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Hiking Trails Under 5 km in North Rhine-Westphalia

1,334 routes in North Rhine-Westphalia qualify, ranked below by how much walkers rate them. They average 3.0 km and 66 m (217 ft) of ascent.

That is 39 percent of the 3,418 routes we map in North Rhine-Westphalia. They are shorter than the local average, 3.0 km against 12.5 km, which is what makes this a practical shortlist for a half day. They also climb less than the area average, 66 m (217 ft) against 273 m (896 ft), so they suit a recovery day or a group with mixed fitness.

Short routes for a spare couple of hours, an evening walk, or a day when the weather only gives you a window. 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

/\14 Niederirsen - Bach

North Rhine-Westphalia · Germany

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

Naturlehrpfad Meroder Wald

North Rhine-Westphalia · Germany

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

A1 Wandergebiet Bieren

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

B Dr. Bertram-Weg

North Rhine-Westphalia · Germany

Distance
1.9 km
/ 1.2 mi
Elevation gain
42 m
Typical duration
28 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Berge Rundweg B1

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

Blaue Route - Stemweder Berg

North Rhine-Westphalia · Germany

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

Hülser Berg Rundweg A1

North Rhine-Westphalia · Germany

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

Langer Berg Rundweg A2

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

Naturlernpfad Wentruper Berge

North Rhine-Westphalia · Germany

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

Altenau-Rundweg

North Rhine-Westphalia · Germany

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

Kammweg 1

North Rhine-Westphalia · Germany

Distance
0.7 km
/ 0.4 mi
Elevation gain
14 m
Typical duration
9 min
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Kammweg K3

North Rhine-Westphalia · Germany

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

Kammweg K7

North Rhine-Westphalia · Germany

Distance
3.5 km
/ 2.1 mi
Elevation gain
76 m
Typical duration
50 min
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Raute4 Siegen-Irmgarteichen

North Rhine-Westphalia · Germany

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

Rund um Wessum

North Rhine-Westphalia · Germany

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

Siegen - Würgendorf Raute 2

North Rhine-Westphalia · Germany

Distance
1.9 km
/ 1.1 mi
Elevation gain
41 m
Typical duration
27 min
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Straße der Arbeit [Kierspe]

North Rhine-Westphalia · Germany

Distance
0.9 km
/ 0.6 mi
Elevation gain
21 m
Typical duration
14 min
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Straße der Arbeit [Windeck]

North Rhine-Westphalia · Germany

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

X11 Lenne-Sieg-Weg [Wiehl]

North Rhine-Westphalia · Germany

Distance
2.0 km
/ 1.2 mi
Elevation gain
43 m
Typical duration
28 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
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
/\14 Niederirsen - BachNorth Rhine-Westphalia0.8 km18 m12 minEasyApril to October
Natursteig Sieg Zugang Bf Au (Sieg)North Rhine-Westphalia1.0 km23 m15 minEasyApril to October
Naturlehrpfad Meroder WaldNorth Rhine-Westphalia2.8 km62 m41 minEasyApril to October
A1 Preußisch Oldendorf-Holzhauser BergNorth Rhine-Westphalia2.9 km63 m42 minEasyApril to October
A1 Wandergebiet BierenNorth Rhine-Westphalia4.4 km97 m1 hr 4 minEasyApril to October
A4 Preußisch Oldendorf-Holzhauser BergNorth Rhine-Westphalia4.6 km101 m1 hr 6 minEasyApril to October
A6 Preußisch Oldendorf-Holzhauser BergNorth Rhine-Westphalia4.7 km104 m1 hr 8 minEasyApril to October
B Dr. Bertram-WegNorth Rhine-Westphalia1.9 km42 m28 minEasyApril to October

If you only have time for one, start with Jakobs-Pilgerweg Variante Haspe - Hagen, Umleitung Eifelsteigs in Olef, /\14 Niederirsen - Bach. 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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