First pick
Forêt Domaniale du Haut Juré
Wood or forest
1,150 ha36 km of path
8 hto walk all 36 km of path
5 km southfrom the center
Promenade de l'InspecteurTranchée de la RépubliqueTranchée du Conservateur
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: C L B · Public domain55%woodland
Outdoors in Bar-le-Duc · protected areas, woods and footpaths
55% of Bar-le-Duc is woodland, more than in 9 in 10 French towns
88 km of footpaths cross Bar-le-Duc (3.7 km per km²). No protected area reaches Bar-le-Duc; the nearest, Carrières du Perthois : gîtes à chauves-souris (Natura 2000), is 5.4 km from the town center. Bar-le-Duc has 11 km of waymarked hiking routes. 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: Carrières du Perthois : gîtes à chauves-souris, 5.4 km
Woodland
55%
of the land, mapped on OpenStreetMap
Compared town: 13%
Footpaths
88 km
3.7 km per km²
Compared town: 1.7 km per km²
Hiking routes
11 km
waymarked, GR and others
Compared town: 0.3 km per km²
Parks & woods
7
named, in or within 400 m of the commune
First: Forêt Domaniale du Haut Juré
Throughout this page, the Meuse 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 Bar-le-Duc?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and less good.
A wooded commune55% mapped woodland, more than in 94% of compared French towns, against 13% for the median compared town.A place of footpaths3.7 km per km² of mapped footpath, against 1.7 km per km² for the median compared town.Protected land nearbyCarrières du Perthois : gîtes à chauves-souris (Natura 2000) is 5.4 km from the town center.
What sets Bar-le-Duc apart: its woods, then its footpaths.
Against French towns
How Bar-le-Duc 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
Woodland55%Share of the land mapped as forest or woods on OpenStreetMap
94out of 100
Footpaths3.7 km per km²Km of mapped footpath and track open on foot, per km² of the commune
82out 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
Bar-le-Duc has the 14th most footpaths per km² of 41 towns its size
The 40 compared French towns nearest in population (14,207 to 15,023 residents), by km of footpath per km². Hover for each one’s protected land and woods; click for its page.
From Saint-Maurice (8.8 km per km²) to Castelsarrasin (0.3 km per km²).
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Paths (km/km²) | Woodland | Protected | Coast | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saint-Maurice Val-de-Marne | 8.8 | 9.4% | 0% | 157 km |
| 2 | Valenton Val-de-Marne | 8.7 | 6.6% | 0% | 164 km |
| 3 | Villers-lès-Nancy Meurthe-et-Moselle | 8.4 | 48% | 0% | 365 km |
| 4 | Laxou Meurthe-et-Moselle | 6.9 | 74% | 0% | 364 km |
| 5 | Billère Pyrénées-Atlantiques | 6.7 | 4.2% | 9.2% | 93 km |
| 6 | Chenôve Côte-d'Or | 6.5 | 10% | 17% | 403 km |
| 7 | Auray Morbihan | 5 | 8.3% | 100% | On it |
| 8 | Montargis Loiret | 4.8 | 5.7% | 0% | 237 km |
| 9 | Dinan Côtes-d'Armor | 4.7 | 17% | 100% | 5.6 km |
| 10 | Montesson Yvelines | 4.7 | 2.3% | 0% | 136 km |
| 11 | Saint-Genis-Pouilly Ain | 4.5 | 17% | 0.3% | 298 km |
| 12 | Saint-Avertin Indre-et-Loire | 4.3 | 14% | 0% | 184 km |
| 13 | Canteleu Seine-Maritime | 3.7 | 64% | 100% | 49 km |
| 14 | Bar-le-Duc Meuse | 3.7 | 55% | 0% | 297 km |
| 15 | Saint-Orens-de-Gameville Haute-Garonne | 3.2 | 6.4% | 0% | 138 km |
| 16 | Woippy Moselle | 3.1 | 12% | 0% | 325 km |
| 17 | Bois-Guillaume Seine-Maritime | 3 | 3.8% | 0% | 50 km |
| 18 | Montataire Oise | 2.9 | 11% | 0.1% | 116 km |
| 19 | Ollioules Var | 2.9 | 23% | 14% | On it |
| 20 | Plérin Côtes-d'Armor | 2.9 | 14% | 1.8% | On it |
| 21 | Rixheim Haut-Rhin | 2.8 | 41% | 23% | 441 km |
| 22 | Pontivy Morbihan | 2.8 | 14% | 0% | 36 km |
| 23 | L'Étang-Salé Réunion | 2.6 | 52% | 39% | On it |
| 24 | Persan Val-d'Oise | 2.5 | 0.3% | 0.1% | 120 km |
| 25 | Saint-Avold Moselle | 2.5 | 53% | 2.9% | 356 km |
| 26 | Saint-Jean-de-Luz Pyrénées-Atlantiques | 2.4 | 28% | 7.6% | On it |
| 27 | Carrières-sur-Seine Yvelines | 2.2 | 5% | 0% | 138 km |
| 28 | Fameck Moselle | 2.2 | 32% | 0% | 309 km |
| 29 | Crépy-en-Valois Oise | 2 | 16% | 0% | 137 km |
| 30 | Illzach Haut-Rhin | 1.9 | 2.6% | 0% | 443 km |
| 31 | Flers Orne | 1.6 | 2.5% | 0% | 59 km |
| 32 | Saint-Brevin-les-Pins Loire-Atlantique | 1.6 | 7.3% | 25% | On it |
| 33 | Saint-Paul-lès-Dax Landes | 1.6 | 62% | 5.3% | 29 km |
| 34 | Saint-Omer Pas-de-Calais | 1.6 | 2.8% | 100% | 28 km |
| 35 | Arnouville Val-d'Oise | 1.6 | 4.6% | 0% | 141 km |
| 36 | La Flèche Sarthe | 1.3 | 34% | 11% | 140 km |
| 37 | Le Raincy Seine-Saint-Denis | 0.8 | 0% | 0.1% | 153 km |
| 38 | Romilly-sur-Seine Aube | 0.8 | 35% | 4.2% | 237 km |
| 39 | Bailleul Nord | 0.7 | 0.9% | 0% | 42 km |
| 40 | Saint-Gilles Gard | 0.4 | 2.5% | 18% | 25 km |
| 41 | Castelsarrasin Tarn-et-Garonne | 0.3 | 5.6% | 6.8% | 173 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 Bar-le-Duc
Named parks, gardens and woods in the commune or within 400 m, the biggest and best-pathed first: Forêt Domaniale du Haut Juré leads, at 1,150 ha. Directions go to a point inside.
