On the roof of Belgium

This hike on the Hautes Fagnes plateau in the Hautes-Fagnes-Eifel Natural Park will take you to the highest point in Belgium, where you can discover its unique flora and landscape. The hike is more enjoyable during the week (fewer people) in good weather or when there is snow on the ground.

Details

128250
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 10.53 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 5h 15 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 499 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 512 ft

  • ▲
    Highest point: 2,215 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1,900 ft

Photos

Description of the walk

(S) Start from the car park of the Auberge de la Baraque Michel, located halfway between Eupen and Malmedy. Cross the N68 road (take care) and join the path opposite.

(1) Turn right (east) onto the hard-surfaced path, which very quickly becomes a boardwalk and leads approximately 4 kilometres further through a landscape of heathland, marshes and former peat bogs. You follow the River Helle from its source to the small Marie-Anne Libert bridge.

(2) Cross the bridge on the right to climb the slope towards the edge of the forest. Continue along this path, which is soft in places, heading south-southeast, staying close to the forest edge and ignoring the paths branching off to the left.

(3) At a junction of several paths, continue to the right along the woodland for another 100m, then the path bends to the right, moving away from the trees. Follow this path straight on towards the south-west. Reach the edge of the woodland and go completely round the Fagne Wallone to the east to reach a crossroads at the edge of the forest.

(4) Turn left into the woods for 50 metres, then right to join the Route de Botrange (N676). You can easily see the Signal de Botrange, Belgium’s highest point, on the horizon above the hollow of the Fagne Wallone.
Follow this road to the left for about a hundred metres heading south and cross it carefully to reach the Botrange Nature Centre.

(5) Take the path opposite, running alongside the centre. Continue along this forest path for about two kilometres, ignoring the other paths, to reach the N68 road near the Neur Lowé nature reserve.

(6) Cross the road and continue straight ahead on the tarmac path to the Polleur bridge, ignoring the paths to the right and left. It is not uncommon to spot deer in this area, provided, of course, that you remain extremely quiet.

(7) Cross the bridge and, at the first bend to the right of the tarmac path, take the grassy path on your left. You head deeper (north-west) into the forest, which is a mix of conifers and deciduous trees, and, after crossing a small stream, you reach a junction with a straight path which you take to the right for 100m. This is the Vecquée, an ancient Gallic and later Roman road.

(8) Pass in front of the famous Croix des Fiancés, erected in tribute to two young fiancés who died in a snowstorm in January 1871, as well as an old Prussian boundary stone. Continue along the path. It ends with a boardwalk leading to the Fischbach Chapel.

(9) Take the path running alongside the chapel on the right, which joins the N68 road. Turn left to return to the car park and the Auberge de la Baraque Michel, where you’ll find somewhere to eat.

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 2,201 ft - Car park at the Auberge de la Baraque Michel
  2. 1 : mi 0.04 - alt. 2,198 ft - Departure opposite the inn
  3. 2 : mi 2.58 - alt. 1,900 ft - Marie-Anne Libert Bridge
  4. 3 : mi 3.9 - alt. 2,070 ft - Crossroads
  5. 4 : mi 5.5 - alt. 2,152 ft - Crossroads
  6. 5 : mi 5.7 - alt. 2,152 ft - Botrange Nature Centre
  7. 6 : mi 7.35 - alt. 2,113 ft - N68 road
  8. 7 : mi 8.22 - alt. 2,041 ft - Polleur Bridge
  9. 8 : mi 9.37 - alt. 2,073 ft - Croix des Fiancés
  10. 9 : mi 10.44 - alt. 2,198 ft - Fischbach Chapel
  11. S/E : mi 10.53 - alt. 2,201 ft - Car park at the Auberge de la Baraque Michel

Notes

Walking shoes recommended, or boots in wet weather.

Food available all year round at the Baraque Michel inn.

Worth a visit

Along the way:
- the source of the Helle
- the Marie-Anne Libert bridge
- the Walloon Fagne
- the Botrange Nature Centre
- the Polleur Bridge
- the Croix des Fiancés
- Fischbach Chapel
At the centre of the circular loop:
- Signal de Botrange – Belgium’s highest point
Further afield:
- The Gileppe, Vesdre and Robertville dams
- Spa – spa town
- Malmedy, Eupen, Monschau (Germany)
- Francorchamps motor racing circuit

Reviews and comments

4.6 / 5
Based on 14 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.5 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.6 / 5
Route interest
4.6 / 5
Piettedaf
Piettedaf

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 26, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

It's impossible to get lost with the signposts.
A very beautiful hike.
After a day of heavy rain, there were some muddy sections. Boots recommended.

