For a lovely walk in the forest, Grosbois is one of the easiest options from Paris. Though little known, the forest begins about a 15-minute walk from the Boissy-Saint-Léger station, the terminus of the RER A line, and then stretches between Val-de-Marne and Essonne. Once you’ve crossed the first few streets, you’ll quickly reach wide paths lined with oak trees and a vast meadow maintained to promote biodiversity.
The Grosbois Forest: A Walk Accessible via the RER A
With its 721 hectares, the Grosbois Regional Forest far exceeds the scope of a small urban woodland. It is part of the Wooded Arc of southeastern Paris, a large natural area connecting several forest massifs in Val-de-Marne. La Végétale, a greenway designed for pedestrians and cyclists, also runs through the area, allowing visitors to extend their stroll into neighboring towns.
To explore the main points of interest, Île-de-France Nature offers a four-kilometer loop that takes about an hour to complete. The route alternates between wooded areas, regeneration zones planted after the 1999 storm, and more open spaces. In some places, the paths run alongside the Grosbois estate, offering a glimpse of its racehorse training center.
A 400-year-old oak tree still standing despite being dead
Grosbois’s most famous landmark is located along the trail. The Chêne des Bruyères is said to have begun growing during the reign of Henry IV, about four centuries ago. The tree reaches a height of 29 meters, and its trunk measures six meters in circumference—nearly two meters in diameter. Weakened by the 2003 heat wave, it is now dead, but its monumental silhouette has been preserved.
The walk can also be extended to the Piple Regional Estate, a neighboring 110-hectare area consisting of woods, meadows, and wetlands, which has been gradually opening to the public since 2026. Grosbois thus offers several types of outings, ranging from a quick one-hour loop to a longer day-long hike in the heart of the Wooded Arc.
Location: Grosbois Forest – Boissy-Saint-Léger