First pick
Arboretum
Park or garden
6.7 ha1.3 km of path
15 minto walk all 1.3 km of path
0.7 km north-eastfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Touzé Eric · CC BY-SA 3.05.5%woodland
Outdoors in Coulaines · protected areas, woods and footpaths
Coulaines has more footpaths per km² than 9 in 10 French towns
22 km of footpaths cross Coulaines (5.4 km per km²). Coulaines has 8 km of waymarked hiking routes. No protected area reaches Coulaines; the nearest, Vallée du Narais, forêt de Bercé et ruisseau du Dinan (Natura 2000), is 11 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: Vallée du Narais, forêt de Bercé et ruisseau du Dinan, 11 km
Woodland
5.5%
of the land, mapped on OpenStreetMap
Compared town: 13%
Footpaths
22 km
5.4 km per km²
Compared town: 1.7 km per km²
Hiking routes
7.8 km
waymarked, GR and others
Compared town: 0.3 km per km²
Parks & woods
12
named, in or within 400 m of the commune
First: Arboretum
Throughout this page, the Sarthe 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 Coulaines?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and less good.
A place of footpaths5.4 km per km² of mapped footpath, against 1.7 km per km² for the median compared town.On waymarked routes8 km of GR and other hiking routes cross the commune.
What sets Coulaines apart: its footpaths, then its hiking routes.
Against French towns
How Coulaines 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
Woodland5.5%Share of the land mapped as forest or woods on OpenStreetMap
25out of 100
Footpaths5.4 km per km²Km of mapped footpath and track open on foot, per km² of the commune
92out of 100
Hiking routes2 km per km²Km of waymarked hiking routes (GR and others), per km² of the commune
96out of 100
Percentiles among compared French towns; ties count half.
Towns its size
Coulaines has the 3rd most footpaths per km² of 41 towns its size
The 40 compared French towns nearest in population (8,014 to 8,227 residents), by km of footpath per km². Hover for each one’s protected land and woods; click for its page.
From Seyssins (7.1 km per km²) to Donges (0.3 km per km²).
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Paths (km/km²) | Woodland | Protected | Coast | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Seyssins Isère | 7.1 | 44% | 45% | 201 km |
| 2 | Boussy-Saint-Antoine Essonne | 6.6 | 28% | 0% | 172 km |
| 3 | Coulaines Sarthe | 5.4 | 5.5% | 0% | 134 km |
| 4 | La Ville-du-Bois Essonne | 4.4 | 28% | 0% | 164 km |
| 5 | Paray-Vieille-Poste Essonne | 3.9 | 0.4% | 0% | 164 km |
| 6 | Mazingarbe Pas-de-Calais | 2.9 | 7.4% | 0% | 68 km |
| 7 | Ballancourt-sur-Essonne Essonne | 2.9 | 28% | 0.1% | 179 km |
| 8 | Vern-sur-Seiche Ille-et-Vilaine | 2.9 | 13% | 0% | 57 km |
| 9 | La Ricamarie Loire | 2.8 | 20% | 3.2% | 206 km |
| 10 | Wintzenheim Haut-Rhin | 2.8 | 51% | 100% | 471 km |
| 11 | Guénange Moselle | 2.7 | 24% | 0% | 315 km |
| 12 | Le Mesnil-Esnard Seine-Maritime | 2.6 | 16% | 0% | 57 km |
| 13 | Rochefort-du-Gard Gard | 2.6 | 40% | 0% | 59 km |
| 14 | Charnay-lès-Mâcon Saône-et-Loire | 2.4 | 5.7% | 0% | 311 km |
| 15 | Cavalaire-sur-Mer Var | 1.8 | 45% | 0.1% | On it |
| 16 | Aureilhan Hautes-Pyrénées | 1.8 | 12% | 0.7% | 133 km |
| 17 | Sorbiers Loire | 1.8 | 14% | 0% | 217 km |
| 18 | Verrières-en-Anjou Maine-et-Loire | 1.8 | 7.4% | 0% | 127 km |
| 19 | Saint-Vincent-de-Tyrosse Landes | 1.8 | 51% | 0% | 11 km |
| 20 | Val de Briey Meurthe-et-Moselle | 1.7 | 55% | 0% | 305 km |
