First pick
Bois du Four
Wood or forest · 50 m outside the commune
390 ha4.5 km of path
1 hto walk all 4.5 km of path
12 km westfrom the center
Chemin de FontclauzeChemin du Châtelet et Joannade
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: The original uploader was Graooor at French Wikipedia . · CC BY-SA 1.033%of the land protected
Outdoors in Saint-Étienne · protected areas, woods and footpaths
33% of Saint-Étienne’s land is protected for nature
Saint-Étienne has 127 km of waymarked hiking routes. Footpaths add up to 284 km across Saint-Étienne (3.5 km per km²). Mapped woodland covers 31% of Saint-Étienne. France has no Outdoors Grade yet: these are the figures, each beside the compared towns’ median.
Protected areas
33%
of the commune’s land
Compared town: 0.1%
Woodland
31%
of the land, mapped on OpenStreetMap
Compared town: 13%
Footpaths
284 km
3.5 km per km²
Compared town: 1.7 km per km²
Hiking routes
127 km
waymarked, GR and others
Compared town: 0.3 km per km²
Parks & woods
30
named, in or within 400 m of the commune
First: Bois du Four
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.
What kind of place
What kind of outdoors place is Saint-Étienne?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and less good.
Protected countryside33% of the land lies in protected areas.On waymarked routes127 km of GR and other hiking routes cross the commune.A place of footpaths3.5 km per km² of mapped footpath, against 1.7 km per km² for the median compared town.A wooded commune31% mapped woodland, more than in 77% of compared French towns, against 13% for the median compared town.
What sets Saint-Étienne apart: its protected countryside, then its hiking routes.
Against French towns
How Saint-Étienne 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 areas33%Share of the land in a national park, regional nature park, nature reserve or Natura 2000 site
83out of 100
Woodland31%Share of the land mapped as forest or woods on OpenStreetMap
77out of 100
Footpaths3.5 km per km²Km of mapped footpath and track open on foot, per km² of the commune
80out of 100
Hiking routes1.6 km per km²Km of waymarked hiking routes (GR and others), per km² of the commune
93out of 100
Percentiles among compared French towns; ties count half.
Towns its size
Saint-Étienne has the 7th fewest footpaths per km² of 41 towns its size
The 40 compared French towns nearest in population (108,088 to 267,991 residents), by km of footpath per km². Hover for each one’s protected land and woods; click for its page.
From Paris 12e (16.7 km per km²) to Nîmes (1.3 km per km²).
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Paths (km/km²) | Woodland | Protected | Coast | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paris 12e Paris | 16.7 | 30% | 0% | 153 km |
| 2 | Paris 16e Paris | 11.9 | 25% | 0% | 147 km |
| 3 | Grenoble Isère | 11.6 | 4.6% | 0% | 204 km |
| 4 | Paris 19e Paris | 11.1 | 2.1% | 0% | 148 km |
| 5 | Paris 20e Paris | 10.9 | 0.1% | 0% | 151 km |
| 6 | Rennes Ille-et-Vilaine | 10.8 | 6.4% | 0% | 49 km |
| 7 | Paris 14e Paris | 10.6 | 0.4% | 0% | 151 km |
| 8 | Paris 15e Paris | 9.6 | 0% | 0% | 149 km |
| 9 | Paris 13e Paris | 9.2 | 0.4% | 0% | 152 km |
| 10 | Caen Calvados | 8.1 | 2.4% | 0% | 14 km |
| 11 | Tours Indre-et-Loire | 7.8 | 6.3% | 4.7% | 184 km |
| 12 | Lille Nord | 7.7 | 2.3% | 0% | 62 km |
| 13 | Villeurbanne Rhône | 7.4 | 2.8% | 0.3% | 253 km |
| 14 | Saint-Denis Seine-Saint-Denis | 7 | 2.4% | 1.8% | 142 km |
| 15 | Metz Moselle | 6.8 | 8% | 0% | 329 km |
| 16 | Angers Maine-et-Loire | 6.3 | 5.6% | 17% | 118 km |
| 17 | Orléans Loiret | 6.3 | 5.4% | 4.3% | 206 km |
| 18 | Boulogne-Billancourt Hauts-de-Seine | 6 | 2% | 0% | 147 km |
| 19 | Dijon Côte-d'Or | 6 | 6.5% | 0% | 402 km |
| 20 | Brest Finistère | 5.9 | 6.7% | 0% | On it |
| 21 | Le Mans Sarthe | 5.5 | 6.6% | 0% | 135 km |
| 22 | Paris 11e Paris | 5.4 | 0% | 0% | 150 km |
| 23 | Besançon Doubs | 5.3 | 37% | 0.6% | 402 km |
| 24 | Montreuil Seine-Saint-Denis | 5.2 | 1.8% | 4.7% | 153 km |
| 25 | Rouen Seine-Maritime | 5.1 | 6.2% | 0% | 53 km |
| 26 | Paris 17e Paris | 5.1 | 0.2% | 0% | 145 km |
| 27 | Bordeaux Gironde | 4.9 | 1.2% | 10% | 18 km |
| 28 | Reims Marne | 4.8 | 2.1% | 1.1% | 199 km |
| 29 | Annecy Haute-Savoie | 4.6 | 29% | 0.2% | 260 km |
| 30 | Paris 18e Paris | 4.4 | 0.5% | 0% | 146 km |
| 31 | Amiens Somme | 3.8 | 3% | 0.7% | 55 km |
| 32 | Clermont-Ferrand Puy-de-Dôme | 3.7 | 4.6% | 0.7% | 258 km |
| 33 | Le Havre Seine-Maritime | 3.6 | 5.8% | 3.3% | On it |
| 34 | Toulon Var | 3.6 | 23% | 26% | On it |
| 35 | Saint-Étienne Loire | 3.5 | 31% | 33% | 210 km |
| 36 | Limoges Haute-Vienne | 3.3 | 15% | 0% | 163 km |
| 37 | Perpignan Pyrénées-Orientales | 2.2 | 0.2% | 0.3% | 12 km |
| 38 | Aix-en-Provence Bouches-du-Rhône | 2.1 | 18% | 9.1% | 21 km |
| 39 | Saint-Denis Réunion | 1.6 | 62% | 73% | On it |
| 40 | Saint-Paul Réunion | 1.4 | 20% | 64% | On it |
| 41 | Nîmes Gard | 1.3 | 29% | 4.6% | 37 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 Saint-Étienne
Named parks, gardens and woods in the commune or within 400 m, the biggest and best-pathed first: Bois du Four leads, at 390 ha. Directions go to a point inside.
