The Seven Oaks in the Tronçais Forest

Passing through the Colbert reserve, the route offers views of seven of the forty or so listed oak trees in Tronçais. You can see naturally shaped oaks, boundary trees such as the Saint-Louis and the Sentinelle, and forest trees with long, straight trunks, of which the Stebbing is an example.

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 7.83 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 25 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 64 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 65 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 254 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 218 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Start: Rond du Vieux Morat in Saint-Bonnet-Tronçais.

(S/E) From Rond du Vieux Morat, take the forest road of the same name running alongside Morat Pond (note the Saint-Louis oak tree along the way). Leave the bridle path a little further on the left, staying on the road. You will come to a crossroads at plot 235.

(1) Go up to the left and you will reach Rond Neuf.

(2) Then turn left into the "Réserve de la futaie Colbert" plot. Follow the path to the Chêne de la Résistance and retrace your steps to Rond Neuf. Continue left (north-northwest) on the Ligne des Étrangers (note the Chêne Stebbing oak tree on your right). At the Rond Apollon, continue straight ahead until you reach the next forest road. Turn left and follow it for about 80 metres.

(3) Go right onto the path between plots 143 and 147. At the Rond de la Pelloterie, turn right onto the path between plots 144 and 140 (third path on the right) and follow it for about 70 metres. Turn left between plots 144 and 139. Continue to a junction with a forest road (you can see the Jacques Chevalier oak tree by taking the road on the right for about 200 m). Continue straight ahead and you will come to a crossroads.

(4) Turn left between plots 137 and 138 to reach La Sentinelle on the left at the end of the line. Pass at the foot of the oak tree and follow the path that runs along the perimeter ditch to the Jumeaux oak trees. After these, take the lane on the left which leads straight back to the forest road.

(5) Turn right onto this road, ignore a path on the left and continue between plots 145 and 138.

(6) At the edge, turn left (view of the Bourbonnais bocage and a few typical farms) and keep going in the same direction, ignoring the paths on the left, until you reach the starting point (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 225 m - Rond du Vieux Morat
  2. 1 : km 1.24 - alt. 230 m - Saint-Jean-de-Bouy Forest Road
  3. 2 : km 1.98 - alt. 253 m - Rond Neuf
  4. 3 : km 3.8 - alt. 251 m - La Pelloterie
  5. 4 : km 5.41 - alt. 233 m - Richebourg
  6. 5 : km 6.44 - alt. 224 m - Buffévent Forest Road
  7. 6 : km 6.85 - alt. 222 m - Old Morat Forest Road
  8. S/E : km 7.82 - alt. 225 m - Rond du Vieux Morat

Notes

Yellow markings.
Hike also possible by mountain bike.

Worth a visit

The Tronçais Forest and its 300-year-old trees: the Colbert forest reserve, the Saint-Louis oak, the Resistance oak, the Stebbing oak, the Jacques Chevalier oak, the Sentinel oak, and the Twin Oaks.
Deer rut in autumn.
Morat Pond.
Wood carvings by Tronçais Forest Art.

Reviews and comments

4.5 / 5
Based on 58 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.4 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.6 / 5
Route interest
4.4 / 5
moulipat
moulipat

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 18, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

For this hike, you need to love nature, trees, peace and quiet, and straight paths for interventions, but it's beautiful
the oak tree of the Resistance is not marked, but the map is accurate. Otherwise, the seven oak trees are there, but unfortunately four are dead
we didn't meet anyone on the trail except for some lumberjacks on their plots at the end and a deer that looked at us haughtily, as if to say, "This is my home."

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francois 38
francois 38

Overall rating : 4 / 5

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

The remarkable oak trees are almost all dead or uprooted.
Admittedly, they are very old, so they are suffering the ravages of age.
The ONF could provide some explanations.
Otherwise, the forest is very pleasant and beautiful.
The regular high forest management is very well done.

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User 26992286

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

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

A very pretty trail in a magnificent forest. However, the interest of the supposedly remarkable oak trees is greatly diminished by the fact that several of them are at the end of their life, to say the least. Nevertheless, the walk remains very pleasant overall.

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michelmarieandree
michelmarieandree
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 29, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike in the forest where we encountered several ancient oak trees, some in better condition than others, but that's understandable given their age.

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Patgyver
Patgyver

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 16, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk among trees that are hundreds of years old

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voilier29
voilier29

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 05, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

We only saw three oak trees
Otherwise, it's a great hike in the forest
Thank you

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Emmanuel 037681
Emmanuel 037681
• Edited:

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 29, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

I agree with the previous comment by @bx86. However, we enjoyed the walk as a family, with ages ranging from 4 to 74, and loved seeing the remarkable oak trees.

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bx86
bx86

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 19, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

hello
Walk taken last Sunday.
Beautiful forest... perfect for walking with children.
That said, the long forest paths obviously leave you feeling a little uneasy, especially in the first part. The second part is more zigzagging under the forest canopy and therefore more varied.
The only remarkable oaks visible are Stebbling II (interesting and very beautiful) and the one that served as the boundary with the royal estate, but the "twins" have been smashed (one of them) and for the Resistance oak, the path that may have existed to reach it has disappeared under lush vegetation, and as this oak is located in the "Colbert zone" which is "normally" protected and therefore not accessible to visitors, it is tricky to try to get past this "restriction".
The tourist office attendant had warned us that this route, which was once popular, is now disappointing because the memorable trees are no longer in this part of the forest.
Thank you for this walk.

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girard
girard

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 06, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

flat route...
very pleasant to be able to admire part of this forest
Beautiful hike

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Maminette 6357
Maminette 6357

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 11, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

This route allowed us to discover the Tronçais forest and its remarkable oak trees, with a large part of the trail in the undergrowth (which was welcome given the heatwave at the beginning of September)

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Manegore
Manegore

Overall rating : 5 / 5

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

An 8 km circuit through the Tronçais forest, with no difficulties and very little elevation gain. In addition to the beauty of the location, the circuit is interesting because it is designed around seven oak trees that are, or were, emblematic of this remarkable place. I highly recommend it, either alone or in a group.

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CEMILIA18
CEMILIA18

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 31, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A must-see destination for immersing yourself in the Tronçais forest. These remarkable oak trees are the pride of this iconic area.

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vidamarq
vidamarq

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 30, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

A very peaceful walk with magnificent oak trees.
A bit repetitive, though

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YD 42
YD 42
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 05, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful walk in the largely shaded Tronçais forest. The trails are very pleasant.
Unfortunately, one of the twin oak trees has fallen and we couldn't find the Resistance oak tree.

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Ast1212
Ast1212

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 09, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A very good route that allows you to see the main trees. We didn't see anyone else there on a Sunday in July.

Be careful with the Resistance Oak: it's better to leave the path before the detour indicated on the map

Unfortunately, one of the twin oaks fell in early 2023.

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