| 21 | Anse Rhône | 1.7 | 16% | 0% | 269 km |
| 22 | La Colle-sur-Loup Alpes-Maritimes | 1.7 | 39% | 28% | 5.1 km |
| 23 | Champagnole Jura | 1.7 | 48% | 0% | 352 km |
| 24 | Talange Moselle | 1.6 | 2.5% | 0% | 318 km |
| 25 | Beaugency Loiret | 1.4 | 6.8% | 24% | 206 km |
| 26 | Tignieu-Jameyzieu Isère | 1.4 | 11% | 0% | 255 km |
| 27 | Vineuil Loir-et-Cher | 1.3 | 27% | 3.4% | 219 km |
| 28 | La Tour-du-Pin Isère | 1.2 | 4.7% | 0% | 240 km |
| 29 | Les Arcs Var | 1.1 | 35% | 12% | 21 km |
| 30 | Gleizé Rhône | 1.1 | 7.7% | 0% | 275 km |
| 31 | Martignas-sur-Jalle Gironde | 1.1 | 48% | 2.8% | 23 km |
| 32 | Linselles Nord | 1 | 0.7% | 0% | 53 km |
| 33 | Chinon Indre-et-Loire | 1 | 15% | 100% | 142 km |
| 34 | Bellegarde Gard | 0.7 | 5.7% | 13% | 33 km |
| 35 | Jarny Meurthe-et-Moselle | 0.7 | 12% | 48% | 311 km |
| 36 | Questembert Morbihan | 0.6 | 19% | 0% | 16 km |
| 37 | Languidic Morbihan | 0.6 | 24% | 0% | 9 km |
| 38 | Monts Indre-et-Loire | 0.5 | 28% | 0% | 173 km |
| 39 | Salles Gironde | 0.5 | 86% | 100% | 17 km |
| 40 | Le Malesherbois Loiret | 0.3 | 11% | 3.6% | 196 km |
| 41 | Donges Loire-Atlantique | 0.3 | 2.8% | 58% | 8.5 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 Coulaines
Named parks, gardens and woods in the commune or within 400 m, the biggest and best-pathed first: Arboretum leads, at 6.7 ha. Directions go to a point inside.
Parc des Trois Vallées
Park or garden
6.9 ha1.1 km of path
15 minto walk all 1.1 km of path
0.9 km eastfrom the center
Chemin Rural
Directionsto a point inside
Parc de Banjan
Park or garden · 350 m outside the commune
4.7 ha1.6 km of path
20 minto walk all 1.6 km of path
1 km southfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Parc François Mitterrand
Park or garden
1.3 ha0.9 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.9 km of path
Centralin the middle of Coulaines
Directionsto a point inside
Parc de la Gironde
Park or garden
1.1 ha0.6 km of path
5 minto walk all 0.6 km of path
Centralin the middle of Coulaines
Directionsto a point inside
Parc de l'Abri
Park or garden
0.6 ha0.6 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.6 km of path
Centralin the middle of Coulaines
Directionsto a point inside
Parc du Four à Chanvre Parc Madona
Park or garden
0.7 ha0.4 km of path
Centralin the middle of Coulaines
Chemin des Vignes
Directionsto a point inside
Parc d'Andaine
Park or garden
0.5 ha0.3 km of path
0.8 km south-westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
All 12 named parks, gardens and woods
ArboretumPark or garden · 6.7 ha · 1.3 km of path
DirectionsParc des Trois ValléesPark or garden · 6.9 ha · 1.1 km of path
DirectionsParc de BanjanPark or garden · 4.7 ha · 1.6 km of path · just outside
DirectionsParc François MitterrandPark or garden · 1.3 ha · 0.9 km of path
DirectionsParc de la GirondePark or garden · 1.1 ha · 0.6 km of path
DirectionsParc de l'AbriPark or garden · 0.6 ha · 0.6 km of path
DirectionsParc du Four à Chanvre Parc MadonaPark or garden · 0.7 ha · 0.4 km of path
DirectionsParc d'AndainePark or garden · 0.5 ha · 0.3 km of path
DirectionsParc de la Plaine aux féesPark or garden · 0.6 ha · 0.3 km of path
DirectionsSquare BraquePark or garden · 0.4 ha · 0.3 km of path
DirectionsMail des ÉtoilesPark or garden · 0.4 ha · 0.1 km of path
DirectionsLe MailPark or garden · 0.2 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsSource: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL): named parks, gardens and woods; sizes are the whole site.