Forêt Domaniale de Massonges
Wood or forest · 250 m outside the commune
564 ha3.2 km of path
45 minto walk all 3.2 km of path
4.9 km northfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Bois de Combles
Wood or forest · 400 m outside the commune
155 ha1.7 km of path
25 minto walk all 1.7 km of path
5.2 km south-westfrom the center
Tranchée devant Voyot ou du Quart en Réserve
Directionsto a point inside
Bois du Petit Juré
Wood or forest
79 ha6.6 km of path
1 h 30 minto walk all 6.6 km of path
2.5 km south-westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Parc de l'Hôtel de Ville
Park or garden
2.1 ha0.7 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.7 km of path
Centralin the middle of Bar-le-Duc
Directionsto a point inside
La Sapinière
Park or garden
2.9 ha0.3 km of path
1 km north-eastfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Parc de Marbeaumont
Park or garden
2.3 ha0.2 km of path
Centralin the middle of Bar-le-Duc
Directionsto a point inside
Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL): named parks, gardens and woods; sizes are the whole site.
Protected areas
Carrières du Perthois : gîtes à chauves-souris is the nearest protected area, 5.4 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
Carrières du Perthois : gîtes à chauves-souris
5.4 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
88 km of footpaths and 11 km of hiking routes cross Bar-le-Duc
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
88 km
3.7 km per km²
Hiking routes
11 km
waymarked: 0.5 km per km²
Woodland
55%
about 13 km² of mapped woods
Km per km² of the commune · mapped on OpenStreetMap
Bar-le-DucMeuse medianFrance median
Footpaths3.7
Hiking routes0.5
02.55 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
Bar-le-DucMeuse medianFrance median
Woodland55%
0%50%100%
That is more than in 82% of compared French towns for footpaths per km², and for woodland more than in 94% 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 Bar-le-Duc is within 800 m of a mapped park or wood, as in most French towns.
A named hiking route within 2 km
GR (long-distance)
GR 7148.9 km
GR 714 passes within 2 km of Bar-le-Duc.
Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), extracts of October 25, 2026 (Geofabrik).
When to get out
The best walking months in Bar-le-Duc: April to September
Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at St-Dizier, 25 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) | 8.7 | 10.1 | 11.7 | 13.6 | 15.2 | 16.1 | 15.8 | 14.3 | 12.5 | 10.7 | 9.1 | 8.3 |
| High (°C) | 7 | 8 | 12 | 16 | 20 | 24 | 26 | 26 | 21 | 16 | 10 | 7 |
| Rain (mm) | 63 | 61 | 60 | 55 | 68 | 58 | 70 | 65 | 71 | 75 | 71 | 79 |
April is the driest month (55 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 26 °C). 79 mm of rain falls in December, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 54 nights a year. The climate in Bar-le-Duc →
Neighbors
Next to Bar-le-Duc
The nearest towns of 2,500 or more, colored by the share of their land in protected areas.
Ligny-en-BarroisAncervilleSaint-DizierBar-le-Duc
Under 1%1–10 %10–25 %25–50 %50 %+
| Town | Protected | Woodland | Paths (km/km²) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bar-le-Duc | 0% | 55% | 3.7 |
| Ligny-en-Barrois 3,677 · 15 km | 0% | 80% | 2.7 |
| Ancerville 2,569 · 19 km | 0% | 51% | 2.2 |
| Saint-Dizier 22,858 · 21 km | 0% | 47% | 2.1 |
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 Bar-le-Duc
Is Bar-le-Duc in a national or regional nature park?
No. The nearest protected area is Carrières du Perthois : gîtes à chauves-souris, 5.4 km from the town center.
Are there good walks in Bar-le-Duc?
OpenStreetMap maps 88 km of footpaths and tracks open on foot in the commune, 3.7 km per km² (the median compared town: 1.7 km per km²); 11 km of waymarked hiking routes cross it.
How much of Bar-le-Duc is woodland?
55% of the commune is mapped woodland, private woods included; the median compared French town has 13%.
Is Bar-le-Duc near the sea?
No: the coast is 297 km from the town center, as the crow flies.
When is the best time for walking in Bar-le-Duc?
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.