Hi, I am David, but many know me as Le Belge Alpin.
I am a lover of wide open spaces. My passion for the mountains started around age 6 or 7, on a trip with my parents. I have never let go since. But when I have to come back to Belgium for a few weeks of work, one thing saves my head: heading out to hike.
Yes, Belgium may not have 4000-metre summits, but it is full of beautiful landscapes, deep forests, lost valleys, forgotten trails. You just have to know where to look, and sometimes dare to step a bit off the path.
Where to hike in Belgium? Six ranges worth knowing
No need to go far to vary the pleasures. Each Belgian range has its identity, terrain, seasonal traps. Here are the ones I visit, sorted by mood.
The Ardennes, deep forests and carved valleys
The heart of Belgian hiking. Between the Semois to the south and the Ourthe valley to the north, this is the classic playground: undergrowth trails, discreet rocky ridges, rivers to ford. Spring and autumn are the best seasons, dry ground and low light. This is where I spend the most time when I come home.
The Hautes Fagnes, peatlands and bare horizons
The highest plateau in Belgium (694 m at the Signal de Botrange), a unique landscape of peat bogs, heather and twisted birches. Watch out though: fog can trap you in minutes, even in summer. Always a GPX loaded, always a headlamp. In winter, the plateau takes on an almost Nordic dimension, stunning but technical for navigation.
Famenne-Calestienne, limestone plateaus and caves
Often-underrated region. Between Rochefort and Han-sur-Lesse, limestone plateaus pitted with caves and rocky tiennes offer varied loops. This is also where you will find some of my favourite via ferrata spots, the Famenne is 2-in-1 vertical and horizontal.
The Croix-Scaille, the wild border
Between Belgium and France, a wooded range, modest altitude but quiet trails. Some nice loops around Gedinne, Willerzie, or on the Haute-Meuse side. Ideal zone when you want a forest feel without driving too long from Liège or Namur.
The Gaume, the Belgian Tuscany (almost)
The southernmost tip of the country. Milder climate, more open landscapes, developing vineyards, stone villages. More rolling hiking, ideal in spring. Less elevation, more distance.
The Pays de Herve and the Liège region
Closer to home. Hilly bocage, orchards, stone farms. The countryside around Esneux, Chanxhe, Fays offers nice loops with honest vertical gain for an area most people think is flat. Ideal for a half-day outing after work.
Committed hiking in Belgium: what it really means
"Committed" in Belgium is not the same as at altitude. No risk of glacier fall, no altitude sickness, no alpine ridge. But also not a Sunday family stroll.
For me, a committed Belgian hike is an outing where you have to:
- Know how to read a map and a GPX, because the trail regularly fades into brambles or ferns.
- Carry enough water (1.5 L minimum), because there is no mountain hut and few fountains.
- Accept that you will not meet many people, sometimes that is what you want, but it also means no help if something goes wrong.
- Know when to turn back when bridges are washed out, when fog drops on the Fagnes, or when the ground becomes unmanageable.
What I offer here are committed hikes, 15 to 25 km, often in wild corners, sometimes with real vertical gain, and from time to time sections where you literally have to find the trail again in the undergrowth. It is the real thing, raw, lived. And it is my way of staying connected to nature, even far from the Alps.
My documented Belgian hikes
Each route below has been walked and tested. Downloadable GPX track (login required), photos, access advice, and seasonal warnings.
