The Forêt de Montmorency is a state-owned forest covering around 1,970 hectares, some 20 kilometres north of Paris. Spread across twelve municipalities in the Val-d'Oise department, it is the department's largest forest and attracts several million visitors each year.
An extensive chestnut woodland
Chestnut trees have historically dominated this forest. For several years, the French National Forest Office (ONF) has been renewing stands affected by ink disease, aiming to diversify the woodland and help it adapt to climate change.
Numerous paths are available for walks, hikes and discoveries of the area's forest heritage. The Château de la Chasse, in the heart of the forest, is one of its best-known landmarks and makes a useful starting point for an outing.
Since March 2026, the Forêt de Montmorency has held protected forest status, strengthening the long-term preservation of its woodland in the face of urban pressure.
The forest's appeal therefore lies less in any one short circular route than in its scale: almost 2,000 hectares of woodland offer varied itineraries close to the Paris metropolitan area.
