Mechelse Heide Purple

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12.5 km • Maasmechelen

3.0064 0 0/5

12.5 km

route offered by

Eddy & Rita

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Joseph Smeetslaan 280, 3630 Maasmechelen, BE

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The route is not signposted. Use a GPS device or our app to follow the route through the virtual nodes.

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We did this challenging hike on 10/30/2025 (16,624 steps).

Markings in both directions: purple trapezoids.

From the parking lot, you walk over a pedestrian bridge straight into the Hoge Kempen National Park. The route winds through forests and vast heathlands, where in summer the purple glow meets you.

The route is loop-shaped, mostly unpaved, and offers a mix of nature, tranquility, and terrain. With some steep slopes, it is a tough journey, but the variety in landscape makes it a true experience.

Along the way, you pass:
* The menhir of the Mechelse Heide.
* The white sand quarry, where the white sand is still actively extracted.
* A fen and marsh area, formed after sand extraction - a resting place for water-loving fauna.
* A viewpoint over the Meuse Valley, worth a climb for the vista.
* Heathland management zones, where sheep graze and shape the landscape.

More photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/YzXQhvepGZN9saCa9

Happy hiking,
Eddy, Rita, and Prinske

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