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Hard Hiking Trails near Kerpen

We track 44 routes that match this search near Kerpen. They average 68.6 km and 1,520 m (4,987 ft) of ascent, with the longest running to 414 km.

That is 36 percent of the 122 routes we map near Kerpen. They run noticeably longer than average for the area, 68.6 km against 29.4 km, so budget more daylight than a typical outing here. The climbing is steeper too: 1,520 m (4,987 ft) on average versus 649 m (2,129 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

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

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

Bergischer Weg

North Rhine-Westphalia · Germany

Distance
263 km
/ 164 mi
Elevation gain
5,794 m
Typical duration
71 hr
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

Jakobs-Pilgerweg Dortmund - Aachen

North Rhine-Westphalia · Germany

Distance
186 km
/ 116 mi
Elevation gain
4,097 m
Typical duration
50 hr
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
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

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
Expert

Kölnpfad

North Rhine-Westphalia · Germany

Distance
159 km
/ 99.0 mi
Elevation gain
3,504 m
Typical duration
42 hr
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

Mein Grüngürtel Rundweg G1

North Rhine-Westphalia · Germany

Distance
64.0 km
/ 39.7 mi
Elevation gain
1,407 m
Typical duration
16 hr
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

Römerkanal-Wanderweg

North Rhine-Westphalia · Germany

Distance
120 km
/ 74.3 mi
Elevation gain
2,632 m
Typical duration
32 hr
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

X3 Rhein-Netteseen-Weg

North Rhine-Westphalia · Germany

Distance
111 km
/ 69.1 mi
Elevation gain
2,447 m
Typical duration
29 hr
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
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

Hüttenweg

North Rhine-Westphalia · Germany

Distance
40.5 km
/ 25.2 mi
Elevation gain
891 m
Typical duration
10 hr
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Expert

X8 Rurtalweg

North Rhine-Westphalia · Germany

Distance
51.6 km
/ 32.1 mi
Elevation gain
1,136 m
Typical duration
13 hr
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Expert

Kall-Rur-Panorama-Route

North Rhine-Westphalia · Germany

Distance
47.8 km
/ 29.7 mi
Elevation gain
1,051 m
Typical duration
12 hr
  • Mountain
  • Panoramic viewpoint
  • Waymarked route
Expert

EifelSpur Kräuterpfad

North Rhine-Westphalia · Germany

Distance
41.2 km
/ 25.6 mi
Elevation gain
694 m
Typical duration
10 hr
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Expert

Höhenroute

North Rhine-Westphalia · Germany

Distance
41.9 km
/ 26.0 mi
Elevation gain
921 m
Typical duration
10 hr
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Expert

Moor-Route

North Rhine-Westphalia · Germany

Distance
56.6 km
/ 35.1 mi
Elevation gain
1,244 m
Typical duration
14 hr
  • Mountain
Hard

Bachtäler-Höhenroute

North Rhine-Westphalia · Germany

Distance
15.8 km
/ 9.8 mi
Elevation gain
349 m
Typical duration
3 hr 51 min
  • Waymarked route
Hard

Kupferroute

North Rhine-Westphalia · Germany

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

X22 Kurkölner Weg [Rösrath]

North Rhine-Westphalia · Germany

Distance
16.3 km
/ 10.1 mi
Elevation gain
359 m
Typical duration
3 hr 59 min
  • Waymarked route
Hard

[Raute5] Landrat-Lucas-Weg

North Rhine-Westphalia · Germany

Distance
24.3 km
/ 15.1 mi
Elevation gain
535 m
Typical duration
6 hr 9 min
  • Waymarked route
Hard

[▶15] Wanderweg 15 des KEV

North Rhine-Westphalia · Germany

Distance
19.0 km
/ 11.8 mi
Elevation gain
418 m
Typical duration
4 hr 42 min
  • Waymarked route
Hard

Panoramaweg West

North Rhine-Westphalia · Germany

Distance
19.3 km
/ 12.0 mi
Elevation gain
424 m
Typical duration
4 hr 47 min
  • Panoramic viewpoint
  • Waymarked route
Hard

Seenrunde S

North Rhine-Westphalia · Germany

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

EifelSpur Wasser für Köln

North Rhine-Westphalia · Germany

Distance
17.1 km
/ 10.6 mi
Elevation gain
388 m
Typical duration
4 hr 13 min
  • Cave
  • 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
Wildnis-TrailNationalpark Eifel83.9 km1,846 m22 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
Jakobs-Pilgerweg Köln - AachenNorth Rhine-Westphalia99.1 km2,180 m26 hrExpertApril to October
Bergischer WegNorth Rhine-Westphalia263 km5,794 m71 hrExpertApril to October
Jakobs-Pilgerweg Dortmund - AachenNorth Rhine-Westphalia186 km4,097 m50 hrExpertApril to October
Wanderweg der Deutschen Einheit (Bad Godesberg - Aachen)North Rhine-Westphalia146 km3,214 m39 hrExpertApril to October
Jakobs-Pilgerweg Bonn - Bad MünstereifelNorth Rhine-Westphalia50.5 km1,112 m13 hrExpertApril to October
Jakobs-Pilgerweg Heidenstraße (Teilstück Lindlar - Köln)North Rhine-Westphalia40.4 km888 m10 hrExpertApril to October
Jakobs-Pilgerweg Köln - Bad MünstereifelNorth Rhine-Westphalia58.4 km1,285 m15 hrExpertApril to October

If you only have time for one, start with Wildnis-Trail, European long distance path E8, North Rhine-Westphalia, Markiertes Wanderwegenetz Nationalpark Eifel. 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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