From Fontainebleau to Fontaine-le-Port via the Denecourt Tower

Starting point and access: Fontainebleau-Avon station.
- Transilien - Line R, on the sections between Paris-Lyon and Montargis or Montereau via Moret.
- TER - Line between Paris-Lyon and Laroche-Migennes.
Take exit 2 Place de la Gare, on the side of track 2, the one going from Fontainebleau to Paris (if arriving in the opposite direction, track 1, take the underground passage).

No signage

(S) Cross Place de la Gare and walk along the La Châtelaine residence on your left. At the end, cross at the pedestrian crossing on the right, then turn right along a car park to find the bottom of a staircase. Climb this staircase and, at the top, cross the avenue at the pedestrian crossing. Leave the hotel-restaurant on your left and follow the street until you reach the sign indicating the start of the Denecourt-Colinet trail no. 2.

On the south-north section after the point (1), the blue line on the 1:25,000 map supposed to represent trail no. 2 is inaccurate. The route shown here is consistent with my GPS track and the OSM background.

Blue markings

(1) Follow the marked trail north towards Roche Éponge and Tour Denecourt and climb into the forest. At a crossroads (reservoir on the right), continue straight on the trail interspersed with wooden steps. Soon cross a tarmac road and continue along the trail. Return to the tarmac, turn left and pass through a forest barrier.

Immediately afterwards, turn right onto the marked trail and pass at the foot of a rock block where a female face has been carved. Immediately afterwards, pass at the foot of a stele on the right-hand side. Walk along a good, fairly flat path, on the edge of the slope on the right-hand side and bordered by boulders on the left-hand side, some of which have a letter painted in blue (M, L and K, the latter requiring you to squeeze between two rocks).

(2) Shortly after rock K, trail no. 2 splits into two branches: take the one on the right, which continues straight ahead and flat along the edge of the slope. Pass at the foot of rocks J and I.

When the trail turns right, continue straight ahead following the markings and climb a flight of stone steps. Walk along the Grotte Colinet on your left (stele), climb another flight of steps, continue straight ahead and climb a few more steps to reach the Roche Éponge (which owes its name to its evocative shape). Descend on the other side, going around the rock on the left. At the bottom, turn left onto a path between two low walls.

(3) Note the Fontaine Isabelle fountain below on the left and turn right. Climb a few more steps. At a T-junction, turn right and descend slightly. At a crossroads, take the^second path on the left. At the three-way junction shortly afterwards, turn right and pass in front of the Fontaine Dorly fountain. At a three-way junction not shown on the map (viewpoint on the right), turn left. Go down a few steps in a right-hand bend. Wind your way along the edge of the slope and you will reach the Fontaine Désirée (stone table).

(4) Continue along the marked path and immediately pass another fountain (marked on the map as the Touring Club de France fountain). Cross a path and then, shortly afterwards, a larger track. Begin the descent and turn right (the track that goes straight down is a steep shortcut). Further on, make a hairpin turn to the left and then turn right. At the bottom, at a crossroads, go straight ahead. Cross a sparse forest on fairly level ground and you will come to a large crossroads.

(5) Cross a tarmac road and take the^first path on the left, still path no. 2, which initially runs parallel to another tarmac road on the right. Ignore a path branching off to the right towards this road and start climbing. At a three-way junction, turn right and climb up a path interspersed with steps and then paved. At the top (rock shelter), turn right and pass at the foot of the boulders on the left. Slip between two boulders (yellow marker) and continue winding your way up to the Denecourt Tower.

Blue + red and white markings

(6) Go around the tower on the left and gently descend the tarmac road (leave trail no. 2 and ignore several markings on the left as well as a staircase). After about 60 metres, at a sharp right-hand bend and at the foot of a marker post, leave the road and descend a path on the left (follow path no. 13). At the crossroads, continue straight ahead on path no. 13-15 and climb slightly.

Blue markings

(7) At a crossroads, continue straight ahead on trail no. 13-15 (leaving the^GR® trail on your right). Wind your way through the pine forest, pass by a stele and descend. Then continue on flat ground through a patch of oak trees. Cross a wide path and continue straight ahead on a faint trail through the undergrowth. At the end, take the^second path on the left and follow the railway line below on the right. Pass through a forest gate and cross the D138 (caution: very busy road; crossing here gives you better visibility than further on).

