From L'Étang-la-Ville to Saint-Nom-la-Bretèche via the Étoile de Montaigu

Starting point and access: L'Étang-la-Ville station.
- Transilien - Line L, on the section between Paris Saint-Lazare and Saint-Nom-la-Bretèche via La Défense.
Take the platform exit towards Paris to Saint-Nom (if arriving from the opposite direction, take the footbridge).

No signposting

(S) On leaving the station, turn left. After a few dozen metres, head up the Chemin des Terres à l'Eau on the right. At the end, turn right. At the stop sign, turn left onto Chemin de l’Auberderie. When the road bends left, turn right onto a path bordered by a wire fence on the left-hand side. At the first junction, turn left onto a path not shown on the IGN map. Continue uphill, passing a cemetery on your left, and you will reach a crossroads (small car park on the left, information board opposite).

Red and yellow markings

(1) Go round the sign on the left and turn right onto a path that starts behind the sign. At the next two junctions, go straight on downhill. At a three-way junction (plot no. 135), take the right-hand path, which is very stony and downhill. At the bottom, in open terrain, continue straight on along a wide path. Stay on this main, signposted path and ignore all side paths.

(2) At the Étoile Douteuse junction, turn right, still following the^GRP®® route, and pass beneath three large oak trees. Go through a forest gate, cross a road (limited visibility) and continue straight ahead along a path. Further on, cross a stream, emerge onto a wide path and follow it to the left for a few metres to reach the Étoile d’Actéon (signpost). Then take the first left, the Route de la Muraille. After a short sandy stretch, head uphill (beautiful beech trees on the left).

No signposting

(3) On the climb, at a crossroads of paths, continue straight ahead (let the^GRP®® branch off to the right). After about fifty metres, turn left onto a poorly marked and relatively sunken path, and climb gently. At the end, turn left and continue climbing gently.

Red and white markings

At the junction on a flat stretch (plots nos. 123 and 116), follow the^GR®®1to the right. Walk on level ground, go downhill then uphill again. At a junction, go straight ahead. At the T-junction that appears shortly afterwards, turn right. Go straight on (north-west) and ignore all turn-offs to the right. You will come out onto a tarmac forest road.

(4) Turn immediately right and follow the^GR®® into the forest, ignoring the paths on the right. Cross a road ( busy road) and continue along the path opposite, between plots nos. 106 and 107. At the Étoile Dryade, ignore the turn-off to the right for Saint-Nom station and continue along the^GR®® which soon curves to the right. At the next junction, near a road (plot no. 106), turn right. Stay on the main path, which curves to the right. Reach the Croix Saint-Michel.

(5) Then head down to the left onto a narrow path that starts at the foot of the cross and two small wooden posts (one of which was on the ground in June 2020). At the junction that appears immediately, take the middle path (marked). Head straight north, going downhill and then uphill. Cross a cycle path and then the D98 (a very busy road) and continue along the path opposite. Go straight on (north), past a picnic table, and you’ll come out onto a tarmac forest track.

(6) Cross the road and continue along the path opposite. Shortly afterwards, at a junction, turn left. At the next junction, go straight on. Pass a picnic table, cross a tarmac forest road and continue straight ahead. Go straight on along the main path (west-north-west) and ignore all side paths.

Red and yellow markings

(7) At the junction (signpost), take the second right, a discreet path towards Chambourcy. Ignore a path coming from the right and, at the T-junction that follows, turn right. Ignore a path on the left and you will reach a junction (elevation 160).

No markings

Go straight on and immediately ignore a path on the left which the GRP®® follows^. After a double-sided yellow sign, descend steeply. At the bottom, ignore the^GRP®® coming from the left and you will immediately reach a junction (plot no. 63 on the right).

(8) Then take the first path on the left (be careful to spot this inconspicuous start), pass the base of a tree marking plot no. 65 and descend slightly. At a T-junction, turn right and follow a wire fence on your left.

(9) When you reach a wall beyond the wire fence, turn right. At the first junction, take the path on the left. Cross a faint track and continue through a fern-filled undergrowth. Cross a small clearing and arrive at a faint junction with several oak trees forming a semicircle on the left (and a beech tree felled across the path in June 2020).

(10) Then take a path on the right. Cross a wide path (^GRP®®) and continue straight on, skirting a regeneration area on your left. Cross a small road, continue straight ahead for less than 100 m and take the^first path on the right. At the end, turn right and pass a pond on your left. Pass a fountain on the right and arrive at a large crossroads.

(11) Then take the second path on the left, which starts just to the right of an information sign. Stay on this wide gravel path and ignore all the side branches. At the Étoile du Loup (central paved roundabout), ignore a path on the far left, turn left onto the wide path and head uphill. At the next junction, at the corner of a wall, turn right, staying on the wide path and continuing uphill. Pass beneath a large oak tree marked No. 75, cross a perpendicular path and continue straight ahead on level ground.

(12) At the crossroads (plot no. 82), take the second path on the left (bridle path) and head uphill. At the next junction, turn left to follow the bridle path. Descend slightly then climb again, and head straight through a beautiful forest. You’ll come out onto a small tarmac road; follow it to the right (car park). At the Stop sign, cross the D98 again (a very busy road) and cross a small car park opposite. Pass through a forest gate and past an information sign, then continue straight ahead (south) along a good path.

(13) At the crossroads (signpost, fine oak tree on the left), go straight on towards L'Étang-la-Ville. At the next junction, after about 50 metres (plot no. 86), turn right.

Red and yellow markings

At the next junction (plot no. 86), turn left and follow the^GRP®® again^. You^will immediately cross a path (plot no. 12B) and descend steeply. At the bottom, turn right. The path winds through the forest; ignore any vague offshoots to the right and follow the markings carefully.

(14) At the Étoile de Maison Rouge, continue straight on along the^GRP®®. Cross a stream then veer left. Note the Fontaine de Maison Rouge on the left and, at the junction, go straight on. Reach a wire fence and follow it on your left. Return to the tarmac, turn left and cross the bridge over the railway line. Immediately turn left again and head down to the level crossing, where you will find, on the right, Saint-Nom-la-Bretèche - Forêt de Marly station (E).

To get back home:
- Transilien - Line L, towards Paris Saint-Lazare via La Défense.
- Tram - Line T13, towards Saint-Germain-en-Laye or Saint-Cyr.

Train timetables: see the Transilien website.

For motorists:
Park in the car park at one of the two stations and take the train there or back. The car park at Saint-Nom-la-Bretèche station (17) is recommended as it is spacious and easily accessible.

Hiking boots recommended.

No water points identified along the route.

A detailed map is essential (at the very least the one accompanying this description) or a route on your smartphone.

Hunting days in the Marly State Forest:
During the hunting season (mid-November to late February), avoid Thursdays, when driven hunts are organised. For further details, see theONF website.

Hike completed twice by the author, the first on 30 June 2020, the second on 13 February 2022.

In the forest: beautiful high forests; several remarkable trees; two fountains (small, rather unspectacular masonry structures).

At (5):
- Croix Saint-Michel (18th century).
- Grassed esplanade with sweeping views over the forest and, beyond, the La Défense district and Paris. Depending on the season and maintenance work, the view may be unobstructed (March 2015, February 2022) or not (September 2019, June 2020).