First pick
19
Wood or forest
22 ha3.6 km of path
50 minto walk all 3.6 km of path
3.4 km westfrom the center
Route Forestière de la Droite du Beillard
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Ji-Elle · CC BY-SA 3.0100%of the land protected
Outdoors in Gérardmer · protected areas, woods and footpaths
Gérardmer lies inside Ballons des Vosges Regional Nature Park
Protected areas cover 100% of Gérardmer’s land. Mapped woodland covers 70% of Gérardmer. 352 km of footpaths cross Gérardmer (6.3 km per km²). France has no Outdoors Grade yet: these are the figures, each beside the compared towns’ median.
Protected areas
100%
of the commune’s land
Compared town: 0.1%
Woodland
70%
of the land, mapped on OpenStreetMap
Compared town: 13%
Footpaths
352 km
6.3 km per km²
Compared town: 1.7 km per km²
Hiking routes
146 km
waymarked, GR and others
Compared town: 0.3 km per km²
Parks & woods
22
named, in or within 400 m of the commune
First: 19
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 Gérardmer?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and less good.
Inside Ballons des Vosges Regional Nature Park100% of the commune is in the regional nature park.A wooded commune70% mapped woodland, more than in 98% of compared French towns, against 13% for the median compared town.A place of footpaths6.3 km per km² of mapped footpath, against 1.7 km per km² for the median compared town.On waymarked routes146 km of GR and other hiking routes cross the commune.
What sets Gérardmer apart: the regional nature park around it, then its woods.
Against French towns
How Gérardmer 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 areas100%Share of the land in a national park, regional nature park, nature reserve or Natura 2000 site
96out of 100
Woodland70%Share of the land mapped as forest or woods on OpenStreetMap
98out of 100
Footpaths6.3 km per km²Km of mapped footpath and track open on foot, per km² of the commune
95out of 100
Hiking routes2.6 km per km²Km of waymarked hiking routes (GR and others), per km² of the commune
98out of 100
Percentiles among compared French towns; ties count half.
Towns its size
Gérardmer has the 3rd most footpaths per km² of 41 towns its size
The 40 compared French towns nearest in population (7,469 to 7,698 residents), by km of footpath per km². Hover for each one’s protected land and woods; click for its page.
From Émerainville (9 km per km²) to Hasparren (0.3 km per km²).
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Paths (km/km²) | Woodland | Protected | Coast | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Émerainville Seine-et-Marne | 9 | 43% | 0% | 165 km |
| 2 | Saint-Prix Val-d'Oise | 8.4 | 64% | 0.5% | 132 km |
| 3 | Gérardmer Vosges | 6.3 | 70% | 100% | 445 km |
| 4 | Huningue Haut-Rhin | 4.9 | 0.9% | 0% | 423 km |
| 5 | Saint-Germain-lès-Corbeil Essonne | 4.8 | 28% | 0% | 177 km |
| 6 | Sausset-les-Pins Bouches-du-Rhône | 4.2 | 5.8% | 51% | On it |
| 7 | Lesneven Finistère | 3.4 | 4% | 0% | 6.8 km |
| 8 | Saint-Apollinaire Côte-d'Or | 3.3 | 0.4% | 0% | 403 km |
| 9 | Saint-Péray Ardèche | 3 | 27% | 11% | 165 km |
| 10 | Falaise Calvados | 2.8 | 4% | 0% | 43 km |
| 11 | Saint-Yrieix-sur-Charente Charente | 2.5 | 20% | 8.7% | 74 km |
| 12 | Bidart Pyrénées-Atlantiques | 2.4 | 19% | 7.8% | On it |
| 13 | Faverges-Seythenex Haute-Savoie | 2.4 | 65% | 100% | 239 km |
| 14 | Crozon Finistère | 2.4 | 15% | 100% | On it |
| 15 | Villars Loire | 2.3 | 0.1% | 0% | 213 km |
| 16 | Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne Savoie | 2.2 | 37% | 0% | 190 km |
| 17 | Châteaubourg Ille-et-Vilaine | 2.1 | 16% | 0% | 57 km |
| 18 | Bourg-Saint-Andéol Ardèche | 2 | 56% | 6.1% | 101 km |
| 19 | Saint-Maixent-l'École Deux-Sèvres | 1.7 | 2.5% | 0% | 72 km |
| 20 | Villard-Bonnot Isère | 1.7 | 28% | 0% | 203 km |
