First pick
Parc Sainte-Eugénie
Park or garden
3 ha1 km of path
15 minto walk all 1 km of path
1.2 km south-eastfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Nezdek · CC BY-SA 4.04.8%of the land protected
Outdoors in Montbrison · protected areas, woods and footpaths
Almost every home in Montbrison is within 800 m of a park or wood
5.7% of Montbrison is mapped woodland. Footpaths add up to 20 km across Montbrison (1.3 km per km²). Montbrison has 7 km of waymarked hiking routes. France has no Outdoors Grade yet: these are the figures, each beside the compared towns’ median.
Protected areas
4.8%
of the commune’s land
Compared town: 0.1%
Woodland
5.7%
of the land, mapped on OpenStreetMap
Compared town: 13%
Footpaths
20 km
1.3 km per km²
Compared town: 1.7 km per km²
Hiking routes
7.4 km
waymarked, GR and others
Compared town: 0.3 km per km²
Parks & woods
8
named, in or within 400 m of the commune
First: Parc Sainte-Eugénie
Throughout this page, the Loire 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 Montbrison 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 areas4.8%Share of the land in a national park, regional nature park, nature reserve or Natura 2000 site
65out of 100
Woodland5.7%Share of the land mapped as forest or woods on OpenStreetMap
26out of 100
Footpaths1.3 km per km²Km of mapped footpath and track open on foot, per km² of the commune
40out of 100
Hiking routes0.5 km per km²Km of waymarked hiking routes (GR and others), per km² of the commune
58out of 100
Percentiles among compared French towns; ties count half.
Towns its size
Montbrison has the 12th fewest footpaths per km² of 41 towns its size
The 40 compared French towns nearest in population (15,679 to 16,584 residents), by km of footpath per km². Hover for each one’s protected land and woods; click for its page.
From Vauréal (12.3 km per km²) to Gaillac (0.2 km per km²).
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Paths (km/km²) | Woodland | Protected | Coast | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vauréal Val-d'Oise | 12.3 | 19% | 0% | 121 km |
| 2 | Noisiel Seine-et-Marne | 9.5 | 32% | 0.1% | 162 km |
| 3 | Saint-Leu-la-Forêt Val-d'Oise | 8.5 | 36% | 0.5% | 131 km |
| 4 | Montévrain Seine-et-Marne | 7.3 | 11% | 0% | 165 km |
| 5 | Orsay Essonne | 7.3 | 27% | 0% | 157 km |
| 6 | Le Pecq Yvelines | 7.1 | 2.7% | 0% | 136 km |
| 7 | Verneuil-sur-Seine Yvelines | 5.4 | 24% | 0% | 123 km |
| 8 | Longwy Meurthe-et-Moselle | 5.1 | 15% | 0% | 275 km |
| 9 | Sainte-Luce-sur-Loire Loire-Atlantique | 4.7 | 12% | 11% | 45 km |
| 10 | Le Bourget Seine-Saint-Denis | 4.5 | 2.2% | 0% | 145 km |
| 11 | Domont Val-d'Oise | 4.5 | 28% | 0% | 133 km |
| 12 | Landerneau Finistère | 4.4 | 18% | 1.2% | On it |
| 13 | Hennebont Morbihan | 4 | 25% | 0% | On it |
| 14 | Trélazé Maine-et-Loire | 3.9 | 13% | 0% | 122 km |
| 15 | Saint-Pierre-des-Corps Indre-et-Loire | 3.8 | 6.9% | 9.3% | 186 km |
| 16 | Marseille 16e Bouches-du-Rhône | 3.4 | 8.2% | 0.2% | On it |
| 17 | Mennecy Essonne | 3.3 | 19% | 8.2% | 180 km |
| 18 | Ambérieu-en-Bugey Ain | 3.3 | 49% | 0% | 281 km |
| 19 | Saint-Julien-en-Genevois Haute-Savoie | 3.2 | 13% | 0% | 286 km |
| 20 | Vendôme Loir-et-Cher | 3.1 | 32% | 0% | 187 km |
| 21 | Lucé Eure-et-Loir | 3 | 2.6% | 0% | 137 km |
| 22 | Sin-le-Noble Nord | 2.7 | 12% | 0.1% | 90 km |
| 23 | Saint-Fargeau-Ponthierry Seine-et-Marne | 2.4 | 13% | 100% | 187 km |
| 24 | Rumilly Haute-Savoie | 2.3 | 18% | 0.7% | 262 km |
| 25 | Port-de-Bouc Bouches-du-Rhône | 2.1 | 14% | 28% | On it |
| 26 | Coulommiers Seine-et-Marne | 2 | 16% | 0% | 183 km |
| 27 | Saint-Amand-les-Eaux Nord | 1.9 | 43% | 100% | 93 km |
| 28 | Saint-Just-Saint-Rambert Loire | 1.7 | 23% | 13% | 216 km |
| 29 | Toul Meurthe-et-Moselle | 1.4 | 20% | 0.5% | 348 km |
| 30 | Montbrison Loire | 1.3 | 5.7% | 4.8% | 227 km |
| 31 | Hayange Moselle | 1.3 | 35% | 0% | 305 km |
| 32 | Les Herbiers Vendée | 1.1 | 6.5% | 0% | 62 km |
| 33 | Biscarrosse Landes | 1.1 | 65% | 20% | On it |
| 34 | Château-Gontier-sur-Mayenne Mayenne | 0.9 | 3.1% | 0% | 102 km |
| 35 | Châteaurenard Bouches-du-Rhône | 0.8 | 2.1% | 8.3% | 47 km |
| 36 | Mauguio Hérault | 0.8 | 1.4% | 49% | On it |
| 37 | Beaucaire Gard | 0.7 | 4.5% | 8.8% | 40 km |
| 38 | Pamiers Ariège | 0.6 | 16% | 1.1% | 118 km |
| 39 | Fos-sur-Mer Bouches-du-Rhône | 0.5 | 0.6% | 15% | On it |
| 40 | Montrevault-sur-Èvre Maine-et-Loire | 0.3 | 7.3% | 0% | 75 km |
| 41 | Gaillac Tarn | 0.2 | 4.9% | 0% | 132 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 Montbrison
Named parks, gardens and woods in the commune or within 400 m, the biggest and best-pathed first: Parc Sainte-Eugénie leads, at 3 ha. Directions go to a point inside.