Machine-translated

dohognealain
dohognealain

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : May 29, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Nice walk, but the first part is good but lacks signposts, so it's a bit rough. The description isn't always clear, but thanks to the GPS route, it's fine. In the afternoon, we thought we were lost because the description wasn't clear, but thanks to the environmental police, it was very easy. Luckily, we had good weather.

Machine-translated

Eric de Hennin
Eric de Hennin

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 27, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Magnificent hike

Machine-translated

Pahuljica
Pahuljica

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 17, 2021
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The first part of the walk, before crossing the first road, is superb, with exotic landscapes that feel like another planet. We loved it. The second part (between the first and second road crossings) is rather unremarkable (you walk on a road that is also open to cars, with trees partially torn down on the left and right), and the last part, after crossing the second road, is also very pretty.
There's quite a bit of mud, but it's doable. Very few people on the first part (on the duckboards), but the further you go, the more people there are. The route is well marked and easy to follow. No difficulty in terms of elevation. Apart from the icy wind, which took us a bit by surprise in April, it was a very beautiful walk with landscapes that are well worth the detour!

Machine-translated

jmbarchon
jmbarchon

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 07, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Very busy route : No

Made during the week
Very personal opinion!
Weather: Snow
4 km of duckboards, I can't imagine what it's like when it's busy with children (and dogs, which are not allowed but... no comment)... um, OK, mud, mud and more mud under the snow... um, some people come for that, I'm not criticising
Then there's the bog on the right and fir trees on the left, then the bog on the right and fir trees on the left
for a change, the bog on the left and fir trees on the right...
And let's not forget the pretty little wooden bridge, Marie-Anne Libert.
Finally, we changed the route at the Botrange park house to go around the back of Mont Rigi and see something a little different.

Machine-translated

Marc Marchal
Marc Marchal

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 05, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

We set off on the hike at sunrise. For the first three hours, we hardly saw anyone. After lunch, the path was crowded, and we had to move aside to let people pass, which was difficult.
I am a regular visitor to the site, and the hikes are always superb, but this one (perhaps due to the weather conditions) was by far the most beautiful. Thank you.

Machine-translated

patrick2108
patrick2108

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 19, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Superb walk, highly recommended

Machine-translated

MarieCU
MarieCU

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 13, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

The hike was very enjoyable. The landscape is beautiful and also suitable for families with children. We stayed in the nature park, with part of the route indicating an exit onto the main road.

Machine-translated

Babette_dels
Babette_dels

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 13, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Great hike!
We did it using the "mes parcours" app, which records a GPS track of the route we took. We were able to compare it with the map at certain points because we weren't sure which way to go.
With a good walking pace and a 30-minute break at midday, we completed the circuit in 4½ hours.

Machine-translated

chrispixe
chrispixe

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 13, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

We did this magnificent route yesterday with beautiful sunshine and blue skies. We took a wrong turn between points 6 and 7, where the paved road forms a Y just before the turn towards the Polleur bridge. We turned left instead of right and ended up doing a loop. It wasn't unpleasant, though. In total, we covered 22 km, followed by a dip in the thermal baths to relax our muscles. Thank you for this walk!

Machine-translated

CKShoot
CKShoot

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 25, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Very good explanations, the maps and a GPS watch make it impossible to get lost.

The first part on the duckboards is very pleasant, the second part after Botrange is less attractive due to the replacement of the duckboards with stabilised ground.

Thanks for the itinerary.

Machine-translated

ravilax
ravilax

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 01, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Hello,
We followed part of this itinerary (7, 8, 9, A/D).
A magnificent loop through beautiful and unique landscapes.
Steppes, water, lots of water, footbridges, pine forests... it's magnificent.
Oh yes, at this time of year, Gore-Tex from head to toe works wonders ;-)
And finally, at Barraque Michel, they serve delicious homemade pies and local beers ;-)

Machine-translated

gazoo75
gazoo75

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 23, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

3.5 hours without seeing anyone, not even a cat or a dog!
That's how rejuvenating it was!
A superb hike.

Machine-translated

gazok54
gazok54 ★

Thank you, Jacques, for your prompt response.

Machine-translated

jacques.nys
jacques.nys

Many thanks to rosenoir for the comment.
I have changed the description to specify more clearly that the place where you can eat at the end of the hike is the Auberge de la Baraque Michel.
Jacques

Machine-translated

Other walks in the area

For more walks, use our search engine .

The GPS track and description are the property of this route's author. Please do not copy them without permission.