First pick
Parc de la Vallée verte
Park or garden
46 ha5.2 km of path
1 h 10 minto walk all 5.2 km of path
1.5 km southfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Chabe01 · CC BY-SA 4.07.5%woodland
Outdoors in La Roche-sur-Yon · protected areas, woods and footpaths
Almost every home in La Roche-sur-Yon is within 800 m of a park or wood
No protected area reaches La Roche-sur-Yon; the nearest, Marais Poitevin Regional Nature Park, is 13 km from the town center. Footpaths add up to 192 km across La Roche-sur-Yon (2.2 km per km²). 7.5% of La Roche-sur-Yon 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: Marais Poitevin Regional Nature Park, 13 km
Woodland
7.5%
of the land, mapped on OpenStreetMap
Compared town: 13%
Footpaths
192 km
2.2 km per km²
Compared town: 1.7 km per km²
Hiking routes
28 km
waymarked, GR and others
Compared town: 0.3 km per km²
Parks & woods
26
named, in or within 400 m of the commune
First: Parc de la Vallée verte
The sea
30 km
from the town center to the coast
Throughout this page, the Vendée 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 La Roche-sur-Yon 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
Woodland7.5%Share of the land mapped as forest or woods on OpenStreetMap
32out of 100
Footpaths2.2 km per km²Km of mapped footpath and track open on foot, per km² of the commune
61out of 100
Hiking routes0.3 km per km²Km of waymarked hiking routes (GR and others), per km² of the commune
47out of 100
Percentiles among compared French towns; ties count half.
Towns its size
La Roche-sur-Yon has the 10th fewest footpaths per km² of 41 towns its size
The 40 compared French towns nearest in population (50,595 to 59,964 residents), by km of footpath per km². Hover for each one’s protected land and woods; click for its page.
From Paris 5e (12.9 km per km²) to Arles (0.4 km per km²).
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Paths (km/km²) | Woodland | Protected | Coast | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paris 5e Paris | 12.9 | 1% | 0% | 151 km |
| 2 | Maisons-Alfort Val-de-Marne | 10.3 | 2.1% | 0% | 158 km |
| 3 | Massy Essonne | 9.4 | 5.3% | 0% | 158 km |
| 4 | Sevran Seine-Saint-Denis | 9.1 | 10% | 7.9% | 150 km |
| 5 | Saint-Ouen-sur-Seine Seine-Saint-Denis | 8.5 | 0.2% | 0% | 144 km |
| 6 | Clamart Hauts-de-Seine | 8.4 | 26% | 0% | 151 km |
| 7 | Bobigny Seine-Saint-Denis | 7.3 | 0.3% | 0% | 149 km |
| 8 | Saint-Herblain Loire-Atlantique | 6.6 | 12% | 1.9% | 34 km |
| 9 | Fontenay-sous-Bois Val-de-Marne | 6.4 | 1.4% | 0% | 155 km |
| 10 | Épinay-sur-Seine Seine-Saint-Denis | 6.3 | 0.8% | 0% | 139 km |
| 11 | Chambéry Savoie | 6 | 15% | 1.5% | 235 km |
| 12 | Lyon 9e Rhône | 5.9 | 9.8% | 0% | 253 km |
| 13 | Bondy Seine-Saint-Denis | 5.1 | 1.6% | 0% | 151 km |
| 14 | Paris 9e Paris | 5.1 | 0% | 0% | 147 km |
| 15 | Meaux Seine-et-Marne | 5.1 | 7.8% | 5.5% | 162 km |
| 16 | Marseille 3e Bouches-du-Rhône | 5.1 | 0% | 0% | 1.1 km |
| 17 | Chelles Seine-et-Marne | 5 | 9.3% | 0.8% | 158 km |
| 18 | Sarcelles Val-d'Oise | 4.9 | 6.9% | 0% | 139 km |
| 19 | Lorient Morbihan | 4.6 | 1.8% | 0.6% | On it |
| 20 | Vannes Morbihan | 4.6 | 12% | 33% | On it |
| 21 | Neuilly-sur-Seine Hauts-de-Seine | 4.4 | 0.1% | 0% | 143 km |
| 22 | Vaulx-en-Velin Rhône | 3.9 | 16% | 35% | 255 km |
| 23 | Bayonne Pyrénées-Atlantiques | 3.9 | 23% | 17% | 5.5 km |
| 24 | Gennevilliers Hauts-de-Seine | 3.4 | 2.1% | 0% | 141 km |
| 25 | Marseille 11e Bouches-du-Rhône | 3.3 | 43% | 42% | 7.5 km |
| 26 | Beauvais Oise | 3.3 | 12% | 0.1% | 87 km |
| 27 | Saint-Quentin Aisne | 3.2 | 7.4% | 1.2% | 121 km |
| 28 | Fréjus Var | 3.1 | 48% | 33% | On it |
| 29 | Sartrouville Yvelines | 3 | 0.9% | 0% | 135 km |
| 30 | Corbeil-Essonnes Essonne | 3 | 5.5% | 0% | 178 km |
| 31 | Hyères Var | 3 | 25% | 83% | On it |
| 32 | La Roche-sur-Yon Vendée | 2.2 | 7.5% | 0% | 30 km |
| 33 | Niort Deux-Sèvres | 2 | 6.2% | 100% | 51 km |
