Family walk starting from Baraque Michel

A walk with varied landscapes in the Hautes Fagnes Nature Park.
There are many walks to enjoy in this region with its extraordinary landscapes.
I invite you to discover the hike we did as a family in July 2019. The children enjoyed the watchtowers, the duckboards, the streams... We even saw a deer.
If necessary, it is possible to shorten this route.
It is an easy hike as there is little elevation gain, but the path is uneven in places.

Details

2285710
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 9.42 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 00 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 106 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 107 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 679 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 586 m

Photos

Description of the walk

The hike starts at the far end of the Croix Michel car park.

(S/E) From the car park: take the path on the right (marked with a red rectangle and blue rectangle) to reach the chapel.

(1) Take the path on the left (blue rectangle).
At the T-junction, turn right. Follow the path between the forest and the fen.

(2) Don't miss the small path on the right (red rectangle). This will take you to a platform offering an unobstructed view.
Continue left via the perpendicular path that leads back to the road (children will enjoy the viewpoint).
Turn left onto the road. At the next viewpoint, continue straight ahead.

(3) At the crossroads, turn right and continue to the next fork.

(4) Continue straight ahead, following the road. Before the road turns, take the dirt track on the right.

(5) After crossing the small bridge, turn left onto the path marked with a green rectangle. (The return will be via the path on the right).
Turn right opposite the watchtower, then turn right again (green rectangle).

(6) Do not miss the path on the right (wooden walkway, marked with a green rectangle).
Follow the stream to the small bridge you already crossed.

(5) Return via the same path in the opposite direction.

(4) After the bend in the road, follow the dirt track straight ahead.
After a long straight stretch and crossing a stream, you will come to a wider path running perpendicular to it.

(7) Take it to the right. (If the path turns left, you have gone too far).
Continue along the path.
Pass the cross dedicated to engaged couples and continue straight ahead to the intersection where the hike began.

(1) Then find the car park on the right (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 671 m - Croix Michel car park
  2. 1 : km 0.1 - alt. 669 m - Fischbach Chapel
  3. 2 : km 1.7 - alt. 659 m - Small path on the right (marked with a red rectangle)
  4. 3 : km 2.83 - alt. 623 m - Fork to the right
  5. 4 : km 3.03 - alt. 611 m - Shortcut (on the right). Crossroads of the circular
  6. 5 : km 3.6 - alt. 597 m - Crossroads of the circular
  7. 6 : km 4.89 - alt. 590 m - On the right, duckboards
  8. 7 : km 7.42 - alt. 625 m - First path on the right
  9. S/E : km 9.42 - alt. 671 m - Croix Michel car park

Notes

(4) Alternative: when the road turns left, there is a shortcut by turning right and rejoining the route at point 7. This path will be used for the return journey, after completing a circular that is well worth the effort.

Worth a visit

There is a restaurant and bakery in the car park where the walk starts.

Reviews and comments

4.8 / 5
Based on 12 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.8 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.8 / 5
Route interest
4.8 / 5
Edn
Edn

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 17, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful route between peat bogs and forest. The only downside is that it is quite muddy in places.

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Vincent T
Vincent T

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 11, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Even in autumn, this is a beautiful hike. Some sections are extremely muddy, but with the right equipment (waterproof hiking boots or wellies), this isn't a problem. There is a very welcoming restaurant/bar/brasserie in the car park.

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Melissa06
Melissa06

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 10, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A superb hike with lots of little streams. You have to take a few muddy paths that aren't always visible (be careful because it's easy to stray from the route). Make sure you follow the blue rectangle route. We are beginners and did 10 km in 3½ hours.

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Nicolas Sélenium
Nicolas Sélenium

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 28, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant walk through the forest.
With a magnificent walkway along a ferruginous river (curiously, very few people use it).
The viewpoint and its breathtaking view.

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Dobby1
Dobby1

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 19, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely little walk to recover from the hike around the Gileppe ;-)

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Superbioman76
Superbioman76

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 29, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A wonderful discovery of this exceptional landscape and the biotope restoration project. A magical and peaceful environment, surrounded by the murmur of water. Discover the unique flora of this wetland. As for the Michel hut, it was founded in 1794 by Michael Schmitz after he got stuck in these inhospitable deserts and nearly died. Before the road was built in 1850, more than 126 people were saved from fire by the bell of the Michel hut...
At point 2, as mentioned in a previous comment, there is an official barrier on the right and opposite. So let's turn left to reach point 3.
There are many plots undergoing natural regeneration, with lots of birch trees and light-loving species. How fortunate that these 3,000 hectares were unusable, as this has led to this wonderful project to preserve the moors and peat bogs of the Hautes Fagnes!
A beautiful 9 km hike through the heathland and peat bogs...

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Pierdemol
Pierdemol

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 22, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Please note that part of the route is closed to the public, probably temporarily. However, the signs are very clear. The loop is easy to adjust.

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Cristina
Cristina
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 17, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

I did this hike on a sunny winter Sunday after several grey days. So there were a lot of people, but once we got to Baraque Michel, there were fewer. Luckily, the app worked well because the signage isn't great. Thank you.

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Henri Lecler
Henri Lecler

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 29, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Path blocked between points 2 and 3. We followed the path that branches off to the left at point 2 to rejoin the route at point 3. Not very busy. We walked in the afternoon in unfavourable weather conditions. Fortunately, a good half of the route is sheltered from the wind.

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jmo2
jmo2

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 09, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant family walk, but be aware that some areas are difficult for pushchairs.

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pierre gobin
pierre gobin

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 25, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike, enjoyed under bright sunshine with a little fog at the end. A single hike with two different atmospheres, and the heavy snowfall made the hike even more magical.
At (2), the path was closed when we passed through, so we took the path to the left until we reached a T-junction, then turned right to reach (3). The section along the Polleur stream and the duckboards are not to be missed.
We did the hike on a Wednesday morning outside of school holidays, so there weren't many people around.
Magnificent and worth doing again at other times of the year. Thank you.

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Gautier Pirotte
Gautier Pirotte

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 01, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A superb walk in the Fagnes. I highly recommend it!

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