The Bassin, the Plaine and the Forest of Saulx

A varied route in a peri-urban setting, along rivers and streams and the Bassin de Saulx, and in the heart of the Rocher de Saulx departmental forest.

Please note! Work around the Bassin de Saulx means that the route has been changed at the end: follow the suggested alternative route.

Details

192468
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 11.22 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 30 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 109 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 108 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 156 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 45 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Start at the "Bassin de Saulx" sign, Route Champlan, opposite the Stade Roger Gyger, on the right-hand side of the road when heading towards Champlan. Car park below on the left (go under the white archway).

Yellow signposts

(S/E) Set off on the gravel path above the car park, with the Yvette river on your right. At the fork (EDF electricity substation), take the path on the right. After a few metres, turn right to cross a secondary branch of the Yvette on the Pont de Saulx (small waterfall). Continue along the gravel path with the river on your right and the Bassin de Saulx some distance away on your left. After a clump of bamboo on the right-hand side of the path, you will reach the Pont de la Planche aux Vaches.

(1) Turn right to take the stone bridge over the Yvette. Continue on a path along the edge of the field on your right and reach the D118E road (car garage opposite).

(2) Cross the road at the pedestrian crossing (take care), go through a red and white barrier, follow the path that starts at the corner of the garage and follow a stream on your left. At the T-junction that follows (stone block, discreet sign on the wall opposite), turn right. Follow a stream on your left, cross a wet passage and continue with a hedge on your right.

At the next T-junction, follow the path on the left. Just before a small wooden bridge over the Ruisseau des Paradis, turn right onto a grassy path. With the stream still on your left, wind your way between fields, meadows and gardens. At a junction with a path on the left, continue straight ahead and follow a fence on your right.

(3) At the next T-junction, turn left, cross the stream over the Pont de l'Arche and go up a wide path. Ignore a path on the left and head south towards some houses. At the junction (green gate opposite), turn right onto a wide, stable path and follow the walls or fences on your left.

Red and white + red and yellow markings

(4) At the T-junction, leave thePR® trail on your right and follow theGR®655andGRP® Ceinture Verte de l'Île-de-France on your left. At the next junction, turn right onto Rue de Villebon. Stay on this small road, which further on becomes Chemin des Galennes, heading south-west, and pass two junctions. Keep a horse riding centre on your right, then a car repair shop, and you will reach the D118 road.

(5) Cross this road (take care), pass a forest barrier (signposted "Plaine de Saulx") and enter the forest. Follow a slightly uphill sunken path and, at a fork (signposted "Forêt Départementale du Rocher de Saulx"), turn left. At a junction with a white and red underground oil pipeline marker, continue straight ahead. Follow a sunken path that climbs slightly and, at the top of the hill, you will reach a crossroads in the forest.

Orange markings for horse riders
In addition to a horseshoe painted black on an orange background, there are wider, longer orange markers located higher up than the usual footpath markers. These markers should not be confused with the orange curved arrows used by mountain bikers.

(6) Leave theGR® trails on your right and continue straight ahead (east) on a path along forest plot no. 35 (number painted on a tree on the right-hand side of the path). At a three-way junction (with a double orange marker on a tree in the middle), turn left.

No markings (except at the end of the section)

(7) At the next crossroads, turn right onto a wide path that passes between plots nos. 7 and 34 and winds along the edge of the plateau (unobstructed view of Paris on the left). After turning left with the path and when it turns right, leave it and continue straight ahead (east) on a narrower path (plot no. 9 on the left). Reach a viewpoint (railings).

(8) Continue on the path heading south-southeast (plot no. 10 on the right-hand side). At the T-junction, find theGR® markings and the wide path and follow it to the left, keeping a fence on your right. After a few dozen metres, at the corner of the fence, leave theGR® markings on your right (on a wetter path). Continue straight ahead (east-southeast) for about 500 metres.

Orange markings for horse riders (same as above)

(9) At the junction at the edge of forest plots nos. 13, 14, 26 and 27, turn left onto a path that descends and immediately turns left. Descend slightly and, at a T-junction, turn left.

No markings

(10) At the T-junction at the bottom of the descent (opposite tennis courts and, further to the left, a large hotel), turn right. At the fork immediately after (yellow sign with two sides), turn left and pass between two hedges bordering horse pastures. Go through a forest gate and continue on a small road with the hotel car park on your left.

At the T-junction, turn left and follow the road for about 100 metres (drive carefully). When you reach the hotel, turn right onto a farm track (signposted "No entry"). Ignore a path on the right and continue north-east on a grassy path between the fields.

