First pick
Bois de Warwamme
Wood or forest · 20 m outside the commune
34 ha1.4 km of path
20 minto walk all 1.4 km of path
2.5 km westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Velvet · CC BY-SA 4.05.1%woodland
Outdoors in Hem · protected areas, woods and footpaths
Almost every home in Hem is within 800 m of a park or wood
29 km of footpaths cross Hem (3 km per km²). 5.1% of Hem is mapped woodland. No protected area reaches Hem; the nearest, Le Héron nature reserve, is 2.5 km from the town center. 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: Le Héron nature reserve, 2.5 km
Woodland
5.1%
of the land, mapped on OpenStreetMap
Compared town: 13%
Footpaths
29 km
3 km per km²
Compared town: 1.7 km per km²
Hiking routes
1.6 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 Warwamme
Throughout this page, the Nord 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 Hem 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
Woodland5.1%Share of the land mapped as forest or woods on OpenStreetMap
23out of 100
Footpaths3 km per km²Km of mapped footpath and track open on foot, per km² of the commune
74out of 100
Hiking routes0.2 km per km²Km of waymarked hiking routes (GR and others), per km² of the commune
35out of 100
Percentiles among compared French towns; ties count half.
Towns its size
Hem has the 21st fewest footpaths per km² of 41 towns its size
The 40 compared French towns nearest in population (17,854 to 19,292 residents), by km of footpath per km². Hover for each one’s protected land and woods; click for its page.
From Jouy-le-Moutier (10.3 km per km²) to Mauges-sur-Loire (0.5 km per km²).
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Paths (km/km²) | Woodland | Protected | Coast | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jouy-le-Moutier Val-d'Oise | 10.3 | 23% | 0% | 123 km |
| 2 | Meylan Isère | 9.2 | 18% | 12% | 205 km |
| 3 | Juvisy-sur-Orge Essonne | 6.4 | 1.3% | 0% | 166 km |
| 4 | Moulins Allier | 6.1 | 3.3% | 11% | 338 km |
| 5 | Saint-Égrève Isère | 5.8 | 22% | 30% | 208 km |
| 6 | Bonneuil-sur-Marne Val-de-Marne | 5.8 | 3.6% | 0% | 163 km |
| 7 | Chennevières-sur-Marne Val-de-Marne | 5.4 | 6.2% | 0% | 163 km |
| 8 | Floirac Gironde | 5.1 | 16% | 2.6% | 19 km |
| 9 | Bischheim Bas-Rhin | 5.1 | 3.6% | 0.6% | 449 km |
| 10 | Faches-Thumesnil Nord | 4.4 | 0.2% | 0% | 66 km |
| 11 | Éragny-sur-Oise Val-d'Oise | 4.1 | 15% | 0% | 124 km |
| 12 | Cesson-Sévigné Ille-et-Vilaine | 3.9 | 5.2% | 0% | 50 km |
| 13 | Moissy-Cramayel Seine-et-Marne | 3.9 | 4.7% | 0% | 180 km |
| 14 | Écully Rhône | 3.8 | 14% | 0% | 253 km |
| 15 | Bry-sur-Marne Val-de-Marne | 3.6 | 7% | 0% | 158 km |
| 16 | Cognac Charente | 3.5 | 13% | 17% | 43 km |
| 17 | Hendaye Pyrénées-Atlantiques | 3.4 | 8% | 26% | On it |
| 18 | Ploemeur Morbihan | 3.3 | 15% | 4.9% | On it |
| 19 | Saint-Dié-des-Vosges Vosges | 3.2 | 58% | 1.9% | 436 km |
| 20 | Osny Val-d'Oise | 3.2 | 14% | 0.1% | 119 km |
| 21 | Hem Nord | 3 | 5.1% | 0% | 64 km |
| 22 | Le Puy-en-Velay Haute-Loire | 2.9 | 12% | 0% | 165 km |
| 23 | Le Pontet Vaucluse | 2.9 | 2.8% | 3.4% | 56 km |
| 24 | Louviers Eure | 2.8 | 55% | 0.1% | 64 km |
| 25 | Soisy-sous-Montmorency Val-d'Oise | 2.6 | 5% | 0% | 135 km |
| 26 | Carvin Pas-de-Calais | 2.5 | 5.3% | 0% | 73 km |
| 27 | Digne-les-Bains Alpes-de-Haute-Provence | 2.5 | 50% | 4% | 85 km |
| 28 | Pontarlier Doubs | 2.4 | 48% | 0% | 359 km |
| 29 | Saint-Fons Rhône | 2.3 | 4.1% | 0% | 246 km |
| 30 | Sanary-sur-Mer Var | 2.2 | 16% | 0% | On it |
| 31 | Lunéville Meurthe-et-Moselle | 2.1 | 9% | 0.1% | 389 km |
| 32 | Limay Yvelines | 2.1 | 16% | 6.1% | 112 km |
| 33 | Châteauneuf-les-Martigues Bouches-du-Rhône | 2 | 17% | 27% | 6 km |
| 34 | Sorgues Vaucluse | 1.7 | 9.7% | 22% | 62 km |
| 35 | Bagnols-sur-Cèze Gard | 1.6 | 27% | 8.2% | 79 km |
| 36 | Brie-Comte-Robert Seine-et-Marne | 1.3 | 4.7% | 0% | 176 km |
| 37 | Riom Puy-de-Dôme | 1.1 | 2.4% | 1.3% | 269 km |
| 38 | Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume Var | 1 | 41% | 34% | 33 km |
| 39 | Pornic Loire-Atlantique | 1 | 4.4% | 0% | On it |
| 40 | Romorantin-Lanthenay Loir-et-Cher | 0.8 | 30% | 100% | 249 km |
| 41 | Mauges-sur-Loire Maine-et-Loire | 0.5 | 4.7% | 11% | 88 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 Hem
Named parks, gardens and woods in the commune or within 400 m, the biggest and best-pathed first: Bois de Warwamme leads, at 34 ha. Directions go to a point inside.
