Station to Station: viewpoints in the Forest of Fontainebleau

Start from the Fontainebleau-Forêt railway halt, between Bois-le-Roi and Fontainebleau.

(S) Take the path running parallel to the track, heading towards the rear of the train. Go under the railway line, then turn right immediately. 20 m further on, enter the forest on the left, following the blue signpost no. 15. The path runs flat between some remarkable trees. Cross the D116 and continue on the other side of the road until you reach the junction with the D138.

(1) Cross the road and immediately afterwards, turn left onto a path marked with blue signs. Cross in turn the tracks of the Route de la Plaine de Bois-le-Roi, the Route de la Biche, the Route des Écouettes, the Route du Cerf, the Route de l’Hexagone and then a cross-track. You will then reach, at a right angle, a wide forest road lined with a fence (Route Eugénie).

(2) Turn left, following the blue markings 12–15. Cross two tracks: Route du Luxembourg and then Route du Rocher Cassepot. Shortly after the latter, and without reaching the climb opposite, the blue path branches off to the left between the rocks. Follow it for 150 m, zigzagging.

(3) At a multi-way junction, take a path on the right at a right angle, marked Blue No. 14. The path, initially flat, becomes increasingly steep. At the top of the hill, turn left onto the Blue No. 3 trail, heading towards the Grand Point de Vue du Rocher Cassepot, and reach it.

(4) After enjoying the beautiful view over the forest, head north, turning right at a right angle away from the edge, still following Blue signpost no. 3, which zigzags across the plateau.

(5) After a steep descent, reach the Route de la Vallée de la Salle (plot nos. 243–249). Turn right onto this road (off the marked trail) and after 400 m in a straight line, you will reach a fork (one branch goes straight down, the other diagonally right uphill). Between the two branches, rejoin the Blue No. 3 marked trail, which is flat.
Zigzag between tall rocks; several passages through natural tunnels. Arrive at a viewpoint.

(6) Continue southwards, with views of the Solle racecourse and the valley, and follow the path.

(7) At a junction, in a clearing amongst the rocks on level ground, turn left downhill following the Blue No. 4-3 markings. Walk for a further 750 m or so to reach the D606.

(8) Cross the road. The blue markings lead to a designated crossing with good visibility; take care here as traffic is fast and heavy.

On the other side of the road (Cabaret Masson site), the markings are a bit confusing. Follow the car park to the left, then head away from the road at roughly a right angle through the climbing rocks. You’ll reach the sign marking the start of Blue Trail No. 4.

(9) Take the path on the left and pass between tall rocks and through natural tunnels. Note the painted Virgin Mary in one of these tunnels.

(10) At the Grotte aux Cristaux, turn left at the bottom of the gully onto Blue Trail No. 4. Pass the Fontaine Maria, 250 m after the grotto, then climb up to the Carrefour de Belle-Croix. Take the track running parallel to the road, the Route des Ligueurs. 200 m further on, take a path diagonally to the left, moving away from the noise of the road.
1.5 km after the Blue Cross, you’ll reach the pretty Mare aux Ligueurs. Continue to follow the blue markings. Shortly afterwards, pass through a natural tunnel, then past the Fontaine Sanguinède. You’ll arrive at a tarmac road closed to cars.

(11) Follow it to the right, then about a hundred metres further on, cross the D607 with care. On the other side, turn right at a slight angle onto Route du Clair Bois. Cross the D301 (much quieter), then turn diagonally right onto Route des Platières d’Apremont (leaving the blue markings), and continue along this road for 100 m.

(12) At the junction with Route du Rapin, take it diagonally to the left for 400 m. Pass the junction with Route du Milan, which turns sharply right, then reach the next fork.

(13) Take Blue trail no. 6-6, up to the right. Just before the summit, note the chasm (marked DANGER).
You’ll reach the plateau with the pretty Mare aux Sangliers lake perched high above. Continue to follow the Blue No. 6-6 markings. The path winds through the rocks and old quarries. Pass two memorial stones to the quarry workers, then a lovely viewpoint with a picnic table.

(14) At the crossroads (plot nos. 716-709), turn left and follow the blue markings no. 6-6. Descend back into the Désert d’Apremont plain. Walk on level ground for about 400 m and join the blue-marked trail no. 6.

(15) Turn right diagonally onto this path. Continue on level ground for another 200 m, then climb up through the rocks.

(16) At the junction of two Blue-marked trails, continue on trail no. 6, turning right and climbing up through the rocks.

(17) At the distinctive rock shaped like the letter Y, walk a few metres and turn right at a right angle onto a steep, well-marked downhill path, the Route de la Solitude, which is not signposted. Continue straight on to the Carrefour de l’Épine car park.

(18) Cross the D607 via the underpass. On the other side, follow the^GR® White-Red markings straight ahead for 500 m (Route de la Solitude).

(19) In a clearing, the white-and-red^GR® markings turn right. Leave these and take the path climbing to the left, unmarked, Route de la Solitude. After a long climb, at the top of the plateau, follow the obvious path to the left, to the Camp de Chailly viewpoint.

(20) After enjoying the view and the stone picnic tables, head back along the path you came up. At the fork, keep left and, a few metres further on, continue to the right. Walk for about 1 km after the viewpoint.

(21) At the crossroads just after a sharp bend to the right, turn diagonally right onto Route du Clocher.
At the second junction (plot no. 869), turn left onto Route du Sanglier. Monument to Césaire Sampité. Continue for a further 400 m across the plateau, then 300 m downhill.

(22) At the bottom of the valley, at the multi-way junction (parcels 863-855), take the Blue No. 12 marked trail straight ahead, slightly diagonally to the left. Walk in a zigzag between the rocks until you reach the Rocher Canon climbing site, then head back to the car park.

(23) At the car park, take the tarmac road to the left (unmarked), then turn right at a right angle (Route du Lancer). From here, it’s straight on to the station. Cross the D142, then the D606. Follow the white-and-red^GR® markings and cross the D138 again. Enter Bois-le-Roi and, 50 m before the railway bridge over the street, turn left (Rue Pasteur) then take the first right to reach the Bois-le-Roi SNCF station (E).

Variations:
(9) Option to turn right, slightly higher up (Rocher Saint-Germain) and head towards La Roche aux Cristaux (10).
(11) Alternative route, avoiding the dangerous crossing of the D607. Take a path diagonally to the right, towards the Carrefour de la Croix du Grand Veneur, and rejoin the trail at (12) via the D301 then the Route du Rapin.

Duration 7 hours 30 minutes, elevation gain measured by altimeter 340 m.

No refreshments available along the way. The few springs encountered are not drinkable.

Access to the starting point (S) ( Fontainebleau-Forêt station, located between Bois-le-Roi and Fontainebleau) is by train. It is served from Paris-Gare-de-Lyon, Melun and Bois-le-Roi, only on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. Only the 8.16 am and 9.16 am trains stop at this station. See the Ligne R blog. Unfortunately, it is difficult to find reliable information online about the Fontainebleau-Forêt station.

Alternative access: on foot from Fontainebleau-Avon station. Add 2 km.

(E) Bois-le-Roi station: a few shops, a café. Trains every 20 to 30 minutes to Paris.

Route not possible in the opposite direction, as there are no trains departing from Fontainebleau-Forêt station.

Route not accessible by mountain bike.