| 34 | Grasse Alpes-Maritimes | 1.8 | 23% | 32% | 12 km |
| 35 | Cholet Maine-et-Loire | 1.7 | 4.1% | 0% | 84 km |
| 36 | Albi Tarn | 1.7 | 2.6% | 0% | 118 km |
| 37 | Cagnes-sur-Mer Alpes-Maritimes | 1.6 | 20% | 2.1% | On it |
| 38 | Narbonne Aude | 1.2 | 11% | 63% | On it |
| 39 | Saint-Louis Réunion | 0.8 | 48% | 66% | On it |
| 40 | Saint-André Réunion | 0.6 | 16% | 31% | On it |
| 41 | Arles Bouches-du-Rhône | 0.4 | 3.1% | 90% | 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 La Roche-sur-Yon
Named parks, gardens and woods in the commune or within 400 m, the biggest and best-pathed first: Parc de la Vallée verte leads, at 46 ha. Directions go to a point inside.
Parc de Beaupuy
Park or garden · 300 m outside the commune
33 ha4.1 km of path
55 minto walk all 4.1 km of path
5 km northfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Parc Rivoli
Park or garden
18 ha4.9 km of path
1 h 5 minto walk all 4.9 km of path
1.4 km north-eastfrom the center
Allée de la BicentenaireChemin Chico MendèsAllée de la Courtaisière
Directionsto a point inside
Parc Alluchon
Park or garden
19 ha2.8 km of path
40 minto walk all 2.8 km of path
2.1 km north-eastfrom the center
Allée Yvonne de la Biliais
Directionsto a point inside
Parc Urbain des Oudairies
Park or garden
11 ha2.6 km of path
35 minto walk all 2.6 km of path
1.7 km eastfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Coulée Verte du Guyon
Park or garden · 250 m outside the commune
9.7 ha2.6 km of path
35 minto walk all 2.6 km of path
6.5 km westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Le Bois de Soulouze
Wood or forest
32 ha0.2 km of path
4.2 km westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
All 26 named parks, gardens and woods
Parc de la Vallée vertePark or garden · 46 ha · 5.2 km of path
DirectionsParc de BeaupuyPark or garden · 33 ha · 4.1 km of path · just outside
DirectionsParc RivoliPark or garden · 18 ha · 4.9 km of path
DirectionsParc AlluchonPark or garden · 19 ha · 2.8 km of path
DirectionsParc Urbain des OudairiesPark or garden · 11 ha · 2.6 km of path
DirectionsCoulée Verte du GuyonPark or garden · 9.7 ha · 2.6 km of path · just outside
DirectionsLe Bois des FontenellesWood or forest · 48 ha
DirectionsLe Bois de SoulouzeWood or forest · 32 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsHaras de la VendéePark or garden · 4.4 ha
DirectionsSquare Jean MoulinPark or garden · 1.1 ha · 0.7 km of path
Directionspotager extraordinairePark or garden · 1 ha · 0.6 km of path
DirectionsSquare BayardPark or garden · 1.1 ha · 0.5 km of path
DirectionsSquare Édith PiafPark or garden · 1 ha · 0.5 km of path
DirectionsJardin de la ComédiePark or garden · 0.8 ha · 0.3 km of path
DirectionsPré de la FontainePark or garden · 0.9 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsParc du Château du PlessisPark or garden · 0.8 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsSquare du Champ BlancPark or garden · 0.5 ha · 0.3 km of path
DirectionsPlace François MitterrandPark or garden · 0.6 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsSquare du Moulin de la GardePark or garden · 0.5 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsPlace Simone VeilPark or garden · 0.5 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsbizarteriePark or garden · 0.3 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsEspace du Pré de la CantinePark or garden · 0.3 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsPlace des VictoiresPark or garden · 0.3 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsJardin Joséphine de BeauharnaisPark or garden · 0.3 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsPlace MarconiPark or garden · 0.4 ha · 0.1 km of path
DirectionsPlace Nelson MandelaPark or garden · 0.2 ha
DirectionsSource: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL): named parks, gardens and woods; sizes are the whole site.
