublay Yvelines | 7.6 | 33% | 0% | 150 km |
| 8 | Montigny-lès-Cormeilles Val-d'Oise | 7 | 17% | 0% | 130 km |
| 9 | Longjumeau Essonne | 5.9 | 4.2% | 0% | 163 km |
| 10 | Saint-Michel-sur-Orge Essonne | 5.3 | 6.7% | 0% | 168 km |
| 11 | Loos Nord | 5 | 4.6% | 0% | 63 km |
| 12 | Saint-Jean-de-Braye Loiret | 5 | 16% | 4.3% | 207 km |
| 13 | Fleury-les-Aubrais Loiret | 4.9 | 16% | 0% | 203 km |
| 14 | Montigny-lès-Metz Moselle | 4.9 | 3.4% | 0% | 329 km |
| 15 | Sainte-Foy-lès-Lyon Rhône | 4.8 | 10% | 0% | 249 km |
| 16 | Deuil-la-Barre Val-d'Oise | 4.6 | 6.1% | 0% | 138 km |
| 17 | Montmorency Val-d'Oise | 3.8 | 20% | 0% | 136 km |
| 18 | Achères Yvelines | 3.7 | 3.4% | 0% | 129 km |
| 19 | Neuilly-Plaisance Seine-Saint-Denis | 3.6 | 14% | 14% | 156 km |
| 20 | Le Petit-Quevilly Seine-Maritime | 3.3 | 0% | 0% | 51 km |
| 21 | Nogent-sur-Oise Oise | 3.3 | 19% | 0% | 115 km |
| 22 | Voiron Isère | 3.3 | 28% | 0% | 220 km |
| 23 | Tassin-la-Demi-Lune Rhône | 3.2 | 18% | 0% | 250 km |
| 24 | Saint-Louis Haut-Rhin | 2.9 | 8.5% | 18% | 423 km |
| 25 | Maisons-Laffitte Yvelines | 2.6 | 6.5% | 0% | 133 km |
| 26 | Dax Landes | 2.5 | 21% | 37% | 30 km |
| 27 | Mantes-la-Ville Yvelines | 2.5 | 7.2% | 0% | 111 km |
| 28 | Oyonnax Ain | 2.4 | 59% | 0% | 312 km |
| 29 | Les Pennes-Mirabeau Bouches-du-Rhône | 2.4 | 11% | 0% | 4.3 km |
| 30 | Manosque Alpes-de-Haute-Provence | 2.2 | 26% | 100% | 64 km |
| 31 | Montereau-Fault-Yonne Seine-et-Marne | 2.2 | 4.3% | 8.8% | 217 km |
| 32 | Saint-Dizier Haute-Marne | 2.1 | 47% | 0% | 293 km |
| 33 | Millau Aveyron | 2 | 35% | 100% | 91 km |
| 34 | Hazebrouck Nord | 1.7 | 0.7% | 0% | 37 km |
| 35 | Épernay Marne | 1.7 | 44% | 7.2% | 208 km |
| 36 | Auch Gers | 1.6 | 18% | 0% | 161 km |
| 37 | Gujan-Mestras Gironde | 1.4 | 48% | 0.3% | On it |
| 38 | Abbeville Somme | 1.3 | 11% | 100% | 14 km |
| 39 | Challans Vendée | 0.9 | 10% | 0.9% | 15 km |
| 40 | Villeneuve-sur-Lot Lot-et-Garonne | 0.5 | 11% | 0.9% | 123 km |
| 41 | Chemillé-en-Anjou Maine-et-Loire | 0.4 | 4.3% | 0% | 98 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 Auch
Named parks, gardens and woods in the commune or within 400 m, the biggest and best-pathed first: Bois d'Auch leads, at 253 ha. Directions go to a point inside.
