First pick
Forêt d'Épinal
Wood or forest
3,615 ha100 km of path
22 h 15 minto walk all 100 km of path
4.9 km eastfrom the center
Parcours de SantéVoie Communale dite du Bambois
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: ArKaNuM · CC BY-SA 3.067%woodland
Outdoors in Épinal · protected areas, woods and footpaths
67% of Épinal is woodland, more than in 9 in 10 French towns
Footpaths add up to 217 km across Épinal (3.7 km per km²). Épinal has 63 km of waymarked hiking routes. No protected area reaches Épinal; the nearest, Gîtes chiroptères autour d’Epinal (Natura 2000), is 4.2 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: Gîtes chiroptères autour d’Epinal, 4.2 km
Woodland
67%
of the land, mapped on OpenStreetMap
Compared town: 13%
Footpaths
217 km
3.7 km per km²
Compared town: 1.7 km per km²
Hiking routes
63 km
waymarked, GR and others
Compared town: 0.3 km per km²
Parks & woods
9
named, in or within 400 m of the commune
First: Forêt d'Épinal
Throughout this page, the Vosges 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 Épinal?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and less good.
A wooded commune67% mapped woodland, more than in 97% of compared French towns, against 13% for the median compared town.A place of footpaths3.7 km per km² of mapped footpath, against 1.7 km per km² for the median compared town.On waymarked routes63 km of GR and other hiking routes cross the commune.Protected land nearbyGîtes chiroptères autour d’Epinal (Natura 2000) is 4.2 km from the town center.
What sets Épinal apart: its woods, then its footpaths.
Against French towns
How Épinal 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
Woodland67%Share of the land mapped as forest or woods on OpenStreetMap
97out of 100
Footpaths3.7 km per km²Km of mapped footpath and track open on foot, per km² of the commune
81out of 100
Hiking routes1.1 km per km²Km of waymarked hiking routes (GR and others), per km² of the commune
85out of 100
Percentiles among compared French towns; ties count half.
Towns its size
Épinal has the 20th fewest footpaths per km² of 41 towns its size
The 40 compared French towns nearest in population (30,168 to 33,983 residents), by km of footpath per km². Hover for each one’s protected land and woods; click for its page.
From Cachan (11.5 km per km²) to Carpentras (1.1 km per km²).
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Paths (km/km²) | Woodland | Protected | Coast | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cachan Val-de-Marne | 11.5 | 1.2% | 0% | 155 km |
| 2 | Montigny-le-Bretonneux Yvelines | 10 | 18% | 4.9% | 143 km |
| 3 | Tournefeuille Haute-Garonne | 7.5 | 9.4% | 0% | 153 km |
| 4 | L'Haÿ-les-Roses Val-de-Marne | 7.5 | 4% | 0% | 156 km |
| 5 | Thiais Val-de-Marne | 7.3 | 5.4% | 0% | 160 km |
| 6 | Savigny-le-Temple Seine-et-Marne | 6.5 | 15% | 0% | 183 km |
| 7 | Paris 3e Paris | 6.4 | 0.1% | 0% | 149 km |
| 8 | Le Chesnay-Rocquencourt Yvelines | 6.3 | 21% | 0% | 144 km |
| 9 | Pontoise Val-d'Oise | 6.2 | 11% | 0.5% | 121 km |
| 10 | Malakoff Hauts-de-Seine | 5.6 | 0% | 0% | 151 km |
| 11 | Plaisir Yvelines | 5.5 | 26% | 0% | 135 km |
| 12 | Viry-Châtillon Essonne | 5.4 | 4.4% | 0% | 168 km |
| 13 | Bègles Gironde | 5.3 | 5.5% | 8.9% | 23 km |
| 14 | Agen Lot-et-Garonne | 5 | 4.9% | 3.6% | 132 km |
| 15 | Ris-Orangis Essonne | 4.6 | 7.7% | 0% | 171 km |
| 16 | Lens Pas-de-Calais | 4.6 | 6.4% | 0% | 74 km |
| 17 | Chatou Yvelines | 4.5 | 0.3% | 0% | 138 km |
| 18 | Nogent-sur-Marne Val-de-Marne | 4.4 | 2.8% | 0% | 157 km |
