The best family-friendly hikes and walks around Hürtgenwald

Nice place to relax

The new wooden walkways have turned out great. A detour there is always worth it😆

From here you have a fantastic view of the Obermaubach reservoir, surrounded by wooded slopes. The lake was created in the 1930s and holds approximately 1.65 million cubic meters of water. Here you can enjoy absolute peace and quiet.

A very beautiful spot here with the stream and the mill.

In the picturesque village of Zerkall, part of the municipality of Hürtgenwald in the Rureifel region (North Rhine-Westphalia), lies a pedestrian bridge over the Rur River, providing a charming and convenient connection for hikers and nature lovers exploring the Rur Valley. Often referred to on hiking trails as the Wanderer Bridge Over the Rur at Zerkall, this bridge is part of a network of paths and trails in the Eifel National Park and the adjacent Hohes Venn-Eifel Nature Park, where the river plays a significant role. This pedestrian bridge over the Rur provides a resting point and transition between the riverside trails. From the bridge, you have a beautiful view of the water, the banks, and the surrounding landscape, characterized by forests, meadows, and gently rolling hills. It's a place where you literally stand in the middle of the valley, with a view of the river below and often bird and aquatic life nearby. The bridge is located on a popular hiking trail that begins, among other places, at the National Park Information Point in Zerkall, an information point from which various hikes towards the Kall Valley, the RurUfer Trail, and the Rureifel cliffs begin. From this point, you can walk either towards the bridge or further into the valley, enjoying views of the river and the surrounding nature. Many hikers appreciate this pedestrian bridge not only for its function but also for the experience of the landscape and the connection with the river it offers. You can literally walk across the Rur without traffic, with space to pause for a moment to enjoy the babbling water or take photos of the Rur and its banks. The bridge also serves as a beautiful anchor point for hikes that follow the RurUfer Cycle Path or the Wilde Weg routes through the Kall Valley and the Rureifel. Combined with other trails and sights such as the sandstone cliffs, the Gut Kallerbend landscape, and the Rurtalbahn railway line, the bridge adds an extra dimension to your exploration of the region's nature and culture.

The Rur Valley Cycle Path (in German: RurUfer‑Radweg or RoerOever Fietspad) is one of the most beautiful long-distance cycling experiences in Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands. This route follows the course of the Rur River (Roer in Dutch) for approximately 180 km, from its source in the High Fens (Belgium) through the Rureifel and Düren-Heinsberg region to its confluence with the Meuse River near Roermond. What makes this route so appealing is that you have the river almost constantly at your side, meandering through valleys past nature reserves and historic villages. The cycle paths run both directly along the river and on country roads that regularly offer views of the valley and its meanders. Along the way, you cross the Rur several times over bridges; some are simple cycle paths to the other side, others are old stone and metal structures with historic charm. These bridges serve as functional junctions for the cycle routes and viewpoints, offering beautiful views of the river's course and the surrounding landscape from various points. Rur Bridge and Other Crossings Along sections of the Rur Ufer Cycle Path, there are bridges where the path crosses the river, for example, bridges near villages or at characteristic transitions in the landscape. From these bridges, you often have panoramic views of the Rur Valley with its gentle valleys and wooded slopes, expansive meadows, and river arms in the Heinsberger Land region. And in some cases, the historic buildings close to the riverbanks (for example, around Wassenberg-Orsbeck). This viewpoint is an attractive resting point for cyclists and hikers who pause to enjoy the river's reflection in the water, the surrounding fields or meadows, and the horizon that extends beyond to villages, forests, or winding sections of the Rur Valley. On some connections, such as wooden or concrete bridges specifically built for the cycle path, you can literally stand right above the water and enjoy the view. This makes them natural photo and resting spots, where you can see the river meandering, hear the water lapping, and enjoy views of the typical German river landscape, much appreciated by cyclists who cycle the RurUfer Cycle Path.

Nice

A beautiful vantage point to look into the Kall valley.