Yellow signposts

(11) At the crossroads, take the second path on the left, which heads north towards the bell tower of the church in Saulx, and look for a marker further on the right-hand side. Cross a stream and pass through an area of market gardens (greenhouses). When you reach a residential area, the path becomes a street. At the T-junction that follows, turn left and then immediately right into Rue de l'Arpajonnais.

Shortly before the roundabout, turn left onto a path, go through a red and white barrier and follow the cemetery wall on your right. At the end, turn right and note the church on your left.

(12) At the next roundabout, turn left and then immediately right onto Rue de Mélan towards Parc des Sources (sign). Go down the cobbled street, which quickly turns into a path, pass a red and white barrier and continue downhill with a wall on your left. At the corner of the wall, ignore the yellow signpost that branches off to the left and continue straight ahead on a wooden footbridge. When you reach a pond on your right, follow the footbridge on the left at the fork. Go through a turnstile and you will come to the D118E road.

(2) Cross the road (take care), pass through a forest gate, continue along a path at the edge of the field and take the Pont de la Planche des Vaches bridge to cross the Yvette river (note the two yellow arrows at the entrance to the bridge, one pointing left, the other right).

Please note! The entire northern part of the Bassin de Saulx is undergoing construction and is closed to the public (as of October 2019). Therefore, once you return to the point (1), turn left and return to the car park via the same route you took on the way there. Ignore the last paragraph below.

(1) At the end of the bridge, turn right and start going around the Bassin de Saulx in an anti-clockwise direction. Stay on the wide gravel path slightly higher up and ignore all the paths branching off to the sides. Turn left onto the path just before the N20 road, cross the bridge over the spillway and turn left again. Just before the car park, at a fork, take the left-hand path, closest to the basin. Pass the Pont de Saulx bridge and continue with the river on your left until you reach the starting point (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 47 m - Bassin de Saulx - Car park
  2. 1 : km 0.5 - alt. 48 m - Pont de la Planche aux Vaches - Yvette (l')
  3. 2 : km 0.68 - alt. 48 m - Route D118E
  4. 3 : km 1.83 - alt. 64 m - T-junction - Pont de l'Arche
  5. 4 : km 2.28 - alt. 76 m - Junction with the GR655 and GRP Ceinture Verte
  6. 5 : km 3.25 - alt. 111 m - Route D118
  7. 6 : km 4.04 - alt. 151 m - Forest crossroads - Leave the GR trails
  8. 7 : km 4.4 - alt. 149 m - Crossroads
  9. 8 : km 4.94 - alt. 143 m - View
  10. 9 : km 5.68 - alt. 148 m - Crossroads
  11. 10 : km 6.14 - alt. 103 m - T-junction
  12. 11 : km 7.21 - alt. 75 m - Crossroads of field paths
  13. 12 : km 8.22 - alt. 63 m - Église Notre-Dame de l'Assomption (Saulx-les-Chartreux)
  14. S/E : km 11.22 - alt. 48 m - Bassin de Saulx - Car park

Notes

This hike is best undertaken in dry weather: during the rainy season, many of the forest paths are muddy and there is a very wet section shortly after (2). Hiking boots are required.

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

Warnings:
- Hikers are advised that the route described here is located in a suburban area: major roads are not far away and planes approaching Orly airport can be heard.
- Despite this, between the basin and the forest, you will be crossing a hunting ground: during the season (September to February), hunting takes place on Sundays and public holidays.
- In the Rocher de Saulx Departmental Forest, hunting is prohibited and dogs must be kept on a leash.

Variants:
- Near the church in Saulx, after , instead of turning right onto Rue de Mélan, you can enter the Parc de la Jonchère opposite: an exit at the bottom on the right takes you back to the route just before the wooden footbridge. The park's opening hours vary from day to day...
- At the end of the walk, when you come off the Pont de la Planche aux Vaches (1), depending on how much time you have or how you feel, you can skip the tour of the Bassin de Saulx and return to the car park by turning left and following the route you took at the start of the walk in the opposite direction. This shortens the walk by about 2.2 km.

Hike completed by the author on 17 January 2016.

Worth a visit

In the Rocher de Saulx Departmental Forest:
- Viewpoint (8). View of the Plaine de Saulx and, in the distance, Paris. In particular, you can clearly see the Montparnasse Tower on the left and, further to the left, emerging above a hill, the top of the Eiffel Tower.
- Some remarkable trees.

