First pick
Parc Nord
Park or garden
24 ha4.2 km of path
55 minto walk all 4.2 km of path
1.8 km north-eastfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Luciani71 · CC BY-SA 3.017%woodland
Outdoors in Mâcon · protected areas, woods and footpaths
Mâcon has more footpaths per km² than 8 in 10 French towns
Footpaths add up to 113 km across Mâcon (4.2 km per km²). No protected area reaches Mâcon; the nearest, Val de Saône (Natura 2000), is 1.8 km from the town center. Waymarked hiking routes add up to 3 km in Mâcon. 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: Val de Saône, 1.8 km
Woodland
17%
of the land, mapped on OpenStreetMap
Compared town: 13%
Footpaths
113 km
4.2 km per km²
Compared town: 1.7 km per km²
Hiking routes
2.9 km
waymarked, GR and others
Compared town: 0.3 km per km²
Parks & woods
14
named, in or within 400 m of the commune
First: Parc Nord
Throughout this page, the Saône-et-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 Mâcon?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and less good.
A place of footpaths4.2 km per km² of mapped footpath, against 1.7 km per km² for the median compared town.Protected land nearbyVal de Saône (Natura 2000) is 1.8 km from the town center.
What sets Mâcon apart: its footpaths, then protected land close by.
Against French towns
How Mâcon 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
Woodland17%Share of the land mapped as forest or woods on OpenStreetMap
58out of 100
Footpaths4.2 km per km²Km of mapped footpath and track open on foot, per km² of the commune
86out of 100
Hiking routes0.1 km per km²Km of waymarked hiking routes (GR and others), per km² of the commune
31out of 100
Percentiles among compared French towns; ties count half.
Towns its size
Mâcon has the 20th most footpaths per km² of 41 towns its size
The 40 compared French towns nearest in population (32,918 to 37,599 residents), by km of footpath per km². Hover for each one’s protected land and woods; click for its page.
From Échirolles (9.9 km per km²) to Sainte-Marie (0.7 km per km²).
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Paths (km/km²) | Woodland | Protected | Coast | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Échirolles Isère | 9.9 | 11% | 0% | 200 km |
| 2 | Schiltigheim Bas-Rhin | 9 | 7.7% | 0.2% | 449 km |
| 3 | Châtenay-Malabry Hauts-de-Seine | 8.2 | 30% | 0% | 155 km |
| 4 | Lyon 4e Rhône | 7.8 | 6.8% | 0% | 253 km |
| 5 | Marseille 1er Bouches-du-Rhône | 7.5 | 0.1% | 0% | On it |
| 6 | Thiais Val-de-Marne | 7.3 | 5.4% | 0% | 160 km |
| 7 | Paris 8e Paris | 6.9 | 0% | 0% | 146 km |
| 8 | Villeneuve-Saint-Georges Val-de-Marne | 6.6 | 4.3% | 0% | 164 km |
| 9 | Romainville Seine-Saint-Denis | 6 | 11% | 0% | 151 km |
| 10 | Palaiseau Essonne | 5.9 | 18% | 0% | 158 km |
| 11 | Creil Oise | 5.8 | 25% | 41% | 117 km |
| 12 | Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois Essonne | 5.6 | 9.5% | 0% | 169 km |
| 13 | Marseille 7e Bouches-du-Rhône | 5.4 | 0.7% | 33% | On it |
| 14 | Vitrolles Bouches-du-Rhône | 4.9 | 8.9% | 33% | 9.7 km |
| 15 | Trappes Yvelines | 4.8 | 20% | 22% | 140 km |
| 16 | Les Mureaux Yvelines | 4.7 | 16% | 0% | 120 km |
| 17 | Athis-Mons Essonne | 4.6 | 4% | 0% | 165 km |
| 18 | Lens Pas-de-Calais | 4.6 | 6.4% | 0% | 74 km |
| 19 | Meyzieu Rhône | 4.2 | 13% | 26% | 256 km |
| 20 | Mâcon Saône-et-Loire | 4.2 | 17% | 0% | 311 km |
| 21 | Châtillon Hauts-de-Seine | 4.2 | 0.2% | 0% | 152 km |
| 22 | Six-Fours-les-Plages Var | 3.9 | 34% | 21% | On it |
| 23 | Saint-Raphaël Var | 3.8 | 60% | 61% | On it |
| 24 | Roanne Loire | 3.7 | 2.7% | 15% | 275 km |
