The Bouconne Forest, following part of the GR®653

A circular path in the Bouconne Forest that will show you that the forest isn’t actually flat.
On the way there, the route largely follows theGR®653towards Toulouse.
TheGR®653is the Way of St James via Arles. From Toulouse (31) to Borce (64) towards Somport. See: During the hike or nearby

Details

4405032
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 7.69 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 50 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 315 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 325 ft

  • ▲
    Highest point: 850 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 686 ft
  • ⚐ Country: France
  • ⚐ City: Pujaudran (32600)
  • ⚑
    Start/End: N 43.59853° / E 1.18659°
  • ❏
    IGN map(s): Ref. 2043ET, 2043O
  • Hour-by-hour weather

Photos

Description of the walk

Start from the car park just past the Maison Forestière Saint-Louis, located on Impasse Saint-Louis in Pujaudran.

(S/E) Leave the car park behind you and take the central path to the right.
We are now on theGR®653heading towards Toulouse.

(1) Take the path on the right just before the bench and leave theGR® for a short while.
The path winds through the undergrowth before joining a lane running parallel to the main track.
Turn left onto this path until you reach a side path.

(2) Turn right into the side path. We are back on the GR®.
Take thefirst path on the left, running parallel to the main track, and continue straight on until you reach a wide side path.

(3) Turn left into the side path, then immediately right to rejoin theGR®. The path climbs then descends to cross the bed of the Rieu Tord. Cross the wooden bridge over the stream and continue to the D42, Route de Bouconne.
Cross the A-road with care and take theGR® almost directly opposite. The path climbs and then descends. Continue straight on until you reach a wide side lane.

(4) Turn left onto the side path, then right onto the first path, still following the GR®.
At the 231m mark, first turn left then right, leaving theGR® until you reach the railway line.

(5) Just before the railway line, turn left onto the path that follows the railway and leads to the central track. Turn left onto the central track and continue to a junction where the paths do not meet at a right angle (marker 234).

(6) Then turn right, heading west, onto the sloping path to go to the Croix de Saint-Dominique, as indicated by the sign.
Walk past the monument and continue straight on until you reach the barrier at the car park for the Maison Forestière de Lasserre.

(7) Before reaching the tarmac road, take the path on the left that follows the edge of the forest and follow it until you are near the road coming from Lasserre.

(8) Before this road, continue to the left, along the side lane running parallel to the main road, until you reach thefirst lane on the right, which runs perpendicular to the side lane.

(9) Turn right into lane 83 and head down to the D42, Avenue de Bouconne.
Cross the main road with care and enter the car park at the Mérenvielle entrance. Cross the car park via the lane, go through the vehicle barrier, cross over the Rieu Tord stream and then start climbing, staying on this lane. Follow the lane up to the pidgeon hunting hut in the Bois Communal de l’Isle-Jourdain. The lane is wide and gravelled.

(10) Before the crossroads at the pidgeon hunting hut, turn onto the path on the left (not shown on the IGN map), which runs perpendicular to the lane. Follow this path to the end, where it joins another, slightly wider path. Follow this to the left until you reach a lane running parallel to the main track.

(11) Turn right into the lane and follow it to thesecond wide side lane.

(12) Turn 90° left into the lane and go down to the car park after crossing the central track (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 794 ft - Car park at the Saint-Louis Forest House
  2. 1 : mi 0.38 - alt. 771 ft - Bench for pilgrims
  3. 2 : mi 0.73 - alt. 791 ft - Camino de Santiago
  4. 3 : mi 1.19 - alt. 778 ft - Junction, take the path opposite
  5. 4 : mi 1.94 - alt. 699 ft - Junction (sandy section)
  6. 5 : mi 3.11 - alt. 748 ft - Railway line
  7. 6 : mi 3.83 - alt. 768 ft - Saint-Dominique sign
  8. 7 : mi 4.71 - alt. 774 ft - Car park at the Maison Forestière Lasserre
  9. 8 : mi 5.32 - alt. 791 ft - Path before the Route de Lasserre
  10. 9 : mi 5.51 - alt. 781 ft - Path 83
  11. 10 : mi 6.44 - alt. 843 ft - Pidgeon hunting hut crossroads
  12. 11 : mi 7.09 - alt. 774 ft - Crossing path
  13. 12 : mi 7.5 - alt. 804 ft - Side path leading to the car park
  14. S/E : mi 7.69 - alt. 794 ft - Car park at the Saint-Louis Forest House

