From Maintenon to the Mare aux Fées

Depart from the Maison Forestière de Maintenon for a 16 km walk.

Details

200
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 13.76 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 25 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 162 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 160 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 132 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 76 m

Photos

Description of the walk

(S) Depart from the Maintenon forester's house (south of the château, on the right-hand side of the Maintenon path after crossing the D606). Go directly south on the Route du Petit Mont Chauvet.

After about 700m (1), continue to the right via the Route de la Plaine des Pins and cross the Rocher de Bouligny, directly south. Pass the shooting range on your right and via the Route de Vamy (2), join the GR®11 on the left after 200m, which goes directly south through the Rochers Fourceau.

(3) At the Ventes Bourbon junction, turn right on the Route du Chevreuil, cross the D301 and 300m further on, turn left on the old Route de la Mare aux Fées (Fairies Pond)(4). Pass the stele (5), and continue to the Mare aux Fées that you can walk around (be careful of the fairies).

(6) Otherwise, before the Mare aux Fées, take the small path north through old trees and rejoin the Route du Chevillard(7), after crossing the D301, then right again on the GR®11 to the Inspecteur viewing point (8).

From here, follow the small path opposite you, north of the viewing point, until you reach the Route de la Palette (9), on which you need to turn left to join the Mont Merle (10). It briefly follows the Aqueduct de la Vanne, before you turn right on the Route de la Fanfare(11) which you leave, turning left, immediately after a large rock.

You now follow the GR® and the Denecourt and go back down the Rocher de Bouligny until you reach the Route de l'Occident (12) on which you turn right until the crossing with the Route d'Estrées where you turn left(13).

Here you follow the Denecourt (blue), which will lead you back to the car park at the forester's house (E).

You can also find some more Fontainebleau walks on Hikideas.

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 76 m - Maintenon Forest House
  2. 1 : km 0.87 - alt. 80 m - Route de la Plaine des Pins
  3. 2 : km 2.42 - alt. 90 m - Route de Vamy
  4. 3 : km 4.34 - alt. 126 m - Carrefour des Ventes Bourbon
  5. 4 : km 5.64 - alt. 132 m - Crossroads, left
  6. 5 : km 6.13 - alt. 129 m - Crossroads, left
  7. 6 : km 6.88 - alt. 127 m - Route de Clermont
  8. 7 : km 7.5 - alt. 107 m - GR11
  9. 8 : km 8.36 - alt. 121 m - The Inspector's point of view
  10. 9 : km 8.67 - alt. 90 m - Route de la Palette
  11. 10 : km 9.82 - alt. 129 m - Mont Merle. Route de l'Écho to aqueduct
  12. 11 : km 10.36 - alt. 108 m - Route de la Fanfare
  13. 12 : km 11.25 - alt. 110 m - Route de l'Occident
  14. 13 : km 11.91 - alt. 86 m - Chemin Denecourt
  15. S/E : km 13.76 - alt. 76 m - Maintenon Forest House

Notes

Lock your cars securely and take water as there are no fill-up points on en route.
Be careful crossing the D301 and the D148.

Worth a visit

There are shops and a station in Fontainebleau and Avon.

 Always be cautious and plan ahead when you're outdoors. Visorando and the author of this route cannot be held responsible for any accidents occurring on this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

Reviews and comments

4.4 / 5
Based on 80 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.2 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.4 / 5
Route interest
4.6 / 5
User 27078902

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 10, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

There were a few difficulties at points 11-12, but otherwise the description was reliable. However, it remains difficult because the roads are not well signposted in the forest. Without much preparation, we nevertheless managed to complete the route!

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User 12410961

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 13, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful, varied hike. However, some sections are difficult to find, such as the narrow paths between the ferns (e.g. between points 10 and 11).

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Pierrolefol
Pierrolefol

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 11, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

As described
Overall, like almost all Visorando hikes

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CHGCHG
CHGCHG

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 09, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pretty and varied route, with a few assaults, and above all in a magnificent setting. Wild boar dig up the paths a lot, so watch out for ruts in wet weather.

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likaro
likaro

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 13, 2024
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A varied and pleasant route. Description not used (GPS tracking only). Passing through points 4 and 5 is of little interest (other than for walking). It's better to extend the route a little further via the Rocher d'Avon if you want to keep the mileage down.

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aurelie1717
aurelie1717

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 21, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant, fairly easy walk, completed in 3.5 hours with a 20-minute stop for lunch. It's not a very busy route, so it's a real pleasure!

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MAILLARD.HERVE
MAILLARD.HERVE

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 08, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

For tourists passing through, it's impossible to follow the route without a GPS. There are many paths in the forest and the markings overlap.

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Vannier Catherine
Vannier Catherine

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 30, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very varied route alternating between different types of forest vegetation
No particular difficulties

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Marine07
Marine07

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 19, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant route and a varied walk all the way. We did not identify the fairy pond. There's no need to be afraid of taking paths that are less well signposted than the more official ones, and it's very pleasant.
The journey time is as advertised. The app is very useful for finding your way around.

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rand@23
rand@23

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 13, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Super hike, well worth the effort, with a variety of species, paths, soils and rocks.
Not many people and the weather was fine.
We shortened the route after point 3 at the junction with the route de Clermont to point 6.
The result was still 12.5 km.
Very pleasant circuit.

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Captainpepe
Captainpepe

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 15, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

It's a lovely little walk in the Fontainebleau forest (around 14km), which can easily be complemented by a stroll in the gardens of the eponymous château, or even in the town itself.

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jmpourcher
jmpourcher

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 22, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Please note that the area between points 1 and 3 is regulated following the creation of a biological reserve, and the access ban also applies to the path....

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Sylvain77610
Sylvain77610

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 18, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

First hike in the Fontainebleau forest using Visorando. Very good experience. Easy to use and reassuring for a novice.

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THOMAS Dominique
THOMAS Dominique

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 03, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Lovely walk with a positive gradient in the first part after following the Louis XIV canal.
Crossing the woods with big game in the morning.
Less pleasant crossing of Pierres, but more conducive to visiting the château.

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Celbou
Celbou

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 10, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant route, beautiful forest with rocks, but the description is incomplete and it's difficult at Mare aux Fées.
My version of the description was a bit old and crossed the biological reserve. We found a way around the reserve to the east by following part of the Dénecourt trail.
A total of 16.4 km.

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