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Easy Hiking Trails in North Rhine-Westphalia

There are 3,190 hikes in North Rhine-Westphalia in our database that fit. They average 3.6 km and 80 m (262 ft) of ascent.

That is 56 percent of the 5,708 routes we map in North Rhine-Westphalia. They are shorter than the local average, 3.6 km against 10.3 km, which is what makes this a practical shortlist for a half day. They also climb less than the area average, 80 m (262 ft) against 225 m (738 ft), so they suit a recovery day or a group with mixed fitness.

Easy routes keep both distance and climbing modest, so they work for a first day in a new area, for family groups, or for a half day when the weather is uncertain. Most of these are on the gentler end, which makes the list a good starting point if you are new to the area. A good share of them are loops, so you can park once and finish where you started.

Trails

Easy

North Rhine-Westphalia · Germany

Distance
5.8 km
/ 3.6 mi
Elevation gain
128 m
Typical duration
1 hr 25 min
  • Waymarked route
Easy

North Rhine-Westphalia · Germany

Distance
5.3 km
/ 3.3 mi
Elevation gain
117 m
Typical duration
1 hr 17 min
  • Lake
  • Canyon and gorge
  • Forest
Easy

North Rhine-Westphalia · Germany

Distance
2.8 km
/ 1.7 mi
Elevation gain
62 m
Typical duration
41 min
  • Lake
  • Forest
  • Wildlife watching
Easy

Nationalpark Eifel · North Rhine-Westphalia

Distance
5.5 km
/ 3.4 mi
Elevation gain
122 m
Typical duration
1 hr 20 min
Easy

North Rhine-Westphalia · Germany

Distance
0.8 km
/ 0.5 mi
Elevation gain
18 m
Typical duration
12 min
  • River
  • Waymarked route
Easy

North Rhine-Westphalia · Germany

Distance
1.4 km
/ 0.9 mi
Elevation gain
31 m
Typical duration
20 min
  • Mountain
  • Forest
  • Waymarked route
Easy

North Rhine-Westphalia · Germany

Distance
1.2 km
/ 0.7 mi
Elevation gain
26 m
Typical duration
17 min
  • Lake
  • Wildlife watching
  • Waymarked route
Easy

North Rhine-Westphalia · Germany

Distance
1.9 km
/ 1.2 mi
Elevation gain
42 m
Typical duration
28 min
  • Forest
  • Castle and ruins
  • Waymarked route
Easy

North Rhine-Westphalia · Germany

Distance
1.0 km
/ 0.6 mi
Elevation gain
22 m
Typical duration
15 min
  • Waterfall
  • Waymarked route
Easy

North Rhine-Westphalia · Germany

Distance
4.4 km
/ 2.7 mi
Elevation gain
97 m
Typical duration
1 hr 4 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Easy

North Rhine-Westphalia · Germany

Distance
4.6 km
/ 2.9 mi
Elevation gain
101 m
Typical duration
1 hr 7 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Easy

North Rhine-Westphalia · Germany

Distance
5.5 km
/ 3.4 mi
Elevation gain
121 m
Typical duration
1 hr 19 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Easy

North Rhine-Westphalia · Germany

Distance
5.5 km
/ 3.4 mi
Elevation gain
122 m
Typical duration
1 hr 20 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Easy

North Rhine-Westphalia · Germany

Distance
2.8 km
/ 1.7 mi
Elevation gain
62 m
Typical duration
41 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Easy

North Rhine-Westphalia · Germany

Distance
3.0 km
/ 1.8 mi
Elevation gain
65 m
Typical duration
43 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Easy

North Rhine-Westphalia · Germany

Distance
5.5 km
/ 3.4 mi
Elevation gain
121 m
Typical duration
1 hr 19 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Easy

North Rhine-Westphalia · Germany

Distance
6.0 km
/ 3.7 mi
Elevation gain
132 m
Typical duration
1 hr 27 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Easy

