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Hard Hiking Trails near Aachen

51 routes near Aachen qualify, ranked below by how much walkers rate them. They average 72.9 km and 1,553 m (5,095 ft) of ascent, with the longest running to 414 km.

That is 29 percent of the 176 routes we map near Aachen. They run noticeably longer than average for the area, 72.9 km against 26.0 km, so budget more daylight than a typical outing here. The climbing is steeper too: 1,553 m (5,095 ft) on average versus 560 m (1,837 ft) across the wider area.

Hard routes mean sustained ascent, long descents and a real need to watch the clock and the forecast. These lean toward the demanding end, so plan for a full day and check the forecast before you commit.

Trails

Spa, Belgium, Six-O'Clock-Park, Galerie Leopold II
Expert

GR 5 Belgium, Wallonia

Luxembourg

Distance
156 km
/ 96.8 mi
Elevation gain
1,577 m
Typical duration
39 hr
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

National Park Trail (hoofdtraject)

Hoge Kempen National Park · Flanders

Distance
109 km
/ 67.5 mi
Elevation gain
2,389 m
Typical duration
29 hr
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

Wildnis-Trail

Nationalpark Eifel · North Rhine-Westphalia

Distance
83.9 km
/ 52.2 mi
Elevation gain
1,846 m
Typical duration
22 hr
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

Rur-Olef-Route

Nationalpark Eifel · North Rhine-Westphalia

Distance
58.4 km
/ 36.3 mi
Elevation gain
1,296 m
Typical duration
15 hr
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Expert

Via Arduinna - Aachen branch

Wallonia · Belgium

Distance
62.3 km
/ 38.7 mi
Elevation gain
1,371 m
Typical duration
16 hr
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

Via Limburgica

Flanders · Belgium

Distance
142 km
/ 88.2 mi
Elevation gain
3,121 m
Typical duration
38 hr
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

Via Mosana

North Rhine-Westphalia · Germany

Distance
146 km
/ 90.4 mi
Elevation gain
3,202 m
Typical duration
39 hr
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

Jakobs-Pilgerweg Köln - Aachen

North Rhine-Westphalia · Germany

Distance
99.1 km
/ 61.6 mi
Elevation gain
2,180 m
Typical duration
26 hr
  • Mountain
  • Pilgrimage route
  • Waymarked route
Expert

GR 56 Variante Amblève (Amel)

Wallonia · Belgium

Distance
36.9 km
/ 22.9 mi
Elevation gain
521 m
Typical duration
9 hr 8 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

GR 56 Variante Sentier des Fagnes

Wallonia · Belgium

Distance
97.5 km
/ 60.6 mi
Elevation gain
2,215 m
Typical duration
26 hr
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

GR 56 Variante Warche

Wallonia · Belgium

Distance
35.6 km
/ 22.1 mi
Elevation gain
837 m
Typical duration
9 hr 18 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

GRT-BVW 18 My - Olne

Wallonia · Belgium

Distance
51.1 km
/ 31.8 mi
Elevation gain
1,125 m
Typical duration
13 hr
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Hard

RvN Krijtlandpad - 04

Limburg · Netherlands

Distance
17.4 km
/ 10.8 mi
Elevation gain
383 m
Typical duration
4 hr 16 min
Expert

Wald-Wasser-Wildnis-Weg

North Rhine-Westphalia · Germany

Distance
56.0 km
/ 34.8 mi
Elevation gain
1,233 m
Typical duration
14 hr
  • Mountain
  • Forest
  • Waymarked route
Expert

Dutch Mountain Trail

North Rhine-Westphalia · Germany

Distance
101 km
/ 62.7 mi
Elevation gain
2,221 m
Typical duration
26 hr
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

GRP 563 Tour du Pays de Herve

Flanders · Belgium

Distance
160 km
/ 99.3 mi
Elevation gain
3,516 m
Typical duration
42 hr
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

Krönungsweg

North Rhine-Westphalia · Germany

Distance
142 km
/ 88.0 mi
Elevation gain
3,117 m
Typical duration
38 hr
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Hard