Protected areas
Marais Poitevin Regional Nature Park is the nearest protected area, 13 km away
The protected areas reaching the commune, and the nearest: national parks, regional nature parks, nature reserves and Natura 2000 sites.
Regional nature park
Marais Poitevin Regional Nature Park
13 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
192 km of footpaths and 28 km of hiking routes cross La Roche-sur-Yon
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
192 km
2.2 km per km²
Hiking routes
28 km
waymarked: 0.3 km per km²
Woodland
7.5%
about 6.6 km² of mapped woods
Km per km² of the commune · mapped on OpenStreetMap
La Roche-sur-YonVendée medianFrance median
Footpaths2.2
Hiking routes0.3
01.53 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
La Roche-sur-YonVendée medianFrance median
Woodland7.5%
0%50%100%
That is more than in 61% of compared French towns for footpaths per km², and for woodland less than in 68% of compared French towns. Hiking routes often follow paths and lanes already counted, so the two lengths overlap: don’t add them. 99% of La Roche-sur-Yon’s residents live within 800 m of a mapped park or wood, close to the typical town.
5 named hiking routes within 2 km
Other named walk
Du Roche s/Yon au Poiré s/Vie16 km
Roche-sur-Yon - Tablier14 km
De La Chaize au Roche s/Yon14 km
De Beaulieu à La Roche s/Yon12 km
Du Tablier à La Chaize4 km
Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), extracts of October 25, 2026 (Geofabrik).
When to get out
The best walking months in La Roche-sur-Yon: April to September
Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at La Roche sur Yon, 5.4 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) | 8.9 | 10.2 | 11.8 | 13.5 | 15.0 | 15.8 | 15.5 | 14.2 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.3 | 8.6 |
| High (°C) | 9 | 10 | 13 | 16 | 19 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 22 | 17 | 13 | 10 |
| Rain (mm) | 95 | 71 | 64 | 66 | 62 | 45 | 48 | 52 | 72 | 99 | 108 | 104 |
June is the driest month (45 mm) and August the warmest (highs of 25 °C). 108 mm of rain falls in November, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 33 nights a year. The climate in La Roche-sur-Yon →
Neighbors
Next to La Roche-sur-Yon
The nearest towns of 2,500 or more, colored by the share of their land in protected areas.
Mouilleron-le-CaptifAubigny-Les ClouzeauxVenansaultNesmyDompierre-sur-YonLa FerrièreLa Roche-sur-Yon
Under 1%1–10 %10–25 %25–50 %50 %+
| Town | Protected | Woodland | Paths (km/km²) | Coast |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| La Roche-sur-Yon | 0% | 7.5% | 2.2 | 30 km |
| Mouilleron-le-Captif 5,273 · 6.1 km | 0% | 6.8% | 1.8 | 33 km |
| Aubigny-Les Clouzeaux 7,191 · 6.8 km | 0% | 2.7% | 0.6 | 24 km |
| Venansault 4,757 · 7.3 km | 0% | 6.2% | 0.5 | 27 km |
| Nesmy 3,100 · 8.6 km | 0% | 6.9% | 0.4 | 23 km |
| Dompierre-sur-Yon 4,625 · 8.7 km | 0% | 8.7% | 0.4 | 39 km |
| La Ferrière 5,454 · 9.7 km | 0% | 9.6% | 0.7 | 38 km |
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 La Roche-sur-Yon
Is La Roche-sur-Yon in a national or regional nature park?
No. The nearest protected area is Marais Poitevin Regional Nature Park, 13 km from the town center.
Are there good walks in La Roche-sur-Yon?
OpenStreetMap maps 192 km of footpaths and tracks open on foot in the commune, 2.2 km per km² (the median compared town: 1.7 km per km²); 28 km of waymarked hiking routes cross it.
How much of La Roche-sur-Yon is woodland?
7.5% of the commune is mapped woodland, private woods included; the median compared French town has 13%.
Is La Roche-sur-Yon near the sea?
No: the coast is 30 km from the town center, as the crow flies.
When is the best time for walking in La Roche-sur-Yon?
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.