First pick
Parc Jean Moulin
Park or garden
2.8 ha0.2 km of path
0.7 km southfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Havang(nl) · CC011%woodland
Outdoors in Dourges · protected areas, woods and footpaths
Dourges has more footpaths per km² than 8 in 10 French towns
Footpaths add up to 41 km across Dourges (3.9 km per km²). No protected area reaches Dourges; the nearest, Pelouses métallicoles de la plaine de la Scarpe (Natura 2000), is 1.8 km from the town center. 11% of Dourges is mapped woodland. 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: Pelouses métallicoles de la plaine de la Scarpe, 1.8 km
Woodland
11%
of the land, mapped on OpenStreetMap
Compared town: 13%
Footpaths
41 km
3.9 km per km²
Compared town: 1.7 km per km²
Hiking routes
0 km
waymarked, GR and others
Compared town: 0.3 km per km²
Parks & woods
4
named, in or within 400 m of the commune
First: Parc Jean Moulin
Throughout this page, the Pas-de-Calais 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 Dourges?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and less good.
A place of footpaths3.9 km per km² of mapped footpath, against 1.7 km per km² for the median compared town.Protected land nearbyPelouses métallicoles de la plaine de la Scarpe (Natura 2000) is 1.8 km from the town center.
What sets Dourges apart: its footpaths, then protected land close by.
Against French towns
How Dourges 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
Woodland11%Share of the land mapped as forest or woods on OpenStreetMap
43out of 100
Footpaths3.9 km per km²Km of mapped footpath and track open on foot, per km² of the commune
84out of 100
Hiking routes0 km per km²Km of waymarked hiking routes (GR and others), per km² of the commune
12out of 100
Percentiles among compared French towns; ties count half.
Towns its size
Dourges has the 8th most footpaths per km² of 41 towns its size
The 40 compared French towns nearest in population (6,078 to 6,199 residents), by km of footpath per km². Hover for each one’s protected land and woods; click for its page.
From Menucourt (5.4 km per km²) to Mesnils-sur-Iton (0.2 km per km²).
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Paths (km/km²) | Woodland | Protected | Coast | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Menucourt Val-d'Oise | 5.4 | 40% | 0.3% | 119 km |
| 2 | Fouquières-lès-Lens Pas-de-Calais | 4.7 | 22% | 0% | 78 km |
| 3 | Le Barcarès Pyrénées-Orientales | 4.4 | 3.4% | 35% | On it |
| 4 | Quint-Fonsegrives Haute-Garonne | 4.4 | 9.5% | 0% | 139 km |
| 5 | Saint-Mitre-les-Remparts Bouches-du-Rhône | 4.2 | 25% | 30% | 5.2 km |
| 6 | Pecquencourt Nord | 4 | 24% | 9.5% | 93 km |
| 7 | Prades-le-Lez Hérault | 4 | 37% | 7.8% | 18 km |
| 8 | Dourges Pas-de-Calais | 3.9 | 11% | 0% | 79 km |
| 9 | Blainville-sur-Orne Calvados | 3.9 | 7.2% | 0% | 7 km |
| 10 | Jonage Rhône | 3.6 | 16% | 33% | 260 km |
| 11 | Palavas-les-Flots Hérault | 3.6 | 0% | 72% | On it |
| 12 | Mutzig Bas-Rhin | 3.4 | 44% | 0% | 439 km |
| 13 | Petite-Rosselle Moselle | 3.3 | 33% | 0% | 356 km |
| 14 | Ostricourt Nord | 3.2 | 34% | 0% | 78 km |
| 15 | Prades Pyrénées-Orientales | 2.7 | 33% | 0.3% | 50 km |
| 16 | Saint-Quentin-Fallavier Isère | 2.5 | 13% | 0% | 243 km |
| 17 | Behren-lès-Forbach Moselle | 2.4 | 14% | 0% | 363 km |
| 18 | Aurec-sur-Loire Haute-Loire | 2.3 | 55% | 47% | 201 km |
| 19 | Saint-Genest-Lerpt Loire | 2 | 20% | 0% | 211 km |
| 20 | Franqueville-Saint-Pierre Seine-Maritime | 2 | 5.6% | 0.9% | 58 km |
| 21 | Haute-Goulaine Loire-Atlantique | 1.6 | 12% | 31% | 46 km |
| 22 | Hersin-Coupigny Pas-de-Calais | 1.6 | 15% | 0% | 68 km |
| 23 | Feytiat Haute-Vienne | 1.6 | 27% | 0% | 167 km |
| 24 | Pierrefeu-du-Var Var | 1.6 | 24% | 28% | 13 km |
| 25 | Oraison Alpes-de-Haute-Provence | 1.4 | 45% | 29% | 78 km |
| 26 | Saint-Symphorien-d'Ozon Rhône | 1.3 | 7.2% | 0% | 239 km |
| 27 | Sainte-Sigolène Haute-Loire | 1.3 | 40% | 1.3% | 188 km |
| 28 | Vendenheim Bas-Rhin | 1.3 | 21% | 0% | 443 km |
| 29 | Saint-Denis-lès-Bourg Ain | 0.9 | 5.5% | 0% | 306 km |
| 30 | Saint-Cannat Bouches-du-Rhône | 0.8 | 21% | 34% | 29 km |
| 31 | Maule Yvelines | 0.7 | 15% | 0% | 124 km |
| 32 | Mallemort Bouches-du-Rhône | 0.7 | 4.4% | 20% | 38 km |
| 33 | Saint-Marcel-lès-Valence Drôme | 0.7 | 3.2% | 0% | 169 km |
| 34 | Octeville-sur-Mer Seine-Maritime | 0.6 | 0.3% | 5.1% | On it |
| 35 | Marennes-Hiers-Brouage Charente-Maritime | 0.6 | 3.2% | 75% | On it |
| 36 | Thue et Mue Calvados | 0.6 | 1.2% | 0% | 15 km |
| 37 | Fayence Var | 0.6 | 46% | 9.6% | 22 km |
| 38 | Horbourg-Wihr Haut-Rhin | 0.6 | 5% | 0% | 475 km |
| 39 | Le Blanc Indre | 0.5 | 11% | 100% | 173 km |
| 40 | Noves Bouches-du-Rhône | 0.5 | 5.9% | 7% | 46 km |
| 41 | Mesnils-sur-Iton Eure | 0.2 | 13% | 0% | 82 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 Dourges
Named parks, gardens and woods in the commune or within 400 m, the biggest and best-pathed first: Parc Jean Moulin leads, at 2.8 ha. Directions go to a point inside.
