First pick
Bois de Boulogne
Park or garden
367 ha8.4 km of path
1 h 50 minto walk all 8.4 km of path
2.6 km westfrom the center
Digue de BoulogneLevée de Jouandin
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Marcel Delboy · Public domain37%of the land protected
Outdoors in Dax · protected areas, woods and footpaths
37% of Dax’s land is protected for nature
Footpaths add up to 49 km across Dax (2.5 km per km²). Mapped woodland covers 21% of Dax. Dax has 9 km of waymarked hiking routes. France has no Outdoors Grade yet: these are the figures, each beside the compared towns’ median.
Protected areas
37%
of the commune’s land
Compared town: 0.1%
Woodland
21%
of the land, mapped on OpenStreetMap
Compared town: 13%
Footpaths
49 km
2.5 km per km²
Compared town: 1.7 km per km²
Hiking routes
9.4 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 de Boulogne
The sea
30 km
from the town center to the coast
Throughout this page, the Landes 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 Dax 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 areas37%Share of the land in a national park, regional nature park, nature reserve or Natura 2000 site
84out of 100
Woodland21%Share of the land mapped as forest or woods on OpenStreetMap
65out of 100
Footpaths2.5 km per km²Km of mapped footpath and track open on foot, per km² of the commune
66out of 100
Hiking routes0.5 km per km²Km of waymarked hiking routes (GR and others), per km² of the commune
60out of 100
Percentiles among compared French towns; ties count half.
Towns its size
Dax has the 15th fewest footpaths per km² of 41 towns its size
The 40 compared French towns nearest in population (21,424 to 22,858 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 | Montigny-lès-Cormeilles Val-d'Oise | 7 | 17% | 0% | 130 km |
| 8 | Longjumeau Essonne | 5.9 | 4.2% | 0% | 163 km |
| 9 | Saint-Michel-sur-Orge Essonne | 5.3 | 6.7% | 0% | 168 km |
| 10 | Loos Nord | 5 | 4.6% | 0% | 63 km |
| 11 | Fleury-les-Aubrais Loiret | 4.9 | 16% | 0% | 203 km |
| 12 | Montigny-lès-Metz Moselle | 4.9 | 3.4% | 0% | 329 km |
| 13 | Sainte-Foy-lès-Lyon Rhône | 4.8 | 10% | 0% | 249 km |
| 14 | Bruay-la-Buissière Pas-de-Calais | 4.5 | 22% | 0% | 61 km |
| 15 | Lagny-sur-Marne Seine-et-Marne | 4 | 5.7% | 0% | 163 km |
| 16 | Montmorency Val-d'Oise | 3.8 | 20% | 0% | 136 km |
| 17 | Morsang-sur-Orge Essonne | 3.8 | 3.4% | 0% | 168 km |
| 18 | Gardanne Bouches-du-Rhône | 3.8 | 38% | 0% | 16 km |
| 19 | Achères Yvelines | 3.7 | 3.4% | 0% | 129 km |
| 20 | Neuilly-Plaisance Seine-Saint-Denis | 3.6 | 14% | 14% | 156 km |
| 21 | Allauch Bouches-du-Rhône | 3.4 | 28% | 65% | 9.7 km |
| 22 | Le Petit-Quevilly Seine-Maritime | 3.3 | 0% | 0% | 51 km |
| 23 | Nogent-sur-Oise Oise | 3.3 | 19% | 0% | 115 km |
| 24 | Voiron Isère | 3.3 | 28% | 0% | 220 km |
| 25 | Saint-Louis Haut-Rhin | 2.9 | 8.5% | 18% | 423 km |
| 26 | Mandelieu-la-Napoule Alpes-Maritimes | 2.9 | 48% | 0.1% | On it |
| 27 | Dax Landes | 2.5 | 21% | 37% | 30 km |
| 28 | Mantes-la-Ville Yvelines | 2.5 | 7.2% | 0% | 111 km |
| 29 | Oyonnax Ain | 2.4 | 59% | 0% | 312 km |
| 30 | Les Pennes-Mirabeau Bouches-du-Rhône | 2.4 | 11% | 0% | 4.3 km |
| 31 | Manosque Alpes-de-Haute-Provence | 2.2 | 26% | 100% | 64 km |
| 32 | Montereau-Fault-Yonne Seine-et-Marne | 2.2 | 4.3% | 8.8% | 217 km |
| 33 | Saint-Dizier Haute-Marne | 2.1 | 47% | 0% | 293 km |
| 34 | Millau Aveyron | 2 | 35% | 100% | 91 km |
| 35 | Hazebrouck Nord | 1.7 | 0.7% | 0% | 37 km |
| 36 | Épernay Marne | 1.7 | 44% | 7.2% | 208 km |
| 37 | Auch Gers | 1.6 | 18% | 0% | 161 km |
| 38 | Gujan-Mestras Gironde | 1.4 | 48% | 0.3% | On it |
| 39 | Abbeville Somme | 1.3 | 11% | 100% | 14 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 Dax
Named parks, gardens and woods in the commune or within 400 m, the biggest and best-pathed first: Bois de Boulogne leads, at 367 ha. Directions go to a point inside.