| 19 | Vigneux-sur-Seine Essonne | 4.3 | 21% | 0% | 167 km |
| 20 | Aix-les-Bains Savoie | 3.9 | 14% | 20% | 246 km |
| 21 | Le Port Réunion | 3.7 | 0.5% | 5.6% | On it |
| 22 | Épinal Vosges | 3.7 | 67% | 0% | 413 km |
| 23 | Rillieux-la-Pape Rhône | 3.5 | 16% | 6.1% | 259 km |
| 24 | Menton Alpes-Maritimes | 3.5 | 32% | 20% | On it |
| 25 | Nevers Nièvre | 3.3 | 1.2% | 11% | 336 km |
| 26 | Villiers-sur-Marne Val-de-Marne | 3 | 2% | 0% | 160 km |
| 27 | Marignane Bouches-du-Rhône | 2.9 | 3.4% | 16% | 8.5 km |
| 28 | Cambrai Nord | 2.8 | 4.5% | 0% | 111 km |
| 29 | Herblay-sur-Seine Val-d'Oise | 2.7 | 10% | 0% | 128 km |
| 30 | Dreux Eure-et-Loir | 2.7 | 24% | 2.4% | 107 km |
| 31 | Vienne Isère | 2.6 | 30% | 0.1% | 227 km |
| 32 | Montluçon Allier | 2.4 | 7.5% | 2.3% | 279 km |
| 33 | La Garenne-Colombes Hauts-de-Seine | 2.2 | 0% | 0% | 141 km |
| 34 | Saint-Laurent-du-Var Alpes-Maritimes | 2.2 | 6.3% | 8.8% | On it |
| 35 | Mont-de-Marsan Landes | 2.1 | 33% | 4.9% | 70 km |
| 36 | Houilles Yvelines | 1.7 | 0% | 0% | 136 km |
| 37 | Goussainville Val-d'Oise | 1.7 | 2.8% | 0% | 139 km |
| 38 | Romans-sur-Isère Drôme | 1.7 | 11% | 12% | 178 km |
| 39 | Saint-Médard-en-Jalles Gironde | 1.7 | 46% | 4.4% | 17 km |
| 40 | Châtellerault Vienne | 1.6 | 4.3% | 0% | 140 km |
| 41 | Carpentras Vaucluse | 1.1 | 6% | 64% | 69 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 Épinal
Named parks, gardens and woods in the commune or within 400 m, the biggest and best-pathed first: Forêt d'Épinal leads, at 3,615 ha. Directions go to a point inside.
Parc Du Château
Park or garden
11 ha4.8 km of path
1 h 5 minto walk all 4.8 km of path
Centralin the middle of Épinal
Chemin de CeintureChemin des Mulets
Directionsto a point inside
Parc du Cours
Park or garden
5.2 ha2.5 km of path
35 minto walk all 2.5 km of path
0.7 km south-westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Parcours de santé du Saut le Cerf
Wood or forest
14 ha2.7 km of path
35 minto walk all 2.7 km of path
2.7 km northfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Parc des Acacias
Park or garden · 110 m outside the commune
4.3 ha1.2 km of path
15 minto walk all 1.2 km of path
2.8 km northfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
L'Ile sous la Gosse
Park or garden
2.8 ha0.9 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.9 km of path
1.8 km north-westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Jardin de la Maison romaine
Park or garden
1.7 ha1.1 km of path
15 minto walk all 1.1 km of path
0.9 km north-westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Parc des Vues
Park or garden
2.1 ha0.4 km of path
0.8 km northfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
All 9 named parks, gardens and woods
Forêt d'ÉpinalWood or forest · 3,615 ha · 100 km of path
DirectionsParc Du ChâteauPark or garden · 11 ha · 4.8 km of path
DirectionsParc du CoursPark or garden · 5.2 ha · 2.5 km of path
DirectionsParcours de santé du Saut le CerfWood or forest · 14 ha · 2.7 km of path
DirectionsParc des AcaciasPark or garden · 4.3 ha · 1.2 km of path · just outside
DirectionsL'Ile sous la GossePark or garden · 2.8 ha · 0.9 km of path
DirectionsJardin de la Maison romainePark or garden · 1.7 ha · 1.1 km of path
DirectionsParc des VuesPark or garden · 2.1 ha · 0.4 km of path
DirectionsEsplanade Mamadou Addi BâPark or garden · 0.4 ha
DirectionsSource: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL): named parks, gardens and woods; sizes are the whole site.
