National park Hoge Kempen is located in Belgium. We decided to start our hike from the visitor center in Maasmechelen. There is a new walking and cycling bridge across the lake. You can park your car at the Maasmechelen outlet village. You can start your hike to the visitor center.
There are multiple day hikes available starting from the visitor center and they are clearly marked. The hiking routes start as easy as 3,6 kilometers and the longest is 15 kilometers. We decided to hike the red route which is 9,5 kilometers with a 200 meter elevation gain.
The hiking trails at Terhills are known for the lake and the hills. The hills provide a stunning view over the surrounding area. This area was a mining area for a long time, but it is not longer in operation. Now you find a beautiful nature reserve here.
We started our hike at the parking lot of Maasmechelen village and we headed over to the visitor center. At the visitor center, you will find some restrooms. There is also a small cafeteria where you can get something to drink or eat. You can also buy a hiking map here if you would like. We didn’t use a hiking map as the paths are clearly marked. We took the red route and at the first fork in the road we decided to hike clockwise. So we started out our hike flat up until the lake. We hiked all the way along the edge of the lake. We saw a lot of beautiful birds and we even saw a kingfisher near the edge of the lake.
It is a beautiful path along the lake, after you take the entire lap around the lake. You will find yourself at the foot of two hills. The hiking trail takes you up those hills, with our first 19% incline. But it is worth it. The top of the hill gives you an amazing view of the national park. You can also see the surrounding area and the lake you just hiked along. There are three hills to climb in total and they all offer a beautiful view of the surrounding area. There are also a lot of benches where you can sit and enjoy the view. As we hiked this on a cold winter day, we decided to not stop and keep on hiking.
A new attraction on this hike is the new walking and cycling bridge across the lake. Which is beautiful, as you get to see the lake from a completely different angle. As well as a lot of water birds that life on this lake.
It was a beautiful hike through the forest, along the edge of the lake, as well as hiking to the top of the hills in the national park which provide an amazing view of national park Hoge Kempen. I especially loved the view with the trees frozen over this time of year.
The map at the entrance said it will take about 2,5 hours . We did the entire hike in 3,5 hours. We did stop for pictures and the trail was very muddy, which took some slowing down on our part. Overall we loved this hike and we will return to do this hike in spring or fall. I assume it will be even more beautiful then when the trees aren’t bare. It did surprise me though that there are so many coniferous trees in this area. Which even in winter provides a beautiful green backdrop.
If you are a first time hiker, I would suggest to do this hike in either spring or summer. As this time of the year the trail was extremely muddy. Especially with the descents it can be quite tricky to hike down. If you do want to do this hike in winter, consider putting on good hiking boots. You could also choose shoes that provide a lot of traction.
Let me know in the comments if you ever hiked this trail or if you would in the future.
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