| 25 | Le Port Réunion | 3.7 | 0.5% | 5.6% | On it |
| 26 | Le Perreux-sur-Marne Val-de-Marne | 3.4 | 1.2% | 0% | 157 km |
| 27 | Nevers Nièvre | 3.3 | 1.2% | 11% | 336 km |
| 28 | Conflans-Sainte-Honorine Yvelines | 3.2 | 3.8% | 0% | 126 km |
| 29 | Villiers-sur-Marne Val-de-Marne | 3 | 2% | 0% | 160 km |
| 30 | Marignane Bouches-du-Rhône | 2.9 | 3.4% | 16% | 8.5 km |
| 31 | Bezons Val-d'Oise | 2.4 | 1.9% | 0% | 137 km |
| 32 | Montluçon Allier | 2.4 | 7.5% | 2.3% | 279 km |
| 33 | Saint-Chamond Loire | 2.1 | 26% | 33% | 215 km |
| 34 | Villefranche-sur-Saône Rhône | 1.9 | 0.7% | 0% | 274 km |
| 35 | Auxerre Yonne | 1.8 | 15% | 0% | 298 km |
| 36 | Houilles Yvelines | 1.7 | 0% | 0% | 136 km |
| 37 | Romans-sur-Isère Drôme | 1.7 | 11% | 12% | 178 km |
| 38 | La Possession Réunion | 1.6 | 67% | 88% | On it |
| 39 | Haguenau Bas-Rhin | 1 | 81% | 76% | 436 km |
| 40 | Saint-Leu Réunion | 0.9 | 23% | 17% | On it |
| 41 | Sainte-Marie Réunion | 0.7 | 50% | 60% | On it |
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 Mâcon
Named parks, gardens and woods in the commune or within 400 m, the biggest and best-pathed first: Parc Nord leads, at 24 ha. Directions go to a point inside.
Espace sportif et de loisirs Antoine Griezmann
Park or garden
26 ha2.2 km of path
30 minto walk all 2.2 km of path
2.8 km northfrom the center
Chemin de la Grisière
Directionsto a point inside
Bois de Saint-Léger
Wood or forest
67 ha4.8 km of path
1 h 5 minto walk all 4.8 km of path
5.5 km south-westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Bois de Vinzelles
Wood or forest · 0 m outside the commune
34 ha1.2 km of path
15 minto walk all 1.2 km of path
6.9 km south-westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Vallon des Rigolettes
Park or garden
3.9 ha1.6 km of path
20 minto walk all 1.6 km of path
Centralin the middle of Mâcon
Directionsto a point inside
Parc de l'Abîme
Park or garden
2.5 ha1.4 km of path
20 minto walk all 1.4 km of path
0.8 km north-eastfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Arboretum
Park or garden
3.6 ha0.5 km of path
5 minto walk all 0.5 km of path
2 km north-westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Place du Souvenir et de la Paix
Park or garden · 60 m outside the commune
1 ha0.5 km of path
1.2 km south-westfrom the center
Place du Souvenir et de la Paix
Directionsto a point inside
All 14 named parks, gardens and woods
Parc NordPark or garden · 24 ha · 4.2 km of path
DirectionsEspace sportif et de loisirs Antoine GriezmannPark or garden · 26 ha · 2.2 km of path
DirectionsBois de Saint-LégerWood or forest · 67 ha · 4.8 km of path
DirectionsBois de VinzellesWood or forest · 34 ha · 1.2 km of path · just outside
DirectionsVallon des RigolettesPark or garden · 3.9 ha · 1.6 km of path
DirectionsParc de l'AbîmePark or garden · 2.5 ha · 1.4 km of path
DirectionsArboretumPark or garden · 3.6 ha · 0.5 km of path
DirectionsPlace du Souvenir et de la PaixPark or garden · 1 ha · 0.5 km of path · just outside
DirectionsSquare de la PaixPark or garden · 0.9 ha · 0.5 km of path
DirectionsEsplanade Du BreuilPark or garden · 0.8 ha · 0.5 km of path
DirectionsAire des 4 saisonsPark or garden · 1.3 ha
DirectionsEspace Vincent AuriolPark or garden · 0.4 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsSquare du 4e Bataillon de ChocPark or garden · 0.4 ha
DirectionsSquare du monument à la Résistance et à la DéportationPark or garden · 0.3 ha
DirectionsSource: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL): named parks, gardens and woods; sizes are the whole site.
