La Mare aux Évées and Rocher Canon

A short hike that takes you to a beautiful lake and through beautiful forests and rocky landscapes.

A 2 km loop is wheelchair accessible (see the practical information section).

Details

2756892
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 4.01 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 1h 55 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

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

  • ▲
    Highest point: 377 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 262 ft

Photos

Description of the walk

Start at the Carrefour de l’Épine Foreuse junction, on the D115 road between Faÿ (Chailly-en-Bière) and Bois-le-Roi. It is best to park on the right-hand side of the road when coming from Faÿ. The car park has a space reserved for disabled people.

Disability sports signs depicting a wheelchair

(S/E) On the “Bois-le-Roi” side, look for a sign indicating the start of the Mare aux Évées disabled circular loop. Then take the Route de Faÿ to Bois-le-Roi, a compacted track that begins at the foot of a tree marked with the number 831. Carry on straight for about 600 metres, ignoring thefirst junction and then, immediately afterwards, two turnings on the right.

(1) At the next junction, take thefirst turning on the right, the Allée des Peupliers de Virginie. Reach the Mare aux Évées and go round it on the left. Leave the pond by taking thethird path on the left, the Allée des Peupliers du Lac Ontario. At the end of this path, lined with drainage channels, follow the Route tournante de la Mare aux Évées to the right.

No signposting

(2) At the crossroads, turn left (south-east) onto Route de Damarie. Pass an old oil well (information boards).

(3) At the next junction, take thesecond right (south-west) onto Route de Chailly à Brolles.

(4) At the next junction, take thethird left (south) onto Route de la Femme. At the next two junctions, carry straight on. Pass Route du Serpolet on your left and head uphill.

Blue signposting
The markings, which are very frequent, are situated at various heights: on trees, on lower rocks or directly on the ground on exposed boulders.

(5) When you reach a large double-trunked oak, turn left onto the Denecourt-Colinet path no. 12. Head uphill, winding your way between the rocks. A very low passage under a rock can be bypassed to the right. Winding your way along, follow the signposts carefully and, at the various junctions, continue straight on along the Blue Trail. Note, on the right-hand side, a rock resembling a small menhir marked with the letter H. Further on, descend some wide wooden steps and pass a bonsai oak on your right (information board). Then turn left to reach the Rocher Canon car park.

No signposting

(6) Turn left (north-north-west) and cross the car park. At the junction, turn left (west) onto the Route du Lancer. At the next junction, go straight on.

(7) At the next junction, turn right onto Route de Damarie. At the next two junctions, carry straight on and head north. Pass through a beautiful high forest and then walk alongside a regenerating plot on your left.

(3) At the junction, ignore the two paths on the left and the two on the right; continue straight ahead on the Route de Dammarie, which immediately veers to the left (north-west). Pass the oil well again that you encountered on the way there.

Disability sports signs depicting a wheelchair

(2) At the crossroads, carry on straight ahead (north-west) to the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 269 ft - Épine Foreuse crossroads
  2. 1 : mi 0.36 - alt. 269 ft - Allée des Peupliers de Virginie
  3. 2 : mi 0.74 - alt. 272 ft - Junction of the circular loop at the - Mare aux évéés
  4. 3 : mi 0.94 - alt. 266 ft - Junction of the Rocher Canon circular loop
  5. 4 : mi 1.36 - alt. 269 ft - Route de la Femme
  6. 5 : mi 1.65 - alt. 325 ft - Start of blue trail no. 12
  7. 6 : mi 2.54 - alt. 279 ft - Car park at the - Rocher Canon
  8. 7 : mi 2.94 - alt. 269 ft - Route du Lancer x Route de Damarie
  9. S/E : mi 4.01 - alt. 269 ft - Épine Foreuse crossroads

Notes

Hiking boots recommended

No water sources identified along the route.

A 1:25,000 map is required (at the very least, the one accompanying this description).

Mare aux Évées circular loop:
Starting from the Carrefour de l’Épine Foreuse, the first circular section of this walk has been adapted to be wheelchair-accessible. The paths have been stabilised but are not tarmacked: they cannot therefore be described as ‘smooth as a billiard table’, but they remain in good condition in wet weather. Follow the route to point (2) then turn right to return to the car park. The walk is approximately 2 km.

Hike completed by the author on 17 November 2019.