Grenslandpad - 19

Flanders · Belgium

Distance
17.4 km
/ 10.8 mi
Elevation gain
382 m
Typical duration
4 hr 15 min
  • Waymarked route
Hard

Pelgrimspad 2 - 08

Flanders · Belgium

Distance
22.8 km
/ 14.2 mi
Elevation gain
501 m
Typical duration
5 hr 44 min
  • Waymarked route
Hard

Pelgrimspad 2 - 09

Limburg · Netherlands

Distance
17.6 km
/ 10.9 mi
Elevation gain
387 m
Typical duration
4 hr 19 min
  • Waymarked route
Hard

Pelgrimspad 2 - 10

Limburg · Netherlands

Distance
17.2 km
/ 10.7 mi
Elevation gain
379 m
Typical duration
4 hr 14 min
  • Waymarked route
Hard

Pelgrimspad 2 - 11

Limburg · Netherlands

Distance
22.5 km
/ 14.0 mi
Elevation gain
494 m
Typical duration
5 hr 39 min
  • Waymarked route
Hard

Pieterpad deel 2 - 10

Limburg · Netherlands

Distance
22.4 km
/ 13.9 mi
Elevation gain
493 m
Typical duration
5 hr 38 min
  • Waymarked route
Hard

Pieterpad deel 2 - 11

North Rhine-Westphalia · Germany

Distance
23.8 km
/ 14.8 mi
Elevation gain
524 m
Typical duration
6 hr 1 min
  • Waymarked route
Hard

Pieterpad deel 2 - 12

Limburg · Netherlands

Distance
22.2 km
/ 13.8 mi
Elevation gain
489 m
Typical duration
5 hr 35 min
  • Waymarked route
Hard

Pieterpad deel 2 - 13

Limburg · Netherlands

Distance
17.1 km
/ 10.6 mi
Elevation gain
376 m
Typical duration
4 hr 11 min
  • Waymarked route
Expert

Buntsandsteinroute

North Rhine-Westphalia · Germany

Distance
40.4 km
/ 25.1 mi
Elevation gain
1,461 m
Typical duration
11 hr
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Expert

Göhltalroute

Wallonia · Belgium

Distance
55.2 km
/ 34.3 mi
Elevation gain
1,214 m
Typical duration
14 hr
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Expert

Hüttenweg

North Rhine-Westphalia · Germany

Distance
40.5 km
/ 25.2 mi
Elevation gain
891 m
Typical duration
10 hr
  • Mountain
  • 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
GR 56 Sentiers de l'Est de la Belgique | Parcours principal : Sentier des FrontièresLuxembourg157 km1,508 m39 hrExpertApril to October
GR 5 Belgium, WalloniaLuxembourg156 km1,577 m39 hrExpertApril to October
PeerkePad - 3 - Berg aan de Maas-BreeHoge Kempen National Park26.7 km587 m6 hr 47 minHardApril to October
National Park Trail (hoofdtraject)Hoge Kempen National Park109 km2,389 m29 hrExpertApril to October
Wildnis-TrailNationalpark Eifel83.9 km1,846 m22 hrExpertApril to October
Rur-Olef-RouteNationalpark Eifel58.4 km1,296 m15 hrExpertApril to October
Markiertes Wanderwegenetz Nationalpark EifelNationalpark Eifel241 km5,311 m65 hrExpertApril to October
European long distance path E8, North Rhine-WestphaliaNorth Rhine-Westphalia414 km9,116 m111 hrExpertApril to October
Via Arduinna - Aachen branchWallonia62.3 km1,371 m16 hrExpertApril to October
Via LimburgicaFlanders142 km3,121 m38 hrExpertApril to October

If you only have time for one, start with GR 56 Sentiers de l'Est de la Belgique | Parcours principal : Sentier des Frontières, GR 5 Belgium, Wallonia, PeerkePad - 3 - Berg aan de Maas-Bree. 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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