Elmpter Wald - Meinweg - Roer gravel route

This gravel route starts from the parking lot at the Roerdalen sports hall in Sint Odiliënberg and takes you through Central Limburg and a part of Germany (Elmpter Wald). The route consists of 63% gravel roads and is very varied:
- you cross the valley of the river Ruhr a few times,
- you cycle on gravel roads through arable areas,
- but above all you cycle through many nature reserves (including the Roer Valley, the vast forest and heath areas of Meinweg National Park, Luzenkamp nature reserve and the adjacent hilly Elmpterwald in Germany with kilometers of gravel roads).

The terrain is hilly here and there (due to the Maas and Roer) and you even get a number of gravel climbs in the Elmpter Wald and De Meinweg National Park under your wheels. In the NP De Meinweg you cycle partly on the gravel cycle paths that are part of the cycle route network. The first time you cross the border between the Netherlands and Germany (Lüsekamp nature reserve) you have to go through a gate.

The gravel roads in the Elmpter Wald are a bit stinner in character than elsewhere on the route. After rainy periods, some wind- and sun-sheltered roads may be wetter (but still easy to cycle). South of the Melickerven (on the border with Germany) the path is quite sandy over a length of several hundred meters during drought. This can sometimes also apply to the descent at the easternmost point of the route. For these reasons, good and wider (at least 32 mm) gravel tires are recommended.
Please note: in times of high tide, the Roer can overflow its banks so far that the bicycle bridge over the Roer at Paarlo and local roads can be closed.

Just before Vlodrop, the route passes Sport and Rijwielhuis Piet Daemen.

Gravel strips and their length in kilometres:
0,7 Dassenratherveldweg
2,0 Veldweg to den Zwarteberg/Zwarteberg
0,7 Rèugkeweg
0.4 Wagsbergweg
1.0 Three-Bush Road
1.7 Luzenkamp
1,0 Thuserhof/Heide
0,4 Duiperweg
6.8 Elmpter Wald/Lüsekamp
2,6 Luzenkamp -> Melickervenweg
1.3 Verlengde Wijngaardstraat/Heidertweg
0.8 Sand Mountains
6.8 NP De Meinweg via Hooibaan
1,9 Boslaan -> Hooibaan, Hooibaan
0,5 Gitstappermolenweg
0.7 Old Mill Road
4.6 Kerkbergweg/Bakhuisweg/Scheidweg
1.4 Brombemkesweg
0,5 Bosserveldweg
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35.8 km of unpaved roads (= 63.1%).