In Saulx-les-Chartreux:
- Notre-Dame de l'Asomption Church (12th-16th centuries).
- Parc de la Jonchère.
- Bassin de Saulx, (S/E) and (1).

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 38 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.5 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.5 / 5
Route interest
4.1 / 5
Sur la voie
Sur la voie

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 20, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

Easy hike. Quite pleasant, except for the constant noise of planes landing at Orly.

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blicter
blicter

Overall rating : 4 / 5

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

A good hike that took me 2.5 hours at a normal pace, with a 5-10 minute break at the viewpoint and some time lost at point No. 2. The viewpoint is worth it even with the pollution and heat. With binoculars, you can see the Sacré-Coeur.
Doing this hike on the weekend or during the holidays means there's a plane flying right overhead every 2 minutes, which is really a problem on this route.
Otherwise, there are two errors in the directions:
- At point 2, the path through the woods is impassable. You need to turn right and enter the industrial area to get back on the trail.
- At point 5, the route is poorly described. You need to turn right onto the road, then left to enter the forest. Then, immediately at the fork, turn right. After that, the instructions are clear.
A little extra: public toilets are open next to the Saulx-les-Chartreux cemetery.

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DIDINANA
DIDINANA

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 04, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very nice hike. However, we did it on 2 August, which was a busy day for departures. There were lots of planes and therefore a lot of noise

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alma91
alma91

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 02, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

a pleasant walk combining forest, urban and countryside. We confirm that point 2 is marshy even though it hadn't rained for a week. You need to go around the garage on the right. There is a beautiful church in Saulx les Chartreux. At viewpoint 8, there is an orientation table and two benches.

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Deneubourg roland
Deneubourg roland

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 28, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

satisfied

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Bernard Vivent
Bernard Vivent

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 15, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike in the suburbs + forest. Not much mud even after all the rain.

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Rct92
Rct92

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 19, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant, easy walk (completed in two hours). Two drawbacks: 1) Point 2 is very wet. After a week of hot weather, it was difficult to cross. My left foot sank up to my calf. 2) The constant, rather unpleasant noise of aeroplanes!

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skrando paris
skrando paris

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

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

At the bottom of point 2, the ground is too wet and impassable.
It is better to go around, at point 2 cross the road (ND118E) and go around the first building (garage) by turning right, then take the first left to enter the business park, then left again and straight ahead to rejoin the route.
this will allow you to avoid the stream.

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Jean.Taverne
Jean.Taverne

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 02, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Perfect description of Netra, as always. Indeed, the planes are coming thick and fast! And the wetland is a small river full of mud in January, so it's definitely better to take the detour around the other side of the garage!

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SoPhil
SoPhil

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 24, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Very pleasant between fields and forest on a beautiful October Sunday.
I recommend not asking yourself any questions. After crossing the D118, turn right in front of the Renault garage, then left, continue along this street, and at the end, turn left and continue straight ahead. You will find the road out of the marshy area

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Neko
Neko

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : May 23, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Very pleasant on a long weekend in May. No motorway traffic and few planes....

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menuetb1944
menuetb1944

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 29, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

It is always possible and recommended to avoid the wet area at point 2: after crossing the D118, turn right in front of the garage, then left, continue along this street, at the end, turn left and continue straight ahead, you will find the path out of the wet area.

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stell1818
stell1818

Overall rating : 4 / 5

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

We are usually fans of Netra's hikes, but this one was just average
Positive points: the walk through the fields and forest is superb (but that's only half of it)
Negatives: the path is wet, it's impossible. A real swamp. Our feet were soaked from the start.
The tour of the basin at the end was a pain. Lots of people and not interesting, but we wanted to do 11 km so we did it. It's a shame to end on that note. We didn't find a nice spot for a picnic

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Clément6375
Clément6375

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 21, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A pleasant and fairly varied hike.
The "wet" section was very wet when I went, so you'll need to give your shoes a good wash. Hiking trousers are recommended as there are several sections with nettles on very narrow paths.
The tour of the basin at the end of the hike is of limited interest and very busy. More than half of it is a path in full sun.

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air2marin
air2marin

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 : No

A very pleasant and varied hike that starts at the Saulx basin (quite busy) and continues across the plain and through the forest. We were lucky not to see any planes as Orly airport is still closed following the lockdown!
We didn't encounter the muddy section at point 2 that other hikers have mentioned (the work on the basin seems to have been completed in May 2020 as it was possible to walk around it without any problems)

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