Protected areas
Val de Saône 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
Val de Saône
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 Mâcon
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
113 km
4.2 km per km²
Hiking routes
2.9 km
waymarked: 0.1 km per km²
Woodland
17%
about 4.7 km² of mapped woods
Km per km² of the commune · mapped on OpenStreetMap
MâconSaône-et-Loire medianFrance median
Footpaths4.2
Hiking routes0.1
02.55 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
MâconSaône-et-Loire medianFrance median
Woodland17%
0%50%100%
That is more than in 86% of compared French towns for footpaths per km², and for woodland more than in 58% 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 Mâcon 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 76D4.9 km
GR 76D passes within 2 km of Mâcon.
Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), extracts of October 25, 2026 (Geofabrik).
When to get out
The best walking months in Mâcon: April to September
Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at Macon, 3 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) | 9.0 | 10.3 | 11.8 | 13.5 | 15.0 | 15.8 | 15.4 | 14.2 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.3 | 8.6 |
| High (°C) | 6 | 8 | 13 | 17 | 21 | 25 | 27 | 27 | 22 | 17 | 11 | 7 |
| Rain (mm) | 58 | 49 | 49 | 66 | 76 | 70 | 72 | 73 | 71 | 91 | 93 | 67 |
February is the driest month (49 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 27 °C). 93 mm of rain falls in November, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 47 nights a year. The climate in Mâcon →
Neighbors
Next to Mâcon
The nearest towns of 2,500 or more, colored by the share of their land in protected areas.
Charnay-lès-MâconReplongesFeillensCrêches-sur-SaôneBâgé-DommartinLa Chapelle-de-GuinchayMâcon
Under 1%1–10 %10–25 %25–50 %50 %+
| Town | Protected | Woodland | Paths (km/km²) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mâcon | 0% | 17% | 4.2 |
| Charnay-lès-Mâcon 8,227 · 1.8 km | 0% | 5.7% | 2.4 |
| Replonges 3,956 · 4.3 km | 19% | 9.3% | 0.3 |
| Feillens 3,411 · 5.8 km | 18% | 12% | 0.3 |
| Crêches-sur-Saône 3,198 · 8.3 km | 16% | 5.5% | 0.6 |
| Bâgé-Dommartin 4,050 · 10 km | 0% | 13% | 0.1 |
| La Chapelle-de-Guinchay 4,018 · 12 km | 5.6% | 5.5% | 0.5 |
Replonges, Feillens and Crêches-sur-Saône have at least twice as much protected land.
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 Mâcon
Is Mâcon in a national or regional nature park?
No. The nearest protected area is Val de Saône, 1.8 km from the town center.
Are there good walks in Mâcon?
OpenStreetMap maps 113 km of footpaths and tracks open on foot in the commune, 4.2 km per km² (the median compared town: 1.7 km per km²); 3 km of waymarked hiking routes cross it.
How much of Mâcon is woodland?
17% of the commune is mapped woodland, private woods included; the median compared French town has 13%.
Is Mâcon near the sea?
No: the coast is 311 km from the town center, as the crow flies.
When is the best time for walking in Mâcon?
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.