Forêt d'Halatte & Étangs de Commelles
Stretching south and west of Senlis, the Forêt d'Halatte is a 4,500-hectare royal forest of oak, beech and hornbeam that most Paris day-trippers drive straight past on the way to Chantilly. Combine it with the fairy-tale Étangs de Commelles — three linked medieval fishponds below a ruined château — and you have one of the loveliest half-day walks in the whole Paris region.
The Étangs de Commelles
The three ponds were created in the 13th century to supply fish to the royal table and are now a protected natural reserve. The path that rings the largest pond — about 3 km — passes the photogenic ruins of the Château de la Reine Blanche, a Gothic folly rebuilt in the 19th century that sits at the water's edge like something from a fairy tale.
In early morning, mist sits on the water and grey herons stand motionless at the margins. Bring binoculars: the reserve hosts kingfishers, great crested grebes and, in winter, flocks of tufted duck.
Walking in the Forêt d'Halatte
The ONF (Office National des Forêts) has marked several colour-coded trails through the forest ranging from a gentle 4 km loop to a more demanding 14 km circuit. The red trail from the car park at Pont Sainte-Maxence passes through a stand of 200-year-old beeches whose canopy in October turns the path entirely gold.
The forest is also a serious mushroom habitat: cèpes, chanterelles and pieds de mouton appear from September onwards, and you will often see locals with baskets working the leaf litter quietly and methodically.
Getting There and Combining with Senlis
The Étangs de Commelles are accessible on foot from Senlis in about 25 minutes via the Chemin des Étangs; the walk from the town's southern ramparts gate makes a natural extension of the ramparts circuit.
There is a small car park at the Carrefour des Étangs for those arriving by car; the site is free to enter and open year-round, with the widest trail network accessible to pushchairs in dry weather.
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