Petit Morin Valley - The Hillsides of Jouarre and Biercy

A hike on both sides of the Petit Morin valley, shortly before it joins the Marne. Varied landscapes in a region rich in heritage. A generally bucolic and peaceful setting.

Details

84354
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 13.97 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 20 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 108 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 113 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 152 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 55 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Parking in Saint-Cyr-sur-Morin, in a car park at a junction with the main road (D31), near the Seine-et-Marne museum. For access by public transport, see practical information.

No signposts

(S/E) Go up Rue des Montgoins (south-west). Ignore a street on the left and, at the fork immediately after, take the street on the right for just a few metres.

Yellow markings

(1) Leave the street and take a path heading due west. Descend gently through a grassy area and join a road (D31). Follow this road (west) for about 150 metres.

(2) Turn left onto a path that climbs through the undergrowth. At the junction with another path, turn right and continue west-southwest.

Red and white markings

(3) Continue straight ahead through the woods on theGR®11, heading west-northwest. When you reach a house near a stream, turn sharply right and walk alongside a campsite.

(4) Turn left at a right angle onto a fairly steep path. Cross the D207 road and continue uphill. Shortly before reaching another road, the path turns right, continues along the edge of the woods towards the north, then turns left to join the road as you approach Romény. Turn right and follow the road for a few dozen metres.

(5) Take the road that climbs to the left. After about 100 metres, turn right onto a path alongside some houses, which quickly becomes a lane that crosses a street and then the main road (D114). Continue in the same direction (north), cross one last street and take the path opposite, which runs alongside cultivated fields. After a left-hand bend, turn right and continue north. At a fork, take the right-hand path. Join another path coming from the right and reach a street at the entrance to Jouarre.

(6) Turn right at a right angle. After about 200 metres, take a path that branches off to the right and descends gently in a north-easterly direction.

(7) At the crossroads (elevation 95), ignore theGRP® (red and yellow markings) that branches off to the right and continue on theGR® which turns sharply to the left. After about 100 metres, turn right at a right angle. The path descends steeply, crosses a small road and then a larger one (D204), and ends at a third road. Turn right and then immediately left.

(8) Cross the Petit Morin and reach a square in Courcelles-sous-Jouarre.

No signposts

(9) Leave theGR® and head east on a small road (Rue des Pommières) that crosses Courcelles. At the edge of the village, the road (with little traffic) curves to the right and continues south to reach Vanry and rejoin a GRP®.

Red and yellow markings

(10) Cross Vanry and follow a path southwards that remains fairly flat, on the edge of the forest (on your left) and meadows (on your right). Reach Biercy.

No markings

(11) Leave theGRP® trail on your left and turn right onto the main street (Rue de la Ferme), which you follow south-west to the end of the village. Take a path that follows the course of the Petit Morin. Flat and heading south then east, the path runs alongside cultivated plots and meadows at the foot of a hill dominated by a farmhouse on the left. Shortly before reaching Archets (elevation 59), turn left at a right angle and reach a small road.

(12) Turn right and cross Archets.

(13) At the crossroads, turn right to cross the Petit Morin. Head for the D31, which you follow to the left to return to the starting point (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 68 m - Saint-Cyr-sur-Morin - Car park
  2. 1 : km 0.33 - alt. 81 m - Saint-Cyr-sur-Morin - Fork in the road
  3. 2 : km 1.03 - alt. 62 m - Bois Marcou
  4. 3 : km 2.13 - alt. 76 m - Junction with the GR11
  5. 4 : km 3.35 - alt. 67 m - Start of an uphill section
  6. 5 : km 4.22 - alt. 134 m - Romény
  7. 6 : km 6.16 - alt. 139 m - Jouarre
  8. 7 : km 7.24 - alt. 94 m - GR and GRP trail junction
  9. 8 : km 7.84 - alt. 55 m - Bridge over the - Petit Morin (le)
  10. 9 : km 7.98 - alt. 57 m - Courcelles-sous-Jouarre
  11. 10 : km 9.35 - alt. 58 m - Vanry
  12. 11 : km 11.25 - alt. 59 m - Biercy
  13. 12 : km 13.08 - alt. 67 m - Entrance to Archets
  14. 13 : km 13.41 - alt. 61 m - Bridge over the - Petit Morin (le)
  15. S/E : km 13.97 - alt. 68 m - Saint-Cyr-sur-Morin - Car park

Notes

To reach the starting point by public transport:
Train to La Ferté-sous-Jouarre station (Transilien line P) then Pays Fertois bus, line 34, stop "Saint-Cyr-sur-Morin Route d'Archet". Information and timetables: Transilien website and Transdev Marne-Morin website.

During the hunting season (approximately 21 September to 28 February), the area must be shared with hunters. Information on the official opening dates of the hunting season is available from the National Hunting and Wildlife Agency ( ONCFS). Go to the "Opening dates" tab, then the "77 Seine-et-Marne" tab.
For the exact dates of hunts or to find out if there are any days when hunting is prohibited even during the open season, please contact the town hall:
- St-Cyr-S/Morin Town Hall: 01 60 23 80 24
- Jouarre Town Hall: 01 60 22 41 44

In wet weather, the ground can be slippery or muddy, particularly between (2) and (4) and between (11) and (12).

A detailed map is useful (at least the one accompanying this description).