Forêt de Saint-Cricq
Wood or forest
64 ha3.7 km of path
50 minto walk all 3.7 km of path
4.2 km north-eastfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Parc d’Endoumingue
Park or garden
11 ha0.3 km of path
1.7 km northfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Parc de l'Hôtel du Département
Park or garden
8.1 ha1.4 km of path
20 minto walk all 1.4 km of path
1.2 km south-eastfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Bois du Couget
Wood or forest
18 ha2.6 km of path
35 minto walk all 2.6 km of path
2.8 km southfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Parc du Couloumé
Park or garden
6.5 ha1.9 km of path
25 minto walk all 1.9 km of path
1.1 km northfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Parc de la Boubée
Park or garden
1.1 ha0.5 km of path
1.2 km south-eastfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
All 12 named parks, gardens and woods
Bois d'AuchWood or forest · 253 ha · 12.9 km of path
DirectionsForêt de Saint-CricqWood or forest · 64 ha · 3.7 km of path
DirectionsParc d’EndouminguePark or garden · 11 ha · 0.3 km of path
DirectionsParc de l'Hôtel du DépartementPark or garden · 8.1 ha · 1.4 km of path
DirectionsBois du CougetWood or forest · 18 ha · 2.6 km of path
DirectionsParc du CoulouméPark or garden · 6.5 ha · 1.9 km of path
DirectionsBois de las TutosWood or forest · 24 ha
DirectionsParc de la BoubéePark or garden · 1.1 ha · 0.5 km of path
DirectionsJardin Quentin OrtholanPark or garden · 0.8 ha · 0.5 km of path
DirectionsJardin de l'Allée BaylacPark or garden · 0.3 ha · 0.3 km of path
DirectionsSquare Jérôme CuzinPark or garden · 0.3 ha · 0.3 km of path
DirectionsLe Jardin JoyeuxPark or garden · 0.4 ha
DirectionsSource: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL): named parks, gardens and woods; sizes are the whole site.
Protected areas
Vallée et coteaux de la Lauze is the nearest protected area, 16 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
Vallée et coteaux de la Lauze
16 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
116 km of footpaths and 28 km of hiking routes cross Auch
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
116 km
1.6 km per km²
Hiking routes
28 km
waymarked: 0.4 km per km²
Woodland
18%
about 13.1 km² of mapped woods
Km per km² of the commune · mapped on OpenStreetMap
AuchGers medianFrance median
Footpaths1.6
Hiking routes0.4
012 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
AuchGers medianFrance median
Woodland18%
0%50%100%
That is less than in 52% of compared French towns for footpaths per km², and for woodland more than in 59% 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 Auch is within 800 m of a mapped park or wood, as in most French towns.
7 named hiking routes within 2 km
Other named walk
Cœur de Gascogne16 km
Sentier VTT Montégut9.2 km
Circuit de la carrière de Montégut8.4 km
Circuit du chateau de Montégut6.2 km
Promenade Claude Desbons3.9 km
Sentier Pédagogique Jaune3.7 km
Sentier Pédagogique Bleu1.8 km
Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), extracts of October 25, 2026 (Geofabrik).
When to get out
The best walking months in Auch: April and June to September
Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at Auch, 4.8 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) | 9.3 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.7 | 15.4 | 15.1 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 8.9 |
| High (°C) | 10 | 12 | 15 | 18 | 22 | 25 | 28 | 28 | 25 | 20 | 14 | 11 |
| Rain (mm) | 62 | 46 | 50 | 64 | 73 | 59 | 55 | 56 | 53 | 56 | 64 | 59 |
February is the driest month (46 mm) and August the warmest (highs of 28 °C). 73 mm of rain falls in May, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 46 nights a year. The climate in Auch →
Gardens
2 gardens to visit in Auch
Named gardens in the commune.
Jardin OrtholanIn Auch
DirectionsSquare Jérôme-CuzinIn Auch
DirectionsSource: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) and Wikidata.
Neighbors
Next to Auch
The nearest towns of 2,500 or more, colored by the share of their land in protected areas.
PavieMirandeFleuranceGimontVic-FezensacAuch
Under 1%1–10 %10–25 %25–50 %50 %+
| Town | Protected | Woodland | Paths (km/km²) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Auch | 0% | 18% | 1.6 |
| Pavie 2,566 · 4.2 km | 0% | 23% | 1.9 |
| Mirande 3,457 · 21 km | 0% | 20% | 0.8 |
| Fleurance 6,247 · 23 km | 0% | 10% | 0.4 |
| Gimont 3,146 · 23 km | 0% | 6.2% | 0.4 |
| Vic-Fezensac 3,577 · 26 km | 0% | 13% | 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 Auch
Is Auch in a national or regional nature park?
No. The nearest protected area is Vallée et coteaux de la Lauze, 16 km from the town center.
Are there good walks in Auch?
OpenStreetMap maps 116 km of footpaths and tracks open on foot in the commune, 1.6 km per km² (the median compared town: 1.7 km per km²); 28 km of waymarked hiking routes cross it.
How much of Auch is woodland?
18% of the commune is mapped woodland, private woods included; the median compared French town has 13%.
Is Auch near the sea?
No: the coast is 161 km from the town center, as the crow flies.
When is the best time for walking in Auch?
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.