Deutsch-Belgischer Naturpark Hohes Venn-Eifel

Follow the number 23 through pasture and forest into the valley. Cross at the Oberer Perlenbachsteg, then walk along the opposite side to the Unterer Steg. The stream crossings and change from trees to wet meadow give children clear stages to follow.

A pushchair can be used on this circuit, but check current surfaces and allow for the return climb. Wheelchair suitability has not been established for the complete walk.

This longer marked circuit links the Perlenbach and Fuhrtsbach valleys with the Perlenbachtalsperre. Follow the Narzissenroute logo and yellow-tipped Eifelsteig partner-route signs throughout, including where other walks share the same paths.

A full-day walking choice for families already comfortable with the distance. No complete-route wheelchair or pushchair suitability is claimed.

From the Blockhaus, follow the named loop through Schneifel woodland to the Eschvenn and the Alfbach headwaters. Boardwalk sections protect wet ground. The Dreiländerblick offers an open-air pause before the woodland return.

This is a long woodland hike with boardwalk stretches, not a step-free visitor promenade. Choose Auw instead if you need a short, assessed mobility route.

From the Angelheim side, follow the lake circuit past the wet inlet and footbridge, then through woodland to the eastern shore. Continue past the second parking area and fishing platform, around the dam end and back to the Angelheim. Stay on the circuit through the protected wetland.

Accessible for people with walking impairments and partly accessible for wheelchair users. Minimum width 125 cm; the 4.5%/100 m climb and 5%/250 m descent warrant individual planning.

If the opening times fit, begin with the Höfen exhibition, then travel to Gut Heistert for route 23. Keep the walk and a picnic as the main event. The transfer between Höfen and Gut Heistert is separate from the walking distance.

Start early enough for the whole Moore-Pfad loop, with food and waterproof layers. Save the Dreiländerblick for a proper break if the weather allows. Auw is an alternative short outing, rather than a necessary extra after this walk.

At a safe stopping place on route 23, close your eyes briefly and separate stream sounds, wind and birds. Then look at how the open meadow differs from the forest you just crossed. Nothing needs to be collected.

On the Moore-Pfad, notice how several small wet areas feed the stream. Compare the plants visible from a boardwalk with those beside a drier forest path. Keep the question simple: which ground seems to hold water?

At an Auw bench, draw three bands: open water, reeds and trees. The information panels introduce the lake’s fish, beavers and orchard landscape. They explain habitats; they do not promise that a beaver will appear.

Narzissenrausch und Waldwandel explains daffodil meadows and changing forests through tactile, scented and audio stations. Admission is free. Check the day’s hours, especially if planning an afternoon visit.

At Naturparkzentrum Prümer Land, examine the fossil collection and miniature fossils under a microscope, then compare the woodland diorama with the wetland displays. Admission is free; ordinary opening is limited to Monday–Thursday afternoons, with visits by arrangement also possible. Confirm before making a special trip.

Look for yellow flower heads only where they are already visible from the trail. Several meadow flowers are yellow, so photograph leaves as well as flowers before settling on an identification. Never enter the grassland for a closer view.

Pause quietly at a public stream crossing and scan rocks and shallow water for a small, white-breasted bird. A brief glimpse may be all you get. Keep clear of banks and any bird repeatedly carrying food.

An animal sighting would be a bonus. From the path, you may instead notice chewed wood or other signs of activity. Do not follow trails down to the water, approach a lodge or disturb a dam.

Give the woodland a quiet listening stop. If a large black woodpecker crosses an opening, watch from where you are; do not pursue it through the trees or investigate a nest hole.

Use the boardwalk to look at low heath plants without compressing the wet ground. In flower, cross-leaved heath has little pink bells. Keep a close-up photograph as a puzzle to identify later rather than picking a sprig.

Look for low bilberry shrubs beside the woodland paths. They give children a plant to revisit in different seasons, from leafy shoots to fruit if present. Leave berries for wildlife and keep feet on the path.

Perlenbach-Fuhrtsbachtal combines moving water, wet meadow, nutrient-poor grassland and alder-birch wet woodland. The change between these habitats is part of the pleasure of route 23. Daffodils belong to the open meadow landscape; the dippers belong to the streams.

On the Schneifel, wet hollows and headwaters sit within forest. The boardwalk lets you observe low wetland vegetation without pressing into the ground. These smaller German bogs are a different outing from the broad Belgian High Fens plateau.

Stausee Auw is an artificial lake fed by the Auwbach. Reeds, wet meadow and alder swamp woodland around its edges are protected habitats. The lake circuit gives you repeated views of that boundary between water and land.

Leaving every former meadow to become forest would remove the light that the daffodils need. Here, removing planted spruce and maintaining a light mowing regime helped recover the flower-rich valley landscape.

The nature park embraces a large, inhabited region. Eifel National Park is a separate protected area within it. A visitor centre called Nationalpark-Tor can help you plan a walk in the surrounding nature-park region as well as explain the national park itself.

Make the flower valleys your spring outing and leave room for pauses when the daffodils bloom. For the longer forest routes, daylight, wind and ground conditions matter more than the calendar. In winter, icy boards are a reason to change the plan, not to walk around them through the bog.

Nationalpark-Tor Höfen has tourist information and accessible toilets. Naturparkzentrum Prümer Land is at Tiergartenstraße 70, Prüm. At Auw, benches and picnic places punctuate the circuit; the accessible toilet is at the Angelheim. Carry your own refreshments on the woodland routes.

For Höfen, search the AVV journey planner for Höfen Kirche. For Auw, search VRT for the relevant connection from Prüm and check whether a call-bus booking is needed. Confirm the last return and walking approach before leaving. For the Schneifel loop, use the Blockhaus Zum Schwarzen Mann car park as your exact destination rather than the town centre of Gondenbrett.

The Auw assessment is useful because it gives dimensions and slopes, rather than only a general accessible label. Its toilet is reached by a ramp and opened with a Euroschlüssel; confirm any assistance you need before travelling. Höfen offers a step-free indoor alternative with audio, scent and tactile stations.