Le Bois Noir
Wood or forest
255 ha3.8 km of path
50 minto walk all 3.8 km of path
4.6 km southfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Parc de Montaud
Park or garden
47 ha8.7 km of path
1 h 55 minto walk all 8.7 km of path
2.3 km north-westfrom the center
Voie Verte Bergson - Montaud
Directionsto a point inside
Jardin des Plantes
Park or garden
23 ha5.9 km of path
1 h 20 minto walk all 5.9 km of path
Centralin the middle of Saint-Étienne
Montée Charles Dickens
Directionsto a point inside
Parc de Montreynaud
Park or garden
24 ha4 km of path
55 minto walk all 4 km of path
3.6 km northfrom the center
Chemin du Crêt de la ChèvreMontée de la Chèvre
Directionsto a point inside
Parc du Bois d'Avaize
Park or garden
23 ha4.4 km of path
1 hto walk all 4.4 km of path
2.5 km eastfrom the center
Impasse Grua Rouchouse
Directionsto a point inside
Parc François Mitterrand
Park or garden
12 ha3.2 km of path
40 minto walk all 3.2 km of path
1.7 km northfrom the center
Allée de la Plaine-AchilleAllée Archam SivaciyanAllée Lounès Matoub+2 paths
Directionsto a point inside
Parc Public de Pinelon
Park or garden
12 ha2.9 km of path
40 minto walk all 2.9 km of path
2.6 km westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
All 30 named parks, gardens and woods
Bois du FourWood or forest · 390 ha · 4.5 km of path · just outside
DirectionsLe Bois NoirWood or forest · 255 ha · 3.8 km of path
DirectionsParc de MontaudPark or garden · 47 ha · 8.7 km of path
DirectionsJardin des PlantesPark or garden · 23 ha · 5.9 km of path
DirectionsParc de MontreynaudPark or garden · 24 ha · 4 km of path
DirectionsParc du Bois d'AvaizePark or garden · 23 ha · 4.4 km of path
DirectionsParc François MitterrandPark or garden · 12 ha · 3.2 km of path
DirectionsParc Public de PinelonPark or garden · 12 ha · 2.9 km of path
DirectionsParc de l'EuropePark or garden · 11 ha · 3.3 km of path
DirectionsParc de la Cotonne-MontferréPark or garden · 8.4 ha · 2.6 km of path
DirectionsParc Joseph SanguedolcePark or garden · 8.4 ha · 2.5 km of path
DirectionsParc Forestier de la PerrotièrePark or garden · 7.5 ha
DirectionsBois de GrouchyPark or garden · 4.4 ha · 1.4 km of path
DirectionsRoseraie du BerlandPark or garden · 2.1 ha · 1.1 km of path
DirectionsParc du ValfuretPark or garden · 2.7 ha · 0.7 km of path
DirectionsJardin du Musée d'Art et d'IndustriePark or garden · 2.9 ha · 0.6 km of path
DirectionsParc de SolaurePark or garden · 3.2 ha · 0.3 km of path
DirectionsBois de SéverineWood or forest · 8 ha · 0.5 km of path
DirectionsExplora parcPark or garden · 1.4 ha · 0.4 km of path
DirectionsJardin des UtopiesPark or garden · 0.6 ha · 0.6 km of path
DirectionsParc du Clos BayardPark or garden · 1.2 ha · 0.3 km of path · just outside
DirectionsSquare Camille PradetPark or garden · 0.9 ha · 0.4 km of path
DirectionsSquare Victor SchoelcherPark or garden · 0.7 ha · 0.4 km of path
DirectionsSquare du Père MareyPark or garden · 1 ha · 0.3 km of path
DirectionsEspace multisportPark or garden · 0.7 ha · 0.3 km of path · just outside
DirectionsCours des matièresPark or garden · 0.4 ha · 0.5 km of path
DirectionsEsplanade du Premier TrainPark or garden · 0.7 ha · 0.3 km of path
DirectionsParc Jean FerratPark or garden · 0.9 ha · 0.2 km of path
Directionssquare Eugène DelacroixPark or garden · 0.9 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsJardin des PlatanesPark or garden · 0.6 ha · 0.3 km of path
DirectionsSource: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL): named parks, gardens and woods; sizes are the whole site.