North Rhine-Westphalia · Germany

Distance
4.7 km
/ 2.9 mi
Elevation gain
103 m
Typical duration
1 hr 8 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Easy

North Rhine-Westphalia · Germany

Distance
2.3 km
/ 1.4 mi
Elevation gain
50 m
Typical duration
33 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Easy

North Rhine-Westphalia · Germany

Distance
2.4 km
/ 1.5 mi
Elevation gain
53 m
Typical duration
35 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Easy

North Rhine-Westphalia · Germany

Distance
2.8 km
/ 1.7 mi
Elevation gain
61 m
Typical duration
40 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Easy

North Rhine-Westphalia · Germany

Distance
5.4 km
/ 3.4 mi
Elevation gain
119 m
Typical duration
1 hr 19 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Easy

North Rhine-Westphalia · Germany

Distance
2.3 km
/ 1.4 mi
Elevation gain
50 m
Typical duration
33 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Easy

North Rhine-Westphalia · Germany

Distance
5.3 km
/ 3.3 mi
Elevation gain
117 m
Typical duration
1 hr 17 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Easy

North Rhine-Westphalia · Germany

Distance
4.4 km
/ 2.7 mi
Elevation gain
96 m
Typical duration
1 hr 3 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Easy

North Rhine-Westphalia · Germany

Distance
5.4 km
/ 3.3 mi
Elevation gain
119 m
Typical duration
1 hr 18 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Easy

North Rhine-Westphalia · Germany

Distance
3.3 km
/ 2.0 mi
Elevation gain
72 m
Typical duration
47 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Easy

North Rhine-Westphalia · Germany

Distance
5.8 km
/ 3.6 mi
Elevation gain
127 m
Typical duration
1 hr 24 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Easy

North Rhine-Westphalia · Germany

Distance
2.2 km
/ 1.4 mi
Elevation gain
48 m
Typical duration
32 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Easy

North Rhine-Westphalia · Germany

Distance
6.1 km
/ 3.8 mi
Elevation gain
134 m
Typical duration
1 hr 28 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Easy

North Rhine-Westphalia · Germany

Distance
3.9 km
/ 2.4 mi
Elevation gain
87 m
Typical duration
57 min
  • Waymarked route

The shortlist, side by side

The ten highest scoring routes on this page, so you can compare effort before opening any of them.

Distance, ascent, walking time and difficulty for the top routes
RouteDistanceAscentTimeDifficultyBest season
Schöpfungspfad „Dem Leben auf der Spur"Nationalpark Eifel2.6 km58 m38 minEasyApril to October
Jakobs-Pilgerweg Variante Haspe - HagenNorth Rhine-Westphalia4.9 km108 m1 hr 11 minEasyApril to October
Umleitung Eifelsteigs in OlefNorth Rhine-Westphalia0.7 km16 m10 minEasyApril to October
[XS] Sieghöhenweg [Siegen]North Rhine-Westphalia5.8 km128 m1 hr 25 minEasyApril to October
TeutoSchleifchen Canyon TourNorth Rhine-Westphalia5.3 km117 m1 hr 17 minEasyApril to October
Naturlehrpfad Meroder WaldNorth Rhine-Westphalia2.8 km62 m41 minEasyApril to October
Wilder KermeterNationalpark Eifel5.5 km122 m1 hr 20 minEasyApril to October
/\14 Niederirsen - BachNorth Rhine-Westphalia0.8 km18 m12 minEasyApril to October
Baum-des-Jahres-Pfad OdenthalNorth Rhine-Westphalia1.4 km31 m20 minEasyApril to October
Naturlehrpfad Geilenkirchen-BeeckNorth Rhine-Westphalia1.2 km26 m17 minEasyApril to October

If you only have time for one, start with Schöpfungspfad „Dem Leben auf der Spur", [XS] Sieghöhenweg [Siegen], Jakobs-Pilgerweg Variante Haspe - Hagen. Those are the routes people come back to. Every route on this page links through to a full guide with the map, elevation profile, seasonal advice and what to bring.

Frequently asked questions

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