Parc des Crètes
Park or garden
2.2 ha0.2 km of path
0.7 km north-eastfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Parc de la Bouvache
Park or garden
0.9 ha0.3 km of path
0.6 km north-eastfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL): named parks, gardens and woods; sizes are the whole site.
Protected areas
Pelouses métallicoles de la plaine de la Scarpe is the nearest protected area, 1.8 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
Pelouses métallicoles de la plaine de la Scarpe
1.8 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
Footpaths and woods in Dourges
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
41 km
3.9 km per km²
Hiking routes
0 km
waymarked: 0 km per km²
Woodland
11%
about 1.1 km² of mapped woods
Km per km² of the commune · mapped on OpenStreetMap
DourgesPas-de-Calais medianFrance median
Footpaths3.9
Hiking routes0
02.55 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
DourgesPas-de-Calais medianFrance median
Woodland11%
0%50%100%
That is more than in 84% of compared French towns for footpaths per km², and for woodland less than in 57% 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 Dourges is within 800 m of a mapped park or wood, as in most French towns.
3 named hiking routes within 2 km
Other named walk
Terril du Téléphérique - Terril 81A3.7 km
Parcous sportif Terril du Pommier3.5 km
Terril 81A - Libercourt1.2 km
Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), extracts of October 25, 2026 (Geofabrik).
When to get out
The best walking months in Dourges: April to September
Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at Douai, 7.7 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) | 8.5 | 10.0 | 11.7 | 13.7 | 15.4 | 16.4 | 16.0 | 14.5 | 12.5 | 10.6 | 8.9 | 8.0 |
| High (°C) | 6 | 7 | 11 | 15 | 19 | 22 | 24 | 24 | 20 | 15 | 10 | 7 |
| Rain (mm) | 58 | 51 | 53 | 42 | 57 | 63 | 68 | 68 | 61 | 64 | 71 | 73 |
April is the driest month (42 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 24 °C). 73 mm of rain falls in December, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 48 nights a year. The climate in Dourges →
Neighbors
Next to Dourges
The nearest towns of 2,500 or more, colored by the share of their land in protected areas.
Noyelles-GodaultCourcelles-lès-LensHénin-BeaumontÉvin-MalmaisonOigniesCourrièresDourges
Under 1%1–10 %10–25 %25–50 %50 %+
| Town | Protected | Woodland | Paths (km/km²) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dourges | 0% | 11% | 3.9 |
| Noyelles-Godault 5,994 · 1.8 km | 0.2% | 6.9% | 3.5 |
| Courcelles-lès-Lens 7,830 · 2.8 km | 0% | 7.7% | 2.9 |
| Hénin-Beaumont 25,688 · 3.2 km | 0% | 5.6% | 3.8 |
| Évin-Malmaison 4,628 · 3.4 km | 0% | 19% | 2.9 |
| Oignies 10,323 · 3.4 km | 0% | 12% | 3.7 |
| Courrières 10,176 · 3.7 km | 0% | 11% | 4.1 |
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 Dourges
Is Dourges in a national or regional nature park?
No. The nearest protected area is Pelouses métallicoles de la plaine de la Scarpe, 1.8 km from the town center.
Are there good walks in Dourges?
OpenStreetMap maps 41 km of footpaths and tracks open on foot in the commune, 3.9 km per km² (the median compared town: 1.7 km per km²).
How much of Dourges is woodland?
11% of the commune is mapped woodland, private woods included; the median compared French town has 13%.
Is Dourges near the sea?
No: the coast is 79 km from the town center, as the crow flies.
When is the best time for walking in Dourges?
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 8, 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.