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Family-Friendly Hikes near Aachen

We track 65 routes that match this search near Aachen. They average 3.5 km and 77 m (253 ft) of ascent.

That is 37 percent of the 176 routes we map near Aachen. They are shorter than the local average, 3.5 km against 26.0 km, which is what makes this a practical shortlist for a half day. They also climb less than the area average, 77 m (253 ft) against 560 m (1,837 ft), so they suit a recovery day or a group with mixed fitness.

Family routes here are short, gently graded and interesting enough to keep younger legs moving. Every one is under seven kilometres with limited climbing. 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

Mechels Bos Oranje bol

Hoge Kempen National Park · Flanders

Distance
5.6 km
/ 3.5 mi
Elevation gain
123 m
Typical duration
1 hr 21 min
  • Forest
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Mechels Bos aanlooproute

Hoge Kempen National Park · Flanders

Distance
0.5 km
/ 0.3 mi
Elevation gain
12 m
Typical duration
8 min
  • Forest
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Mechels bos Groene rechthoek

Hoge Kempen National Park · Flanders

Distance
3.7 km
/ 2.3 mi
Elevation gain
82 m
Typical duration
54 min
  • Forest
  • Waymarked route
Easy

GR 56 Liaison Gare Hergenrath

Wallonia · Belgium

Distance
1.4 km
/ 0.9 mi
Elevation gain
30 m
Typical duration
21 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Easy

Bergerven Groene rechthoek

Hoge Kempen National Park · Flanders

Distance
2.7 km
/ 1.7 mi
Elevation gain
60 m
Typical duration
40 min
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Bergerven Groene rechthoek

Hoge Kempen National Park · Flanders

Distance
4.2 km
/ 2.6 mi
Elevation gain
92 m
Typical duration
1 hr 1 min
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Bessemer Groene rechthoek

Hoge Kempen National Park · Flanders

Distance
5.6 km
/ 3.5 mi
Elevation gain
124 m
Typical duration
1 hr 22 min
  • Waymarked route
Easy

De Kolonie Groene rechthoek

Hoge Kempen National Park · Flanders

Distance
2.9 km
/ 1.8 mi
Elevation gain
63 m
Typical duration
42 min
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Donderslag Blauwe ruit

Hoge Kempen National Park · Flanders

Distance
6.1 km
/ 3.8 mi
Elevation gain
135 m
Typical duration
1 hr 29 min
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Donderslag Groene rechthoek

Hoge Kempen National Park · Flanders

Distance
5.2 km
/ 3.3 mi
Elevation gain
115 m
Typical duration
1 hr 16 min
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Donderslag Groene rechthoek

Hoge Kempen National Park · Flanders

Distance
4.2 km
/ 2.6 mi
Elevation gain
92 m
Typical duration
1 hr 1 min
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Heiderbos Groene rechthoek

Hoge Kempen National Park · Flanders

Distance
4.5 km
/ 2.8 mi
Elevation gain
98 m
Typical duration
1 hr 5 min
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Hoefaert Groene rechthoek

Hoge Kempen National Park · Flanders

Distance
3.1 km
/ 1.9 mi
Elevation gain
68 m
Typical duration
45 min
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Kikbeekbron Blauwe ruit

Hoge Kempen National Park · Flanders

Distance
4.6 km
/ 2.8 mi
Elevation gain
100 m
Typical duration
1 hr 6 min
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Kikbeekbron Groene rechthoek

Hoge Kempen National Park · Flanders

Distance
2.6 km
/ 1.6 mi
Elevation gain
58 m
Typical duration
38 min
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Litzberg Blauwe ruit

Hoge Kempen National Park · Flanders

Distance
6.5 km
/ 4.0 mi
Elevation gain
142 m
Typical duration
1 hr 33 min
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Litzberg Groene rechthoek

Hoge Kempen National Park · Flanders

Distance
3.0 km
/ 1.9 mi
Elevation gain
67 m
Typical duration
44 min
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Mechelse Heide Blauwe ruit

Hoge Kempen National Park · Flanders

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

Mechelse Heide Gele zeshoek

Hoge Kempen National Park · Flanders

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

Moorsberg Paarse trapezium

Hoge Kempen National Park · Flanders

Distance
6.3 km
/ 3.9 mi
Elevation gain
139 m
Typical duration
1 hr 31 min
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Munsterbos Blauwe ruit

Hoge Kempen National Park · Flanders

Distance
4.8 km
/ 3.0 mi
Elevation gain
106 m
Typical duration
1 hr 10 min
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Munsterbos Groen rechthoek

Hoge Kempen National Park · Flanders

Distance
4.0 km
/ 2.5 mi
Elevation gain
88 m
Typical duration
58 min
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Munsterbos Rode driehoek