(8) Turn right and take the bridge over the railway line (caution: narrow pavement). Cross a regulated road on the left and immediately turn left onto a sometimes cluttered path that winds through the undergrowth. Cross a forest track and continue through the woods. At the roundabout, take a paved passage to cross the road coming from the left.

Blue + Green and White markings

Then turn left onto a path that zigzags and descends through the woods.

Blue + green and white + red and white markings

Come out onto a wide path and follow it to the left, passing a building on your right. Pass under two medium-voltage power lines (view of the Seine) and continue north on the forest path.

(9) About 250 m after the power lines, turn right (be careful to spot this turn; in March 2021 it was hidden by a tree lying across the path). Cross a tarmac road (EDF power station) and continue on the path opposite, the Route du Parc. Go straight ahead and note the views of the Seine below on the right.

No markings

About 650 m after the tarmac road, at a crossroads, turn right and go downhill to reach the banks of the Seine (this temporary departure from the signposting allows for a less steep descent than the large staircase used by the^GR®).

Red and white markings

(10) Join the^GR®2and follow the road along the Seine on your right (note the large houses on your left). At a fork, turn right and cross Square Jules et Georges Guillo Lohan (statue of Django Reinhardt on the left behind a hedge). Take a footbridge over a branch of the Seine and cross the Ile du Berceau on a stabilised path. At the end, cross the branch of the Seine again.

No signposts

(11) Follow Quai de la République to the right (leave the^GR® trail opposite in the streets of Samois). After an information sign about the boundary, turn right onto the tarmac towpath (dead end). Walk along the Seine and note the many moored barges. Further on, the tarmac gives way to a gravel path. After the last barge, continue along a dirt track beside the Seine (wet patches). Pass an isolated house and continue along the Seine. Then cross a lawn bordered on the left by a stabilised path, which you should join.

Red and white + green and white markings

(12) Join the^GR®2and follow the Promenade de Samois northwards, a wide forest path with the Seine some distance to the right. Continue straight ahead for about 1.9 km, ignoring all turnings on the left.

No markings

(13) There are two options here:
- Continue straight ahead and, after a few dozen metres, when the^GR® turns left, continue straight ahead on a wide dirt track lined with house fences on the right-hand side. You will come to a perpendicular tarmac road (EDF substation opposite).
- As shown on the map, turn right onto a path that leads into the undergrowth (be careful to spot this turn-off). Reach the bank of the Seine and follow it on your right. Continue along a lane serving the houses on the left bank of the Seine. Before the bridge, turn left along the lane, pass through a metal barrier and you will immediately come to an intersection (EDF substation on the right).

Red and white markings

At this point, where the two options above meet, follow a path that starts at the foot of the EDF substation and follow it on your left. Climb the stairs leading to the bridge. At the top, turn right and cross the Seine. On the other side, cross the D90 and follow it to the left towards Chartrettes. You will soon see the Fontaine-le-Port station on your right (E).

To return home:
- Transilien - Line R, towards Melun and Paris (immediate access) or Montereau (take the underground passage).

Train timetables: consult the Transilien website.

For motorists:
The two stations are located on different sections of the R line. There are two possible options:
- With at least two vehicles: leave one vehicle in the car park at each of the two stations.
- With only one vehicle: take the train one way or both ways, changing at Melun.

Hiking boots are required.

N.B. On the second half of the section between points (11) and (12), the dirt track that extends the gravel towpath is in places at the same level as the Seine. In the event of flooding, this section is likely to be inundated (the wet sections encountered one month after the February 2021 floods suggest this).

No water sources have been identified along the route.

A 1:25,000 map is required (at least the one accompanying this description) or a route on a smartphone to follow with the Visorando app.

Hike completed by the author on 17 March 2021.

- Several steles between (1) and (3).
- Rocky chaos between (1) and (3).
- La Roche Éponge, between (2) and (3), whose name was inspired by its very evocative shape.
- Several fountains, easily spotted along the route between (3) and (4).
- Denecourt Tower (6), from the top of which you can enjoy a sweeping panorama.
- In Samois-sur-Seine, between (10) and (12), large houses and numerous barges.