Jardin d'Allard
Park or garden
1.7 ha1.2 km of path
15 minto walk all 1.2 km of path
Centralin the middle of Montbrison
Directionsto a point inside
Square Honoré d'Urfé
Park or garden
0.5 ha0.2 km of path
Centralin the middle of Montbrison
Directionsto a point inside
Terrain Volle
Park or garden
0.5 ha0.1 km of path
1.3 km north-westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Square Savignano
Park or garden · 330 m outside the commune
0.2 ha0.1 km of path
1.4 km eastfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL): named parks, gardens and woods; sizes are the whole site.
Protected areas
4.8% of Montbrison lies in protected areas
The protected areas reaching the commune, and the nearest: national parks, regional nature parks, nature reserves and Natura 2000 sites.
Natura 2000 site
Lignon, Vizezy, Anzon et leurs affluents
3.1% of the commune0 km from the center
Natura 2000 site
Plaine du Forez
1.7% of the commune2.3 km from the center
Share of the commune’s land
Any protected area4.8%
Natura 2000 site4.8%
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.
4.8% of Montbrison’s land is protected, more than in 65% of compared French towns; the median compared town in Loire has 1.2%.
Source: INPN / PatriNat, protected areas July 2026, Natura 2000 December 2024; shares of IGN’s commune boundary.
Footpaths and woods
20 km of footpaths and 7 km of hiking routes cross Montbrison
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
20 km
1.3 km per km²
Hiking routes
7.4 km
waymarked: 0.5 km per km²
Woodland
5.7%
about 0.9 km² of mapped woods
Km per km² of the commune · mapped on OpenStreetMap
MontbrisonLoire medianFrance median
Footpaths1.3
Hiking routes0.5
012 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
MontbrisonLoire medianFrance median
Woodland5.7%
0%50%100%
That is less than in 60% of compared French towns for footpaths per km², and for woodland less than in 74% 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 Montbrison is within 800 m of a mapped park or wood, as in most French towns.
Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), extracts of October 25, 2026 (Geofabrik).
When to get out
The best walking months in Montbrison: April, August and September
Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at Savigneux, 2.4 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) | 9.1 | 10.3 | 11.8 | 13.5 | 14.9 | 15.7 | 15.4 | 14.1 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.4 | 8.7 |
| High (°C) | 7 | 9 | 13 | 16 | 20 | 24 | 27 | 27 | 22 | 17 | 11 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 36 | 28 | 31 | 46 | 74 | 76 | 74 | 68 | 65 | 70 | 61 | 37 |
February is the driest month (28 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 27 °C). 76 mm of rain falls in June, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 85 nights a year. The climate in Montbrison →
Neighbors
Next to Montbrison
The nearest towns of 2,500 or more, colored by the share of their land in protected areas.
SavigneuxSaint-Romain-le-PuySury-le-ComtalMontrond-les-BainsSaint-Marcellin-en-ForezBonsonMontbrison
Under 1%1–10 %10–25 %25–50 %50 %+
| Town | Protected | Woodland | Paths (km/km²) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montbrison | 4.8% | 5.7% | 1.3 |
| Savigneux 3,509 · 1.6 km | 66% | 3% | 0.6 |
| Saint-Romain-le-Puy 4,142 · 7.3 km | 17% | 16% | 1.4 |
| Sury-le-Comtal 6,621 · 12 km | 0.6% | 2.4% | 0.5 |
| Montrond-les-Bains 5,652 · 14 km | 17% | 3.1% | 1.2 |
| Saint-Marcellin-en-Forez 5,116 · 15 km | 1.8% | 25% | 0.8 |
| Bonson 4,557 · 15 km | 7.9% | 9.6% | 1.1 |
Savigneux, Saint-Romain-le-Puy and Montrond-les-Bains have at least twice as much protected land. Saint-Marcellin-en-Forez is 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 Montbrison
Is Montbrison in a national or regional nature park?
No, but 4.8% of its land is in a nature reserve or a Natura 2000 site.
Are there good walks in Montbrison?
OpenStreetMap maps 20 km of footpaths and tracks open on foot in the commune, 1.3 km per km² (the median compared town: 1.7 km per km²); 7 km of waymarked hiking routes cross it.
How much of Montbrison is woodland?
5.7% of the commune is mapped woodland, private woods included; the median compared French town has 13%.
Is Montbrison near the sea?
No: the coast is 227 km from the town center, as the crow flies.
When is the best time for walking in Montbrison?
April, August and 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.