Notes

No water points along the route

The Bouconne Forest is criss-crossed by a network of side paths numbered in ascending order, which intersect the central path that runs through the entire forest.

There are several entrances to the forest, each with a car park; as this is a circular route, you can start at a different entrance.

Worth a visit

You can have a picnic in the Saint-Louis car park, where there are tables and benches available.

During the hunting season, the forest is closed to the public: one Thursday a month; the closure dates are displayed at the entrance car parks.

Between the (8) and the (9), there is a former bomb-dropping training area. Here you can find dummy bombs used by the Germans during theSecond World War.

If you continue along the central path, after the (6), you come to a memorial to “Forain” François Verdier, leader of the local Resistance, who was tortured and killed by the Germans.

GR°°®°°653, which is one of the routes to Santiago de Compostela.

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

3.8 / 5
Based on 6 reviews

Reliability of the description
3.8 / 5
Ease of following the route
3.8 / 5
Route interest
3.7 / 5
User 27465014

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 17, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant route, no major difficulties, estimated to take 3 hours 50 minutes, completed in 2 hours 37 minutes but at a fairly brisk pace. We still had time to observe some deer.

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GR31
GR31

Thank you for this information, which will be useful to future hikers.

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AJT-31
AJT-31

The Bouconne Forest is very extensive and can be divided into three sections, each separated by a county road. The central avenue runs the entire length of the forest and is approximately 10 km long.
There are two types of marking in the forest:
Plots numbered vertically with figures on a white background
Paths marked on posts at the start of the path, leading off from the central avenue or the side avenues, with numbers on a red background. The first path is to the north and the last path is to the south

At each car park, there is a map showing this grid

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GR31
GR31

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 23, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant walk through the heart of the forest.
The trail is marked but requires careful attention. Find out how to identify the wooded areas to help you find your way.
Bring an IGN map or a hiking app as a precaution.
During this walk, I came across a poorly equipped couple who had got lost whilst wandering aimlessly through this 2,400-hectare forest...

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grandin
grandin ★

AJT-31
It is perfectly permissible, and even recommended, to describe the signposts in the description. Only photos of signposts are not permitted for legal reasons

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goeland111151
goeland111151

But there aren't any markings!

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AJT-31
AJT-31

Your point is valid, but the signage in the Bouconne Forest needs to be explained, and this goes against Visorando’s rules

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goeland111151
goeland111151

Overall rating : 2.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 17, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

A shaded walk with no particular difficulties, except for the lack of signposting, which makes it almost impossible to follow the route without a GPS device!
What a shame!
There are no signs on the plots or along the paths.

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Regard
Regard

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 29, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : Yes

A walk through the woodland, with the option to vary the route depending on the site’s topography

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Vahaza69
Vahaza69

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 18, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

Luckily I’d downloaded the app... Otherwise I might have ended up spending the night in the woods.

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fredecole
fredecole

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 04, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The perfect route for a fairly long but easy walk. We took a little longer, walking at a leisurely pace. We made a small mistake after the Lasserre forest house (no doubt due to a lapse in concentration) and found it a shame, when trying to find our way, that the map didn’t include the ‘plot’ numbers (the Bouconne grid of numbered ‘squares’ on the trees at every junction), which would have saved us a detour!
We discovered a side of Bouconne we hadn’t seen before... the Pujaudran area, with a landscape reminiscent of the Landes!
Many thanks to the hiker who shared this route on Visorando😊

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