Protected areas
Vallée du Narais, forêt de Bercé et ruisseau du Dinan is the nearest protected area, 11 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
Vallée du Narais, forêt de Bercé et ruisseau du Dinan
11 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 Coulaines
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
22 km
5.4 km per km²
Hiking routes
7.8 km
waymarked: 2 km per km²
Woodland
5.5%
about 0.2 km² of mapped woods
Km per km² of the commune · mapped on OpenStreetMap
CoulainesSarthe medianFrance median
Footpaths5.4
Hiking routes2
03.57 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
CoulainesSarthe medianFrance median
Woodland5.5%
0%50%100%
That is more than in 92% of compared French towns for footpaths per km², and for woodland less than in 75% 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 Coulaines is within 800 m of a mapped park or wood, as in most French towns.
6 named hiking routes within 2 km
Other named walk
Chemin rouge9.2 km
Le tour du Mans7.7 km
De gazonfier au jardin des plantes5.7 km
Chemins médiévaux5.2 km
Circuit Rouge1.8 km
Le parcours de Saint-Christophe0.7 km
Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), extracts of October 25, 2026 (Geofabrik).
When to get out
The best walking months in Coulaines: April to September
Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at Le Mans, 8.9 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) | 8.8 | 10.1 | 11.7 | 13.6 | 15.2 | 16.0 | 15.7 | 14.3 | 12.5 | 10.7 | 9.2 | 8.4 |
| High (°C) | 8 | 10 | 13 | 17 | 20 | 24 | 26 | 26 | 22 | 17 | 12 | 9 |
| Rain (mm) | 66 | 49 | 52 | 51 | 63 | 55 | 49 | 49 | 51 | 66 | 67 | 75 |
August is the driest month (49 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 26 °C). 75 mm of rain falls in December, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 40 nights a year. The climate in Coulaines →
Neighbors
Next to Coulaines
The nearest towns of 2,500 or more, colored by the share of their land in protected areas.
Sargé-lès-le-MansLe MansYvré-l'ÉvêqueSaint-SaturninLa MilesseAllonnesCoulaines
Under 1%1–10 %10–25 %25–50 %50 %+
| Town | Protected | Woodland | Paths (km/km²) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coulaines | 0% | 5.5% | 5.4 |
| Sargé-lès-le-Mans 3,851 · 2.9 km | 0% | 11% | 1.6 |
| Le Mans 146,249 · 3.1 km | 0% | 6.6% | 5.5 |
| Yvré-l'Évêque 4,181 · 4.8 km | 0% | 26% | 2.2 |
| Saint-Saturnin 2,774 · 5.2 km | 0% | 8.9% | 1.9 |
| La Milesse 2,617 · 6.5 km | 0% | 11% | 0.9 |
| Allonnes 10,739 · 7.3 km | 0% | 15% | 3.2 |
Yvré-l'Évêque is more wooded.
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 Coulaines
Is Coulaines in a national or regional nature park?
No. The nearest protected area is Vallée du Narais, forêt de Bercé et ruisseau du Dinan, 11 km from the town center.
Are there good walks in Coulaines?
OpenStreetMap maps 22 km of footpaths and tracks open on foot in the commune, 5.4 km per km² (the median compared town: 1.7 km per km²); 8 km of waymarked hiking routes cross it.
How much of Coulaines is woodland?
5.5% of the commune is mapped woodland, private woods included; the median compared French town has 13%.
Is Coulaines near the sea?
No: the coast is 134 km from the town center, as the crow flies.
When is the best time for walking in Coulaines?
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.