| 21 | Céret Pyrénées-Orientales | 1.7 | 61% | 2.7% | 26 km |
| 22 | Tullins Isère | 1.6 | 27% | 0% | 211 km |
| 23 | Wissembourg Bas-Rhin | 1.6 | 54% | 67% | 429 km |
| 24 | Saint-Berthevin Mayenne | 1.5 | 17% | 0% | 74 km |
| 25 | Mimizan Landes | 1.3 | 75% | 8.2% | On it |
| 26 | Melesse Ille-et-Vilaine | 1.1 | 3.7% | 0% | 38 km |
| 27 | L'Aigle Orne | 1.1 | 8.4% | 0% | 78 km |
| 28 | Langon Gironde | 1 | 12% | 3.9% | 58 km |
| 29 | Jaunay-Marigny Vienne | 0.9 | 9.6% | 27% | 123 km |
| 30 | Parentis-en-Born Landes | 0.8 | 69% | 13% | 16 km |
| 31 | Sucé-sur-Erdre Loire-Atlantique | 0.8 | 13% | 25% | 48 km |
| 32 | Biguglia Haute-Corse | 0.8 | 2.9% | 21% | On it |
| 33 | Rosporden Finistère | 0.8 | 4.7% | 0% | 11 km |
| 34 | Pluvigner Morbihan | 0.7 | 19% | 0% | 9.6 km |
| 35 | Auxonne Côte-d'Or | 0.7 | 42% | 8.8% | 413 km |
| 36 | Bain-de-Bretagne Ille-et-Vilaine | 0.7 | 5% | 0% | 65 km |
| 37 | Déols Indre | 0.6 | 4.6% | 6.9% | 225 km |
| 38 | Machecoul-Saint-Même Loire-Atlantique | 0.5 | 12% | 27% | 13 km |
| 39 | Les Avenières Veyrins-Thuellin Isère | 0.4 | 22% | 11% | 249 km |
| 40 | Loireauxence Loire-Atlantique | 0.3 | 8.3% | 10% | 84 km |
| 41 | Hasparren Pyrénées-Atlantiques | 0.3 | 22% | 7.5% | 22 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 Gérardmer
Named parks, gardens and woods in the commune or within 400 m, the biggest and best-pathed first: 19 leads, at 22 ha. Directions go to a point inside.
16
Wood or forest
23 ha3 km of path
40 minto walk all 3 km of path
2.3 km westfrom the center
Chemin de LaunardRoute Forestière de la Droite du Beillard
Directionsto a point inside
18
Wood or forest
18 ha3.5 km of path
45 minto walk all 3.5 km of path
3.2 km westfrom the center
Route Forestière de la Droite du Beillard
Directionsto a point inside
248
Wood or forest
22 ha2.6 km of path
35 minto walk all 2.6 km of path
3.8 km westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
20
Wood or forest
19 ha2.8 km of path
35 minto walk all 2.8 km of path
3.7 km westfrom the center
Route Forestière de la Droite du Beillard
Directionsto a point inside
13
Wood or forest
20 ha2.2 km of path
30 minto walk all 2.2 km of path
1.8 km westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
12
Wood or forest
19 ha2.2 km of path
30 minto walk all 2.2 km of path
1.8 km westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
17
Wood or forest
18 ha2.2 km of path
30 minto walk all 2.2 km of path
2.7 km westfrom the center
Chemin de LaunardRoute Forestière de la Droite du Beillard
Directionsto a point inside
All 22 named parks, gardens and woods
19Wood or forest · 22 ha · 3.6 km of path
Directions16Wood or forest · 23 ha · 3 km of path
Directions18Wood or forest · 18 ha · 3.5 km of path
Directions248Wood or forest · 22 ha · 2.6 km of path
Directions20Wood or forest · 19 ha · 2.8 km of path
Directions13Wood or forest · 20 ha · 2.2 km of path
Directions12Wood or forest · 19 ha · 2.2 km of path
Directions17Wood or forest · 18 ha · 2.2 km of path
Directions250Wood or forest · 19 ha · 2 km of path
Directions255Wood or forest · 16 ha · 2.5 km of path
Directions15Wood or forest · 16 ha · 2.3 km of path
Directions21Wood or forest · 18 ha · 1.9 km of path
Directions253Wood or forest · 16 ha · 1.7 km of path
Directions249Wood or forest · 12 ha · 2.4 km of path
Directions247Wood or forest · 11 ha · 2 km of path
Directions254Wood or forest · 12 ha · 1.7 km of path
Directions252Wood or forest · 13 ha · 1.4 km of path
Directions251Wood or forest · 8.9 ha · 1.2 km of path
DirectionsParc du TrexeauPark or garden · 0.5 ha · 0.6 km of path
Directions44Wood or forest · 2.9 ha · 0.3 km of path
DirectionsParc GarnierPark or garden · 0.5 ha · 0.3 km of path
Directions45Wood or forest · 2.3 ha
DirectionsSource: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL): named parks, gardens and woods; sizes are the whole site.
