Forêt de Campet et Lamazi and the Landes Pine Forest
Mont-de-Marsan sits on the eastern edge of the Landes de Gascogne, the vast pine forest planted in the 19th century that is now the largest man-made forest in Western Europe. Within 15 minutes of the city centre, you can be standing in cathedral-like corridors of maritime pine that stretch, with barely a break, all the way to the Atlantic coast 80 kilometres west.
Cycling and Walking the Forest Tracks
The forest around Campet-et-Lamazi, a commune immediately west of Mont-de-Marsan, is threaded with waymarked cycling and walking trails that are flat, well-maintained and almost entirely traffic-free. The sandy tracks are soft underfoot, the resin scent is extraordinary, and the light filtering through the pine canopy in the morning is the kind of thing landscape painters used to travel weeks to find.
Several loops of between 10 and 25 kilometres are signposted from the village of Campet-et-Lamazi itself. Bikes can be rented in Mont-de-Marsan; the tourist office can supply trail maps.
Wildlife, Seasons and What to Look For
The forest floor supports a rich understorey of heather, bracken and wild orchids in spring. In autumn, cèpe mushrooms (Boletus edulis) emerge in enormous quantities after rain, and locals descend on the forest with baskets — a tradition so serious that certain productive spots are guarded as family secrets across generations.
Roe deer, wild boar, European nightjars and short-toed treecreepers are all resident. Birdwatchers should arrive at dawn; the forest is quieter and the wildlife far more visible before 08:00.
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