From Maintenon to the Mare aux Fées

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

Technical sheet

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

  • ⚐
    Return to departure point: Yes
  • ↗
    Vertical gain: + 162 m
  • ↘
    Vertical drop: - 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

Practical information

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.

In the nearby area

There are shops and a station in Fontainebleau and Avon.

 Always stay careful and alert while following a route. Visorando and the author of this walk cannot be held responsible in the event of an accident during 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 78 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.2 / 5
Clarity of route map
4.4 / 5
Route interest
4.6 / 5
Pierrolefol
Pierrolefol

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of walk : Dec 10, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No

As described
Overall, like almost all Visorando hikes

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CHGCHG
CHGCHG

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Dec 08, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : 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 walk : Nov 12, 2024
Reliability of the description : N/A
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : 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 walk : Oct 20, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : 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 walk : Oct 07, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : 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 walk : Sep 29, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : 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 walk : Aug 18, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : 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 walk : Jul 12, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : 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 walk : Jun 14, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : 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 walk : Apr 21, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : 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 walk : Aug 17, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : 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 walk : Jul 02, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : 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 walk : Apr 09, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Clarity of route map : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : 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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Catrom77
Catrom77

Overall rating : 4.5 / 5

Date of walk : Jan 15, 2022
Reliability of the description : N/A
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No

Beautiful walk in the forest of FONTAINEBLEAU, only hitch the deviation to avoid the crossing of the reserve.
Small plus, not crossed a cat in this period.

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vos88
vos88

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of walk : Nov 14, 2021
Reliability of the description : N/A
Clarity of route map : N/A
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No

Beautiful walk in the forest without difficulty, to avoid the integral biological reserve we went around it which obliged us to go along the D58 on approximately 700 M what lengthened the hike of 2,5 km, having selected this hike at the last moment I used only the trace gpx

thank you

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