Worth a visit

- Pleasant forest paths.
- The beautiful Mare aux Évées, with drainage channels running alongside the paths leading to it.
- Rocky outcrops between (5) and (6).

Reviews and comments

4.6 / 5
Based on 17 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.7 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.7 / 5
Route interest
4.4 / 5
Valou91220
Valou91220

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 19, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

Nice hike but too flat for me, lots of wide paths through the woods.
There's just one section where you have to scramble a bit among the rocks, which was what I was looking for. There are lots of climbers in that area, but it's not a bother.

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VikingBrownBear
VikingBrownBear

Overall rating : 5 / 5

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

Very pleasant and well-marked walk.
Very functional app

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NonoRando27
NonoRando27

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 24, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A superb hike with beautiful scenery. Forest, pond, rocks... completed in 1.5 hours with a few photo breaks and snacks. Not many people out on a Sunday morning, except for a few people climbing at Rocher Canon.

Don't hesitate to climb over the rocks, following the blue markings on the stones and trees. The path may seem non-existent, but it is definitely there

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Chris57
Chris57
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 04, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The hike is 8.5 km long, not 6.45 km as indicated on the website. We have a GPS tracker.
The route is sometimes difficult to follow, especially in the rocks, and is a little different from the red route.
The hike is not that easy; you need good shoes. There are about 2-3 km to cover in the rocks, and you often have to climb over, under or between rocks, sometimes with only a few centimetres to place your foot. I would say you need to be in reasonably good physical shape and equip yourself with walking sticks, which could come in handy. There are also a lot of roots.
The rock site is magnificent. If you're lucky, you'll see people practising rock climbing, as we did.
Go when the weather is good.

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loic.vatar@bbox.fr
loic.vatar@bbox.fr

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 25, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

An easy hike in a very pretty setting, the section among the rocks is very nice. Discovering the Mare aux Evées, built to drain the marsh, is a very surprising discovery. I recommend it.

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Laurent.Ga
Laurent.Ga

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 25, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : Yes

A pleasant hike to get back into shape after a year off. Completed in 1 hour 30 minutes.

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mariabaya
mariabaya

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 11, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely, well-marked walk that is easy for everyone. A bit busier around the Canon rocks.

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fcarmen5@gmail.com
fcarmen5@gmail.com

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 10, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : Yes

On Sunday, 9 May, an easy hike that was very busy, but that's normal as it's accessible to families and close to the village. There was a small sign explaining the history of the Mare aux Évées, or at least that's what I found on the village website. I'm not sure if people read it, but in any case, the ditches that had been dug intrigued my curiosity. A very easy hike...

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Exal
Exal

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 19, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Very nice!

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Maximejunior
Maximejunior
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 17, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A carefree hike with our 10-year-old son. What's nice is that you go from one curiosity to another: the canals around the pond, the old oil well, the rocks and the remarkable trees. I hesitated a little at the end of the route in the rocks. You have to wait until you can see the car park and the wooden staircase before leaving the blue markings. At that point, it's impossible to miss! Thank you for this walk!

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Netra
Netra ★
• Edited:

Hello baste01, and thank you for your feedback.

I thought that this relatively short and very diverse route would be well suited to children. I am very happy to read that this is the case (your review + those of one or two other hikers).

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baste01
baste01
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 27, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

We set off with our children aged 3 and 5.5.
The hike took us 4 hours, including a picnic, snacks, and breaks to play a little... obviously much longer than the actual time it takes to complete this hike!

The positives:
- Short hike, easily accessible, parking not too crowded (compared to other spots in the forest)
- The route crosses the Mare aux Evées. Some areas are teeming with frogs, which is always interesting for children. - Very convenient break on the banks of the pond.
- The route through the rocky chaos of the "Petit Massif du Rocher Canon" is extremely enjoyable for young children.

No real downsides, except for one or two long straight stretches with wide paths where younger children may find it harder to stay motivated .

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philippebayle77
philippebayle77
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 23, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Great outing with the grandchildren!

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sde3675
sde3675
• Edited:

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

The part with the rock cannon was much busier than the Evées pool.
An easy and very pleasant hike.
Picnic by the peaceful Evées pond.
Easy to do with the family.

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jp1024
jp1024
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 06, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

pleasant walk, impeccable description.
the paths are perfectly passable even during this rainy season.
The most interesting feature is the 20 km of canals (dug between 1833 and 1835), which is truly exceptional in a forest.

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