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Hiking Trails Under 5 km in North Rhine-Westphalia

2,371 routes in North Rhine-Westphalia qualify, ranked below by how much walkers rate them. They average 2.9 km and 64 m (210 ft) of ascent.

That is 42 percent of the 5,708 routes we map in North Rhine-Westphalia. They are shorter than the local average, 2.9 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, 64 m (210 ft) against 225 m (738 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

Naturlehrpfad Meroder Wald

North Rhine-Westphalia · Germany

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

Baum-des-Jahres-Pfad Odenthal

North Rhine-Westphalia · Germany

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

Naturlehrpfad Geilenkirchen-Beeck

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

Rundwanderweg Schloss Benkhausen

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

Zum wasserfall

North Rhine-Westphalia · Germany

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

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

Orange Route - Stemweder Berg

North Rhine-Westphalia · Germany

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

Rote Route - Stemweder Berg

North Rhine-Westphalia · Germany

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

Rundweg A2 Alde Berg

North Rhine-Westphalia · Germany

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

Schweicheln Rundweg A1

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

Waldlehrpfad - Stemweder Berg

North Rhine-Westphalia · Germany

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

Zingscheider Berg A1

North Rhine-Westphalia · Germany

Distance
2.2 km
/ 1.4 mi
Elevation gain
48 m
Typical duration
32 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

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
Naturlehrpfad Meroder WaldNorth Rhine-Westphalia2.8 km62 m41 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
Heide-Wald-Route (Haltern Westruper Heide)North Rhine-Westphalia3.0 km66 m43 minEasyApril to October
Rundwanderweg Schloss BenkhausenNorth Rhine-Westphalia1.9 km42 m28 minEasyApril to October
Zum wasserfallNorth Rhine-Westphalia1.0 km22 m15 minEasyApril to October

If you only have time for one, start with Schöpfungspfad „Dem Leben auf der Spur", Jakobs-Pilgerweg Variante Haspe - Hagen, Umleitung Eifelsteigs in Olef. 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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