Jardin des Perspectives
Park or garden
4 ha1.7 km of path
25 minto walk all 1.7 km of path
0.8 km southfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Parc de la Mairie
Park or garden
3.6 ha1.2 km of path
15 minto walk all 1.2 km of path
0.8 km south-westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Base de Loisirs de Hem
Park or garden
3.9 ha0.8 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.8 km of path
1.8 km southfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Parc Mallet Stevens
Park or garden · 180 m outside the commune
2.6 ha0.9 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.9 km of path
1.8 km westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Bois Meillassoux
Wood or forest
3.9 ha0.6 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.6 km of path
1.3 km south-westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Parc du Prévôt
Park or garden · 280 m outside the commune
1.1 ha0.5 km of path
1.6 km eastfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Le jardin partagé des Capucine
Park or garden · 10 m outside the commune
0.8 ha
3.1 km southfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
All 10 named parks, gardens and woods
Bois de WarwammeWood or forest · 34 ha · 1.4 km of path · just outside
DirectionsJardin des PerspectivesPark or garden · 4 ha · 1.7 km of path
DirectionsParc de la MairiePark or garden · 3.6 ha · 1.2 km of path
DirectionsBase de Loisirs de HemPark or garden · 3.9 ha · 0.8 km of path
DirectionsParc Mallet StevensPark or garden · 2.6 ha · 0.9 km of path · just outside
DirectionsBois MeillassouxWood or forest · 3.9 ha · 0.6 km of path
DirectionsParc du PrévôtPark or garden · 1.1 ha · 0.5 km of path · just outside
DirectionsLe jardin partagé des CapucinePark or garden · 0.8 ha · just outside
DirectionsSquare des SaulesPark or garden · 0.7 ha
DirectionsLes Jardins partagés du RecueilPark or garden · 0.5 ha · just outside
DirectionsSource: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL): named parks, gardens and woods; sizes are the whole site.
Protected areas
Le Héron nature reserve is the nearest protected area, 2.5 km away
The protected areas reaching the commune, and the nearest: national parks, regional nature parks, nature reserves and Natura 2000 sites.
Nature reserve
Le Héron nature reserve
2.5 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
29 km of footpaths cross Hem
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
29 km
3 km per km²
Hiking routes
1.6 km
waymarked: 0.2 km per km²
Woodland
5.1%
about 0.5 km² of mapped woods
Km per km² of the commune · mapped on OpenStreetMap
HemNord medianFrance median
Footpaths3
Hiking routes0.2
024 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
HemNord medianFrance median
Woodland5.1%
0%50%100%
That is more than in 74% of compared French towns for footpaths per km², and for woodland less 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 Hem 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)Other named walk
GR 121B13 km
Menen - Libercourt11 km
Boucle des Bonniers10 km
GR 121B passes within 2 km of Hem.
Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), extracts of October 25, 2026 (Geofabrik).
When to get out
The best walking months in Hem: April to September
Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at Lille-Lesquin, 12 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) | 8.4 | 10.0 | 11.7 | 13.7 | 15.5 | 16.5 | 16.0 | 14.5 | 12.5 | 10.6 | 8.9 | 8.0 |
| High (°C) | 7 | 8 | 11 | 15 | 18 | 21 | 24 | 24 | 20 | 15 | 10 | 7 |
| Rain (mm) | 58 | 51 | 52 | 45 | 62 | 64 | 68 | 71 | 57 | 64 | 75 | 73 |
April is the driest month (45 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 24 °C). 75 mm of rain falls in November, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 37 nights a year. The climate in Hem →
Neighbors
Next to Hem
The nearest towns of 2,500 or more, colored by the share of their land in protected areas.
Lys-lez-LannoyToufflersRoubaixCroixLeersWasquehalHem
Under 1%1–10 %10–25 %25–50 %50 %+
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 Hem
Is Hem in a national or regional nature park?
No. The nearest protected area is Le Héron nature reserve, 2.5 km from the town center.
Are there good walks in Hem?
OpenStreetMap maps 29 km of footpaths and tracks open on foot in the commune, 3 km per km² (the median compared town: 1.7 km per km²); 2 km of waymarked hiking routes cross it.
How much of Hem is woodland?
5.1% of the commune is mapped woodland, private woods included; the median compared French town has 13%.
Is Hem near the sea?
No: the coast is 64 km from the town center, as the crow flies.
When is the best time for walking in Hem?
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.