Protected areas
Protected land in and around Saint-Étienne
The protected areas reaching the commune, and the nearest: national parks, regional nature parks, nature reserves and Natura 2000 sites.
Regional nature park
Pilat Regional Nature Park
23% of the commune3.1 km from the center
Nature reserve
Gorges de la Loire nature reserve
3.4% of the commune8.9 km from the center
Natura 2000 site
Gorges de la Loire
8.2% of the commune7.2 km from the center
Natura 2000 site
Pelouses, landes et habitats rocheux des Gorges de la Loire
8.2% of the commune7.2 km from the center
Natura 2000 site
Vallée de l’Ondenon, contreforts nord du Pilat
8.1% of the commune2.1 km from the center
Share of the commune’s land
Any protected area33%
Regional nature park23%
Nature reserve3.4%
Natura 2000 site16%
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.
33% of Saint-Étienne’s land is protected, more than in 83% of compared French towns; the median compared town in Loire has 1.2%. 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
284 km of footpaths and 127 km of hiking routes cross Saint-Étienne
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
284 km
3.5 km per km²
Hiking routes
127 km
waymarked: 1.6 km per km²
Woodland
31%
about 24.9 km² of mapped woods
Km per km² of the commune · mapped on OpenStreetMap
Saint-ÉtienneLoire medianFrance median
Footpaths3.5
Hiking routes1.6
02.55 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
Saint-ÉtienneLoire medianFrance median
Woodland31%
0%50%100%
That is more than in 80% of compared French towns for footpaths per km², and for woodland more than in 77% 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 Saint-Étienne is within 800 m of a mapped park or wood, as in most French towns.
23 named hiking routes within 2 km
GR (long-distance)Other named walk
GR 4216 km
Sainté balades 1718 km
Les Gorges de la Loire14 km
Sainté balades 78.8 km
Sainté balades 108.6 km
Boucle verte 37.9 km
Sentier Furan Furet7.8 km
Sainté balades 87.3 km
Sainté balades 46.9 km
Sainté balades 26.6 km
Sainté balades 96.5 km
Saint-Priest en Jarez de Brassens à Brel…6.4 km
+11 more
GR 42 passes within 2 km of Saint-Étienne.
Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), extracts of October 25, 2026 (Geofabrik).
When to get out
The best walking months in Saint-Étienne: April to September
Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at St Etienne-Boutheon, 14 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 | 15.3 | 14.1 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.4 | 8.7 |
| High (°C) | 7 | 9 | 13 | 16 | 20 | 25 | 27 | 27 | 22 | 17 | 11 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 38 | 30 | 34 | 55 | 82 | 81 | 77 | 73 | 70 | 76 | 73 | 39 |
February is the driest month (30 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 27 °C). 82 mm of rain falls in May, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 60 nights a year. The climate in Saint-Étienne →
Neighbors
Next to Saint-Étienne
The nearest towns of 2,500 or more, colored by the share of their land in protected areas.
La RicamarieSaint-Jean-BonnefondsVillarsSaint-Priest-en-JarezSaint-Genest-LerptLa TalaudièreSaint-Étienne
Under 1%1–10 %10–25 %25–50 %50 %+
| Town | Protected | Woodland | Paths (km/km²) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saint-Étienne | 33% | 31% | 3.5 |
| La Ricamarie 8,039 · 4.2 km | 3.2% | 20% | 2.8 |
| Saint-Jean-Bonnefonds 6,563 · 4.3 km | 0% | 12% | 1.4 |
| Villars 7,664 · 4.4 km | 0% | 0.1% | 2.3 |
| Saint-Priest-en-Jarez 6,471 · 4.5 km | 0% | 0.6% | 3.3 |
| Saint-Genest-Lerpt 6,181 · 4.5 km | 0% | 20% | 2 |
| La Talaudière 7,133 · 5.6 km | 0% | 6.6% | 1.5 |
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 Saint-Étienne
Is Saint-Étienne in a national or regional nature park?
Yes: Saint-Étienne lies in Pilat Regional Nature Park (23% of the commune).
Are there good walks in Saint-Étienne?
OpenStreetMap maps 284 km of footpaths and tracks open on foot in the commune, 3.5 km per km² (the median compared town: 1.7 km per km²); 127 km of waymarked hiking routes cross it.
How much of Saint-Étienne is woodland?
31% of the commune is mapped woodland, private woods included; the median compared French town has 13%.
Is Saint-Étienne near the sea?
No: the coast is 210 km from the town center, as the crow flies.
When is the best time for walking in Saint-Étienne?
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 9, 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.