Hoge Kempen National Park · Flanders

Distance
6.2 km
/ 3.8 mi
Elevation gain
135 m
Typical duration
1 hr 29 min
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Oudsberg Blauwe ruit

Hoge Kempen National Park · Flanders

Distance
4.0 km
/ 2.5 mi
Elevation gain
89 m
Typical duration
59 min
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Oudsberg Groene rechthoek

Hoge Kempen National Park · Flanders

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

Oudsberg Groene rechthoek

Hoge Kempen National Park · Flanders

Distance
4.5 km
/ 2.8 mi
Elevation gain
99 m
Typical duration
1 hr 5 min
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Paardengatroute

De Meinweg · Limburg

Distance
5.2 km
/ 3.3 mi
Elevation gain
115 m
Typical duration
1 hr 16 min
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Pietersheim Groene rechthoek

Hoge Kempen National Park · Flanders

Distance
3.6 km
/ 2.2 mi
Elevation gain
79 m
Typical duration
52 min
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Roelen Groene rechthoek

Hoge Kempen National Park · Flanders

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

Solterheide Groene rechthoek

Hoge Kempen National Park · Flanders

Distance
5.4 km
/ 3.4 mi
Elevation gain
119 m
Typical duration
1 hr 18 min
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Solterheide Groene rechthoek

Hoge Kempen National Park · Flanders

Distance
4.8 km
/ 3.0 mi
Elevation gain
105 m
Typical duration
1 hr 9 min
  • Waymarked route
Easy

St. Ludwig

De Meinweg · Limburg

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

Station As Blauwe ruit

Hoge Kempen National Park · Flanders

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

Steenmannetjespad

Hoge Kempen National Park · Flanders

Distance
3.2 km
/ 2.0 mi
Elevation gain
70 m
Typical duration
46 min
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Terhills Dilserbos Blauw

Hoge Kempen National Park · Flanders

Distance
5.7 km
/ 3.5 mi
Elevation gain
125 m
Typical duration
1 hr 23 min
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Terhills Dilserbos Groen

Hoge Kempen National Park · Flanders

Distance
4.3 km
/ 2.7 mi
Elevation gain
94 m
Typical duration
1 hr 2 min
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Via Kolenspoor

Hoge Kempen National Park · Flanders

Distance
2.2 km
/ 1.3 mi
Elevation gain
48 m
Typical duration
31 min
  • Waymarked route
Easy

GR 15 Variante Caillebotis

Wallonia · Belgium

Distance
1.7 km
/ 1.0 mi
Elevation gain
37 m
Typical duration
24 min
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Easy

GR 15 Variante Charmille

Wallonia · Belgium

Distance
2.2 km
/ 1.4 mi
Elevation gain
48 m
Typical duration
32 min
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Easy

GR 5 Aanlooproute Genk

Flanders · Belgium

Distance
1.7 km
/ 1.0 mi
Elevation gain
37 m
Typical duration
24 min
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Easy

GR 56 Hochwasservariante

Wallonia · Belgium

Distance
0.7 km
/ 0.4 mi
Elevation gain
15 m
Typical duration
10 min
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Easy

GR 56 Liaison Gare d'Eupen

Wallonia · Belgium

Distance
1.9 km
/ 1.2 mi
Elevation gain
22 m
Typical duration
26 min
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path

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
La Butte aux Bois Groene rechthoekHoge Kempen National Park5.3 km118 m1 hr 17 minEasyApril to October
Mechels Bos Oranje bolHoge Kempen National Park5.6 km123 m1 hr 21 minEasyApril to October
Mechels Bos aanlooprouteHoge Kempen National Park0.5 km12 m8 minEasyApril to October
Mechels bos Groene rechthoekHoge Kempen National Park3.7 km82 m54 minEasyApril to October
GR 56 Liaison Gare HergenrathWallonia1.4 km30 m21 minEasyApril to October
Bergerven Groene rechthoekHoge Kempen National Park2.7 km60 m40 minEasyApril to October
Bergerven Groene rechthoekHoge Kempen National Park4.2 km92 m1 hr 1 minEasyApril to October
Bessemer Groene rechthoekHoge Kempen National Park5.6 km124 m1 hr 22 minEasyApril to October
De Kolonie Groene rechthoekHoge Kempen National Park2.9 km63 m42 minEasyApril to October
Donderslag Blauwe ruitHoge Kempen National Park6.1 km135 m1 hr 29 minEasyApril to October

If you only have time for one, start with La Butte aux Bois Groene rechthoek, Mechels bos Groene rechthoek, Mechels Bos Oranje bol. 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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