WALKING POINT High Fens

The nature reserve De Hoge Venen

De Hoge Venen is located between Eupen, Malmédy, and Monschau (Germany). The area is part of the Hoge Venen-Eifel Nature Park, which is protected at the European level as a Natura 2000 site.

The highest point is Signal de Botrange (694 m), which is also the highest point in Belgium. At this point, you can climb a small tower with a few steps to a height of exactly 700 meters.

The plateau of De Hoge Venen has as its foundation the oldest rocks in Belgium. They date back to the Cambrian period (500 million years ago). It is a type of rock that has hardened into quartzite and slate during geological history. You will find large boulders of hard quartzite spread throughout the peat during your walk. They are recognizable as gray or yellowish stones with white quartz veins.

The plateau of De Hoge Venen is one of the last areas in Belgium with unspoiled wilderness. The vegetation consists of raised bogs surrounded by pine trees: vast and bleak plains alternate with the shelter of coniferous forests.

This high plateau experiences 200 days of precipitation and 150 days of fog per year. De Hoge Venen has a cool and wet climate, with Siberian cold temperatures in winter.

  

When

De Hoge Venen is a nature area that is not freely accessible everywhere. The walking route goes through forests (Zone A, where you must stay on the paths) and also through peatlands (Zone B, where you can only walk on marked trails). The route avoids Zones C and D that are not freely accessible. The obligation to stay on the paths does not feel like a restriction at all. After all, this is wilderness: outside the paths, you cannot walk in this marshy heath.

In summer, walking in De Hoge Venen is pleasant, but during dry periods, you should be cautious of fire hazards in the dry heath. A red flag is then raised at the access roads, and the nature area is closed to walkers.

On the website of the Maison du Parc-Botrange, you can find information about the red flag.

https://botrange.be/acces-aux-fagnes  

In autumn, the area is generally never closed for hunting, as De Hoge Venen is a nature area. However, it is still advisable to check in advance whether the walking area is indeed accessible. There may also be nature management works.

On the route planner of Ostbelgien, you will find all the information about closures. Zoom in on the area where you plan to walk and click on the icon with the red warning triangle. You can then fill in the date when you are going to walk.

https://www.ostbelgien.eu/nl/wandelen/wandelrouteplanner 

In winter, the high plateau of De Hoge Venen (+600 meters) often has snow. It is fantastically beautiful, but the snow attracts a multitude of tourists. This influx can be so large that the area is even closed. Avoid these snowy weekends and go hiking during the workweek if you want to enjoy the peace.

  

Start & endpoint

The walk starts and ends at the parking lot of Baraque Michel, where the eponymous tavern is also located.

La Baraque Michel, address: La Baraque Michel 36, 4850 Jalhay

By car: there is an abundance of parking, but during snowy weekends it can be extremely busy here.

By public transport: travel by train to Eupen. Then take the bus to Baraque Michel.

  

Taverns

Baraque Michel: La Baraque Michel 36, 4850 Jalhay, www.baraquemichel.com 

Le Signal de Botrange: Route de Botrange 133, 4950 Waimes, https://signaldebotrange.be 

La Maison du Parc-Botrange: Route de Botrange 131, 4950 Waimes, https://botrange.be

  

Accommodation

For those who find De Hoge Venen too far for a day trip: you can stay excellently in the youth hostel of Malmédy. There you can also have breakfast and dinner. There is also a nice bar. Next to the youth hostel, there is also a campsite.

https://lesaubergesdejeunesse.be/nl/malmedy 

  

The Walk

The walk starts at the spacious parking lot of Baraque Michel, where you can find a tavern for a warm drink before you set off. From the parking lot, you cross the wide Rue De Botrange that runs through De Hoge Venen.

You leave the road and immediately walk over the Grande Fagne, the central nature area of De Hoge Venen. The mountain stream De Helle soon transforms the peatlands into a humid swamp where you would not keep your feet dry without the many boardwalks. After a few kilometers, you turn left to follow a less used path. The path is narrow and rises slightly to the higher parts of the peat plateau. There, the path turns right, goes through a small forest (Geitzbusch) with dead trees, and finally reaches the edge of the peat area. In the shelter of the pine forest (Petit Bongard), you can take a first break.

Afterward, you briefly follow a path through the forest that steeply descends into the valley of the mountain stream De Helle. Follow this marshy valley and use the boardwalks again to keep your feet dry. After a while, leave the riverbed and then follow the forest edge for a long distance with a view of the peatlands (Fagne Wallonne). The forest edge leads you to a popular viewpoint. Now walk to Rue De Botrange and cross it to Signal de Botrange, the highest point in Belgium (694 m). Climb the tower that the military man Herman Baltia had built here in 1923 to reach a rounded height of 700 meters. You can have a drink in the tavern of Signal De Botrange.

The route now goes through pine forests until you reach peatland (Neûr Lowé) again with boardwalks. You cross Route De La Baraque Michel and walk briefly through pine forests to reach another peat area (Fagne de la Polleur). Turn left and follow a difficult path along the mountain stream de Polleur until you reach the shelter Pont de Bèleu, a dry place for a rest break.

After the shelter, you still walk along the edge of the peatlands until you reach, through a pine forest, another large peat area (part of the Grande Fagne). Follow the forest edge until you cross through the forest to Baraque Michel. If it is too busy here for a drink, you can drive to Maison Du Parc-Botrange, where it is usually quieter.

The walk is more than 99% on unpaved paths. There are no cars to be seen, and there is no construction in sight. This is wilderness.

  

A shorter version is also possible

This walk is part of a series of top walks in Belgium.

More info at www.wandelpunt.be 

If you find this walk too long, opt for the shortened version (14.4 km): WALKING POINT Hoge Venen SHORT.