Parc Théodore Denis
Park or garden
3.3 ha1.4 km of path
20 minto walk all 1.4 km of path
1.1 km northfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Parc du Sarrat
Park or garden
3.7 ha0.6 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.6 km of path
Centralin the middle of Dax
Directionsto a point inside
Parc de l'Arieulère
Park or garden · 90 m outside the commune
2.2 ha
1.5 km southfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Parc de Mantes
Park or garden
1.1 ha0.5 km of path
5 minto walk all 0.5 km of path
2.1 km south-westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Parc Camille Dussarthou
Park or garden · 240 m outside the commune
0.6 ha0.4 km of path
2.4 km northfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Parc de l'Église
Park or garden · 150 m outside the commune
0.5 ha0.3 km of path
2.2 km northfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Jardins des eaux
Park or garden · 160 m outside the commune
0.5 ha0.2 km of path
2.3 km northfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
All 10 named parks, gardens and woods
Bois de BoulognePark or garden · 367 ha · 8.4 km of path
DirectionsParc Théodore DenisPark or garden · 3.3 ha · 1.4 km of path
DirectionsParc du SarratPark or garden · 3.7 ha · 0.6 km of path
DirectionsParc de l'ArieulèrePark or garden · 2.2 ha · just outside
DirectionsParc de MantesPark or garden · 1.1 ha · 0.5 km of path
DirectionsParc Camille DussarthouPark or garden · 0.6 ha · 0.4 km of path · just outside
DirectionsParc de l'ÉglisePark or garden · 0.5 ha · 0.3 km of path · just outside
DirectionsJardins des eauxPark or garden · 0.5 ha · 0.2 km of path · just outside
DirectionsSquare Max MorasPark or garden · 0.7 ha
DirectionsJardin de la PotinièrePark or garden · 0.3 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsSource: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL): named parks, gardens and woods; sizes are the whole site.
Protected areas
Protected land in and around Dax
The protected areas reaching the commune, and the nearest: national parks, regional nature parks, nature reserves and Natura 2000 sites.
Natura 2000 site
Barthes de l’Adour
30% of the commune1.5 km from the center
Natura 2000 site
Barthes de l’Adour
30% of the commune0.9 km from the center
Natura 2000 site
L’Adour
4.2% of the commune1 km from the center
Share of the commune’s land
Any protected area37%
Natura 2000 site37%
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.
37% of Dax’s land is protected, more than in 84% of compared French towns; the median compared town in Landes has 8.2%.
Source: INPN / PatriNat, protected areas July 2026, Natura 2000 December 2024; shares of IGN’s commune boundary.
Footpaths and woods
49 km of footpaths and 9 km of hiking routes cross Dax
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
49 km
2.5 km per km²
Hiking routes
9.4 km
waymarked: 0.5 km per km²
Woodland
21%
about 4.2 km² of mapped woods
Km per km² of the commune · mapped on OpenStreetMap
DaxLandes medianFrance median
Footpaths2.5
Hiking routes0.5
01.53 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
DaxLandes medianFrance median
Woodland21%
0%50%100%
That is more than in 66% of compared French towns for footpaths per km², and for woodland more than in 65% of compared French towns. Hiking routes often follow paths and lanes already counted, so the two lengths overlap: don’t add them. 99% of Dax’s residents live within 800 m of a mapped park or wood, close to the typical town.
2 named hiking routes within 2 km
Other named walk
Sentier de l'Adour (Landes)5.3 km
Randonnée d'Angoumée aux tourbières de Mées1.4 km
Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), extracts of October 25, 2026 (Geofabrik).
When to get out
The best walking months in Dax: April to September
Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at Dax, 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) | 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) | 12 | 13 | 17 | 19 | 22 | 25 | 27 | 28 | 25 | 21 | 15 | 12 |
| Rain (mm) | 113 | 90 | 86 | 104 | 93 | 74 | 63 | 63 | 89 | 108 | 157 | 117 |
July is the driest month (63 mm) and August the warmest (highs of 28 °C). 157 mm of rain falls in November, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 26 nights a year. The climate in Dax →
Neighbors
Next to Dax
The nearest towns of 2,500 or more, colored by the share of their land in protected areas.
Saint-Paul-lès-DaxNarrosseSaint-Vincent-de-PaulPouillonPontonx-sur-l'AdourSaint-Geours-de-MaremneDax
Under 1%1–10 %10–25 %25–50 %50 %+
| Town | Protected | Woodland | Paths (km/km²) | Coast |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dax | 37% | 21% | 2.5 | 30 km |
| Saint-Paul-lès-Dax 14,481 · 3.2 km | 5.3% | 62% | 1.6 | 29 km |
| Narrosse 3,387 · 3.3 km | 10% | 25% | 1 | 34 km |
| Saint-Vincent-de-Paul 3,402 · 7.4 km | 21% | 62% | 0.7 | 34 km |
| Pouillon 3,134 · 12 km | 0% | 30% | 0.4 | 36 km |
| Pontonx-sur-l'Adour 3,021 · 14 km | 13% | 60% | 0.8 | 38 km |
| Saint-Geours-de-Maremne 3,089 · 14 km | 2.1% | 40% | 0.9 | 17 km |
Saint-Paul-lès-Dax, Saint-Vincent-de-Paul and Pontonx-sur-l'Adour 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 Dax
Is Dax in a national or regional nature park?
No, but 37% of its land is in a nature reserve or a Natura 2000 site.
Are there good walks in Dax?
OpenStreetMap maps 49 km of footpaths and tracks open on foot in the commune, 2.5 km per km² (the median compared town: 1.7 km per km²); 9 km of waymarked hiking routes cross it.
How much of Dax is woodland?
21% of the commune is mapped woodland, private woods included; the median compared French town has 13%.
Is Dax near the sea?
No: the coast is 30 km from the town center, as the crow flies.
When is the best time for walking in Dax?
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.