Erosion trail

This walk was designed to discover the beautiful landscapes of the Fontainebleau massif, and their fragility to erosion, as well as the works undertaken to preserve them.

The Apremont stairs: erosion is a natural phenomenon, linked to climatic events (wind, rain…) which can be aggravated by repeated trampling. It gradually destroys vegetation, the ground gets bared, and the sand trickles away. Tree roots then get bared as well. At a later stage, the trees die and/or fall. Erosion can even destabilize some of the boulders. In order to limit this phenomenon, ONF has built 149-step stairs. They give access to the Gorges d’Apremont, a true landscape gem.

The gorge: in the forest of Fontainebleau, gorges are dry, and no rivers flow. They were created by water currents several million years ago. Nowadays they disappear under vegetation, while until the beginning of the 20th century they formed a desertic expanse of sand and rocks; the toponymy preserves its memory, through the name “Apremont Desert”. Walking along the trail, the rocks can nowadays be seen under moss, ferns, and pines.