Hike completed by the author on 15 December 2013.

Worth a visit

In Saint-Cyr-sur-Morin:
Home of writer Pierre Mac Orland (1882-1970), in Archets, shortly after (12).

Off the hike:
- In Saint-Cyr-sur-Morin: Saint-Cyr-et-Sainte-Julitte Church (12th-19th century), Seine-et-Marne Departmental Museum.
- In Jouarre: working abbey, Merovingian crypt, Romanesque tower.

Within the Île-de-France region, the Petit Morin valley is a preserved area with a strong rural and agricultural character. This hike is part of a series of routes lasting between 3 and 4 hours, covering the small roads of this charming valley and communal paths where motorised vehicles such as quads and 4x4s are prohibited (see below for the URLs of the other hikes).

Reviews and comments

4.7 / 5
Based on 14 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.9 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.8 / 5
Route interest
4.6 / 5
ozogiminy
ozogiminy

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 12, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Beautiful hike with plenty of shade, but potentially muddy or flooded in winter between points 4 and 5. Upon reaching point 5, the trail is completely unmaintained, with tall grass and nettles along the way.

Machine-translated

Sylvain49
Sylvain49
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 18, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant hike in lush green surroundings after this rainy year.
You can start the hike by walking from La Ferté-sous-Jouarre station to the town of Courcelles Sous Jouarre, located to the north of the route. This adds an extra 5 kilometres to the hike
The detour via the centre of Jouarre, with its church and abbey, is also worthwhile. There are benches where you can stop for lunch.

Machine-translated

lixiaozhao
lixiaozhao

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 15, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

pleasant and varied route

Machine-translated

denysferrier
denysferrier

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 04, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant walk, especially towards the end on the right bank of the Petit Morin. Like all walks at the start of the valley (i.e. near Jouarre and La Ferté sous Jouarre (Courcelles sous Jouarre is a sort of suburb of La Ferté even though it is attached to Jouarre), you are more often in built-up areas than on walks at the bottom of the valley: therefore, there is quite a lot of tarmac and less "natural environment" (colloquially speaking, it is less "wild"…). This density of habitation may explain why, during the hunting season, you will encounter a hunt between Saint Cyr and La Ferté almost every weekend. And it is true that, for this reason, my wife and I have given up hiking in these areas in autumn and winter (the disadvantage of the risk of being mistaken for a wild boar or a roe deer by a more or less experienced hunter seems to us to be far greater than that of rutted paths and thick mud, all other things being equal...).

Machine-translated

TiryB
TiryB

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 01, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Hike completed on New Year's Day 2022 under bright sunshine and "unusual" temperatures for the season, but nevertheless very pleasant. A very beautiful route, alternating between woodland, plains, villages and streams. The description is accurate. A very pleasant lunch break in Courcelles-sous-Jouarre (table + bench) near the banks of the Petit Morin. It should be noted that some sections of the path are very wet and slippery. I would not recommend this hike after heavy rainfall.

Machine-translated

HervéTT
HervéTT

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 25, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very exotic and hilly walking route, which made me want to come back and do it again (and extend it to the hills) on a mountain bike!

Machine-translated

Alexis Mionsky
Alexis Mionsky

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 24, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Very bucolic and pleasant. We were just bothered by motocross bikes that were racing around the valley all day long...

Machine-translated

Phasme91
Phasme91

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 16, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant hike on both sides of the Morin, without any great difficulty.

Machine-translated

Annie-Claude
Annie-Claude

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 06, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Unfortunately, the route is impassable at this time of year, as the paths have become rivers.

Machine-translated

ovil
ovil

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 09, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A pleasant hike that I stopped at point 13 to continue on to the route called "Saint Cyr sur Morin via Biercy and Vanry". The downside is that you have to take the same path twice between Vanry and Archets.
With the current dry weather, the paths are rather hard and stony than muddy.
There are yellow markings from Vanry to Saint Cyr sur Morin. There is even a sign on a no parking post at the beginning of Rue de la Ferme, in addition to the yellow line, indicating Saint Cyr. However, I did not see any red and yellow markings.
For your information, there is a picnic table after crossing the Petit Morin at the entrance to Courcelle sous Jouarre.

Machine-translated

gazok54
gazok54 ★

Thank you, Major

Machine-translated

Major
Major

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 03, 2016
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Always simple and effective, your routes are a delight for hikers.
Thank you
See you soon

Machine-translated

wilow77
wilow77

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 24, 2015
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Thank you for this very enjoyable hike

Machine-translated

henri94cahn
henri94cahn

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 22, 2015
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A very pleasant walk through wooded areas dotted with spring flowers, but quite far from the river. Muddy in places even though it hasn't rained for several days, best avoided during the wet season.
On arrival, visit the Seine-et-Marne museum, which is very interesting, but we only saw the garden of Pierre Mac Orlan's house. However, we were welcomed by a very charming person, as we were at the museum.
Well done to the person who wrote the description and mapped out the route, which was very clear and accurate.
A very good day in the countryside, far from the Paris smog. It did us good!

Machine-translated

Netra
Netra ★

Thank you for your prompt reply.
I will add two words to the description, one for hunters and one for mud.
Kind regards,
Netra

Machine-translated

Other walks in the area

For more walks, use our search engine .

The GPS track and description are the property of this route's author. Please do not copy them without permission.