First pick
Jardin public
Park or garden
0.2 ha0.2 km of path
Centralin the middle of Ganges
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: B. Mulckhuijse · CC BY-SA 4.065%of the land protected
Outdoors in Ganges · protected areas, woods and footpaths
65% of Ganges’ land is protected for nature
Waymarked hiking routes add up to 9 km in Ganges. Mapped woodland covers 30% of Ganges. Footpaths add up to 15 km across Ganges (2 km per km²). France has no Outdoors Grade yet: these are the figures, each beside the compared towns’ median.
Protected areas
65%
of the commune’s land
Compared town: 0.1%
Woodland
30%
of the land, mapped on OpenStreetMap
Compared town: 13%
Footpaths
15 km
2 km per km²
Compared town: 1.7 km per km²
Hiking routes
8.6 km
waymarked, GR and others
Compared town: 0.3 km per km²
Parks & woods
1
named, in or within 400 m of the commune
First: Jardin public
The sea
48 km
from the town center to the coast
Throughout this page, the Hérault 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 Ganges?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and less good.
Protected countryside65% of the land lies in protected areas.On waymarked routes9 km of GR and other hiking routes cross the commune.A wooded commune30% mapped woodland, more than in 76% of compared French towns, against 13% for the median compared town.
What sets Ganges apart: its protected countryside, then its hiking routes.
Against French towns
How Ganges 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 areas65%Share of the land in a national park, regional nature park, nature reserve or Natura 2000 site
89out of 100
Woodland30%Share of the land mapped as forest or woods on OpenStreetMap
76out of 100
Footpaths2 km per km²Km of mapped footpath and track open on foot, per km² of the commune
59out 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
Ganges has the 13th most footpaths per km² of 41 towns its size
The 40 compared French towns nearest in population (3,692 to 3,754 residents), by km of footpath per km². Hover for each one’s protected land and woods; click for its page.
From Sochaux (5.8 km per km²) to Montastruc-la-Conseillère (0.2 km per km²).
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Paths (km/km²) | Woodland | Protected | Coast | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sochaux Doubs | 5.8 | 6.7% | 0% | 418 km |
| 2 | Bailly Yvelines | 5.5 | 31% | 0% | 140 km |
| 3 | Cabourg Calvados | 4.3 | 0.4% | 0% | 0.8 km |
| 4 | Doussard Haute-Savoie | 2.7 | 53% | 100% | 244 km |
| 5 | Pélussin Loire | 2.7 | 50% | 100% | 212 km |
| 6 | Bohars Finistère | 2.6 | 11% | 0% | 3.3 km |
| 7 | Lourches Nord | 2.5 | 5.6% | 0% | 103 km |
| 8 | Blanzat Puy-de-Dôme | 2.5 | 24% | 0.1% | 263 km |
| 9 | La Ferté-Alais Essonne | 2.3 | 26% | 100% | 181 km |
| 10 | Les Rousses Jura | 2.3 | 52% | 100% | 321 km |
| 11 | Saint-Hippolyte-du-Fort Gard | 2.2 | 38% | 58% | 47 km |
| 12 | Audierne Finistère | 2.2 | 16% | 12% | On it |
| 13 | Ganges Hérault | 2 | 30% | 65% | 48 km |
| 14 | Latresne Gironde | 1.7 | 8.9% | 21% | 25 km |
| 15 | Malville Loire-Atlantique | 1.7 | 17% | 1.9% | 24 km |
| 16 | Veyre-Monton Puy-de-Dôme | 1.5 | 6.6% | 1.6% | 245 km |
| 17 | Isneauville Seine-Maritime | 1.5 | 6.7% | 0% | 47 km |
| 18 | Torreilles Pyrénées-Orientales | 1.5 | 0.4% | 20% | On it |
| 19 | La Rivière-de-Corps Aube | 1.3 | 4.3% | 0% | 271 km |
| 20 | Varennes-sur-Seine Seine-et-Marne | 1.3 | 1.7% | 38% | 218 km |
| 21 | Rœulx Nord | 1.2 | 0.4% | 0% | 103 km |
| 22 | Moncé-en-Belin Sarthe | 1.1 | 34% | 0% | 141 km |
| 23 | Plobannalec-Lesconil Finistère | 1.1 | 3.3% | 0% | On it |
| 24 | Saïx Tarn | 0.9 | 12% | 3.3% | 93 km |
| 25 | Houdan Yvelines | 0.9 | 1.9% | 0% | 115 km |
| 26 | Morschwiller-le-Bas Haut-Rhin | 0.9 | 9.4% | 13% | 439 km |
| 27 | Bouzonville Moselle | 0.8 | 27% | 2.8% | 332 km |
| 28 | Flassans-sur-Issole Var | 0.7 | 58% | 0.8% | 28 km |
| 29 | Objat Corrèze | 0.7 | 8.2% | 0% | 160 km |
| 30 | Bouxwiller Bas-Rhin | 0.7 | 11% | 0.3% | 418 km |
| 31 | Pannes Loiret | 0.7 | 8.9% | 0% | 233 km |
| 32 | Peyrehorade Landes | 0.6 | 36% | 0% | 29 km |
| 33 | Bonnétable Sarthe | 0.6 | 34% | 0% | 130 km |
| 34 | Vouillé Vienne | 0.5 | 21% | 0% | 107 km |
| 35 | Montamisé Vienne | 0.5 | 37% | 38% | 124 km |
| 36 | Sartène Corse-du-Sud | 0.4 | 17% | 39% | On it |
| 37 | Labastide-Saint-Pierre Tarn-et-Garonne | 0.4 | 3.4% | 1.5% | 169 km |
| 38 | Ribérac Dordogne | 0.3 | 9% | 12% | 77 km |
| 39 | Ardentes Indre | 0.3 | 24% | 0% | 231 km |
| 40 | Montreuil-Bellay Maine-et-Loire | 0.2 | 8.5% | 100% | 119 km |
| 41 | Montastruc-la-Conseillère Haute-Garonne | 0.2 | 8.4% | 0% | 142 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 Ganges
Named parks, gardens and woods in the commune or within 400 m, the biggest and best-pathed first: Jardin public leads, at 0.2 ha. Directions go to a point inside.
Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL): named parks, gardens and woods; sizes are the whole site.
Protected areas
Protected land in and around Ganges
The protected areas reaching the commune, and the nearest: national parks, regional nature parks, nature reserves and Natura 2000 sites.
National park, outer area
Cévennes National Park
1.7 km from the town center
Nature reserve
Combe Chaude nature reserve
2.7 km from the town center
Natura 2000 site
Gorges de Rieutord, Fage et Cagnasse
65% of the commune0.5 km from the center
Share of the commune’s land
Any protected area65%
National park, outer area0.1%
Natura 2000 site65%
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.
65% of Ganges’ land is protected, more than in 89% of compared French towns; the median compared town in Hérault has 12%. A national park’s outer area (aire d’adhésion) is made of the communes that signed the park’s charter: it guides how they grow, but it isn’t strict protection like the core.
Source: INPN / PatriNat, protected areas July 2026, Natura 2000 December 2024; shares of IGN’s commune boundary.
Footpaths and woods
15 km of footpaths and 9 km of hiking routes cross Ganges
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
15 km
2 km per km²
Hiking routes
8.6 km
waymarked: 1.2 km per km²
Woodland
30%
about 2.2 km² of mapped woods
Km per km² of the commune · mapped on OpenStreetMap
GangesHérault medianFrance median
Footpaths2
Hiking routes1.2
01.53 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
GangesHérault medianFrance median
Woodland30%
0%50%100%
That is more than in 59% of compared French towns for footpaths per km², and for woodland more than in 76% 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 Ganges is within 800 m of a mapped park or wood, as in most French towns.
3 named hiking routes within 2 km
GR (long-distance)PR (local walk)
GR 6011 km
PR 2210 km
PR Plateau du Thaurac2.3 km
GR 60 passes within 2 km of Ganges.
Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), extracts of October 25, 2026 (Geofabrik).
When to get out
The best walking months in Ganges: April to June
Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at Le Vigan, 9.9 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) | 9.2 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.7 | 15.5 | 15.2 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 8.9 |
| High (°C) | 11 | 12 | 16 | 18 | 23 | 27 | 31 | 30 | 25 | 20 | 14 | 11 |
| Rain (mm) | 139 | 90 | 101 | 120 | 106 | 72 | 40 | 53 | 170 | 227 | 222 | 155 |
July is the driest month (40 mm) and the warmest (highs of 31 °C). 227 mm of rain falls in October, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 50 nights a year. Summer highs reach 31 °C, too hot for the outline. The climate in Ganges →
Neighbors
Next to Ganges
The nearest towns of 2,500 or more, colored by the share of their land in protected areas.
Le ViganSaint-Hippolyte-du-FortSaint-Martin-de-LondresSaint-Mathieu-de-TréviersQuissacSaint-Jean-du-GardGanges
Under 1%1–10 %10–25 %25–50 %50 %+
| Town | Protected | Woodland | Paths (km/km²) | Coast |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ganges | 65% | 30% | 2 | 48 km |
| Le Vigan 3,863 · 10 km | 100% | 68% | 1.7 | 57 km |
| Saint-Hippolyte-du-Fort 3,737 · 12 km | 58% | 38% | 2.2 | 47 km |
| Saint-Martin-de-Londres 2,696 · 16 km | 100% | 17% | 1.6 | 33 km |
| Saint-Mathieu-de-Tréviers 4,979 · 23 km | 66% | 48% | 2.6 | 26 km |
| Quissac 3,528 · 23 km | 0% | 46% | 2.8 | 39 km |
| Saint-Jean-du-Gard 2,586 · 23 km | 100% | 84% | 1.4 | 62 km |
Le Vigan, Saint-Mathieu-de-Tréviers and Quissac 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 Ganges
Is Ganges in a national or regional nature park?
No, but 65% of its land is in a nature reserve or a Natura 2000 site.
Are there good walks in Ganges?
OpenStreetMap maps 15 km of footpaths and tracks open on foot in the commune, 2 km per km² (the median compared town: 1.7 km per km²); 9 km of waymarked hiking routes cross it.
How much of Ganges is woodland?
30% of the commune is mapped woodland, private woods included; the median compared French town has 13%.
Is Ganges near the sea?
No: the coast is 48 km from the town center, as the crow flies.
When is the best time for walking in Ganges?
April to June: 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.