Protected areas
Protected land in and around Gérardmer
The protected areas reaching the commune, and the nearest: national parks, regional nature parks, nature reserves and Natura 2000 sites.
Regional nature park
Ballons des Vosges Regional Nature Park
100% of the commune
Nature reserve
Housseramont - Noir Rupt nature reserve
3.9% of the commune4 km from the center
Nature reserve
Kertoff nature reserve
1.3% of the commune2.5 km from the center
Nature reserve
Tourbière de la Morte Femme nature reserve
1% of the commune4.5 km from the center
Nature reserve
Gérardmer nature reserve
1.4 km from the town center
Natura 2000 site
Massif vosgien
19% of the commune1.5 km from the center
Share of the commune’s land
Any protected area100%
Regional nature park100%
Nature reserve6.2%
Natura 2000 site19%
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.
100% of Gérardmer’s land is protected, more than in 96% of compared French towns; the median compared town in Vosges has 2.4%. A regional nature park is a charter between communes to look after a landscape: farming, building and hunting go on inside it.
All 8 protected areas
Forêt domaniale de Gérardmer ouest (La Morte Femme, Faignes de Noir Rupt)Natura 2000 site · 13% of the commune
Massif de VologneNatura 2000 site · 2.8 km
Source: INPN / PatriNat, protected areas July 2026, Natura 2000 December 2024; shares of IGN’s commune boundary.
Footpaths and woods
352 km of footpaths and 146 km of hiking routes cross Gérardmer
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
352 km
6.3 km per km²
Hiking routes
146 km
waymarked: 2.6 km per km²
Woodland
70%
about 39 km² of mapped woods
Km per km² of the commune · mapped on OpenStreetMap
GérardmerVosges medianFrance median
Footpaths6.3
Hiking routes2.6
048 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
GérardmerVosges medianFrance median
Woodland70%
0%50%100%
That is more than in 95% of compared French towns for footpaths per km², and for woodland more than in 98% 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 Gérardmer is within 800 m of a mapped park or wood, as in most French towns.
35 named hiking routes within 2 km
GR (long-distance)Other named walk
GR 53330 km
Tour de la Vologne27 km
Boucle Sud16 km
Tour de La Bresse12 km
Circuit de Liézey11 km
Circuit du Phény11 km
Circuit de la Roche Morand9.9 km
Tour du Haut des Xettes9.2 km
Circuit Gérardmer - Les Bas Rupts8.9 km
Circuit de Grouvelin8 km
Sentier du Textile6.4 km
Circuit de la Roche Toussaint5.9 km
+23 more
GR 533 passes within 2 km of Gérardmer.
Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), extracts of October 25, 2026 (Geofabrik).
When to get out
The best walking months in Gérardmer: June to September
Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at Trois-Epis_Sapc, 27 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) | 4 | 5 | 9 | 13 | 17 | 21 | 23 | 23 | 18 | 13 | 8 | 5 |
| Rain (mm) | 68 | 57 | 55 | 53 | 82 | 74 | 73 | 69 | 60 | 74 | 61 | 79 |
April is the driest month (53 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 23 °C). 82 mm of rain falls in May, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 71 nights a year. The climate in Gérardmer →
Neighbors
Next to Gérardmer
The nearest towns of 2,500 or more, colored by the share of their land in protected areas.
La BresseGranges-AumontzeyCornimontVagneyAnouldSaulxures-sur-MoselotteGérardmer
Under 1%1–10 %10–25 %25–50 %50 %+
| Town | Protected | Woodland | Paths (km/km²) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gérardmer | 100% | 70% | 6.3 |
| La Bresse 3,853 · 7.4 km | 100% | 58% | 3.5 |
| Granges-Aumontzey 2,529 · 10 km | 90% | 70% | 1.1 |
| Cornimont 3,027 · 13 km | 100% | 72% | 2.2 |
| Vagney 3,843 · 13 km | 100% | 59% | 1.9 |
| Anould 3,234 · 14 km | 0.1% | 49% | 0.6 |
| Saulxures-sur-Moselotte 2,566 · 15 km | 100% | 66% | 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 Gérardmer
Is Gérardmer in a national or regional nature park?
Yes: Gérardmer lies in Ballons des Vosges Regional Nature Park (100% of the commune).
Are there good walks in Gérardmer?
OpenStreetMap maps 352 km of footpaths and tracks open on foot in the commune, 6.3 km per km² (the median compared town: 1.7 km per km²); 146 km of waymarked hiking routes cross it.
How much of Gérardmer is woodland?
70% of the commune is mapped woodland, private woods included; the median compared French town has 13%.
Is Gérardmer near the sea?
No: the coast is 445 km from the town center, as the crow flies.
When is the best time for walking in Gérardmer?
June 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.