Protected areas
Gîtes chiroptères autour d’Epinal is the nearest protected area, 4.2 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
Gîtes chiroptères autour d’Epinal
4.2 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
217 km of footpaths and 63 km of hiking routes cross Épinal
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
217 km
3.7 km per km²
Hiking routes
63 km
waymarked: 1.1 km per km²
Woodland
67%
about 39.8 km² of mapped woods
Km per km² of the commune · mapped on OpenStreetMap
ÉpinalVosges medianFrance median
Footpaths3.7
Hiking routes1.1
02.55 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
ÉpinalVosges medianFrance median
Woodland67%
0%50%100%
That is more than in 81% of compared French towns for footpaths per km², and for woodland more than in 97% 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 Épinal is within 800 m of a mapped park or wood, as in most French towns.
10 named hiking routes within 2 km
GR (long-distance)Other named walk
GR 50120 km
Circuit des Grands Bois17 km
Sentier des Ducs17 km
Circuit des Tuileries14 km
La Tête du Bouffrot11 km
Circuit des Dix9.8 km
Circuit de la Feinge Orientale7.9 km
Les Coteaux de Saint-Laurent6 km
Tour de la Vologne3.9 km
Parcours lichens et pollens1.7 km
GR 501 passes within 2 km of Épinal.
Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), extracts of October 25, 2026 (Geofabrik).
When to get out
The best walking months in Épinal: April to September
Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at Epinal, 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) | 8.8 | 10.1 | 11.7 | 13.6 | 15.2 | 16.0 | 15.7 | 14.3 | 12.5 | 10.7 | 9.1 | 8.4 |
| High (°C) | 5 | 7 | 11 | 15 | 19 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 20 | 15 | 9 | 6 |
| Rain (mm) | 77 | 65 | 67 | 62 | 82 | 73 | 72 | 73 | 77 | 89 | 83 | 88 |
April is the driest month (62 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 25 °C). 89 mm of rain falls in October, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 78 nights a year. The climate in Épinal →
Gardens
A garden to visit in Épinal
Named gardens in the commune.
Arboretum de la Forêt d'ÉpinalIn Épinal
DirectionsSource: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) and Wikidata.
Neighbors
Next to Épinal
The nearest towns of 2,500 or more, colored by the share of their land in protected areas.
ChantraineGolbeyThaon-les-VosgesÉloyesXertignySaint-NabordÉpinal
Under 1%1–10 %10–25 %25–50 %50 %+
| Town | Protected | Woodland | Paths (km/km²) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Épinal | 0% | 67% | 3.7 |
| Chantraine 3,198 · 1.8 km | 0% | 74% | 7.1 |
| Golbey 8,832 · 2.7 km | 0% | 26% | 2.2 |
| Thaon-les-Vosges 8,547 · 8.9 km | 0% | 41% | 0.6 |
| Éloyes 3,138 · 15 km | 0% | 59% | 1.8 |
| Xertigny 2,589 · 15 km | 0% | 42% | 0.4 |
| Saint-Nabord 3,953 · 18 km | 3.6% | 62% | 2.1 |
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 Épinal
Is Épinal in a national or regional nature park?
No. The nearest protected area is Gîtes chiroptères autour d’Epinal, 4.2 km from the town center.
Are there good walks in Épinal?
OpenStreetMap maps 217 km of footpaths and tracks open on foot in the commune, 3.7 km per km² (the median compared town: 1.7 km per km²); 63 km of waymarked hiking routes cross it.
How much of Épinal is woodland?
67% of the commune is mapped woodland, private woods included; the median compared French town has 13%.
Is Épinal near the sea?
No: the coast is 413 km from the town center, as the crow flies.
When is the best time for walking in Épinal?
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.