Mechelse Heide is one of the largest nature reserves in Belgium. This area is located in Hoge Kempen National Park in the province of Limburg. It covers approximately 700 hectares and gets its name from the vast heathlands interspersed with beautiful forests and panoramic views. Mechelse Heide is especially stunning in late summer when the heather is in bloom. It is a favorite spot for nature lovers, hikers, and those seeking peace and tranquility in nature.
You can walk along well-marked routes that lead you through heathlands, sand dunes, and water features. There are various trails available for hikers of different lengths and difficulty levels, also guiding you past heaths, sand dunes, and water bodies. You can also opt for a challenging climb to the top of the spoil tip. In addition to walking, there is space for cyclists, mountain bikers, and horseback riders to pursue their hobbies in certain areas of the park.
We also decided to explore Mechelse Heide. We visited the information center and took a hiking map with us, making our route choice easy.
We chose the purple route, marked by a purple sink symbol. This route led us through the heath and past the former sand pit.
We started our walk at the “Mechelse Heide Gateway,” where it was quite busy—understandable on a lovely sunny Sunday. Parking was a bit chaotic, but we quickly found a spot and left the crowd behind.
The area is open from sunrise to sunset.
We wanted to follow the signs closely, but we also had the GPS on hand just in case. With the hiking map, we could see exactly where the rest areas and trail junctions were located, although we didn’t need those junctions ourselves.
The heath was still quite dull (we hiked here in May), but the red shrubs stood out beautifully. The route took us along sandy paths and up steps to viewpoints where we could enjoy the expansive landscape. I can well imagine how breathtaking it must look when the heather is in bloom.
TIP: Definitely consider visiting in September—it’s a sea of purple colors!
For me, climbing a spoil tip was a new phenomenon; I see it simply as a hill, but it turns out to be something different and well-known in this region. I had read about it beforehand and sought it out as it’s part of visiting this area.
A spoil tip is an artificial hill created by the accumulation of waste material (such as stone and gravel) released during mining, particularly during coal extraction. In areas where mining was once prevalent, like this one, spoil tips are characteristic landscape features. These hills can sometimes reach heights of several meters and are often covered with grass, trees, and shrubs, gradually becoming part of the natural landscape.
In some cases, such as at Mechelse Heide, these spoil tips have now been transformed into recreational areas. As hikers, we can now climb them and enjoy the view over the surrounding landscape, while they also represent a part of the region’s industrial heritage—background information that is always nice to know, I think.
After a few climbs and spoil tips, we saw the former sand pit. We walked between two water bodies, one of which is still actively used for sand extraction. Here, quartz sand is transported via a pipe to the edge of Mechelse Heide.
At the sand pit stood a remarkably tall bench, an ideal spot for a short break. After admiring the view, we continued along a boardwalk, and I decided to step into the sand for a moment. While my husband stayed on the path, I discovered that we had missed a red triangle. Fortunately, we quickly corrected our route and continued on our way.
During the hike, I took photos of nature, of each other, and of course, our pins. Suddenly, I heard rustling—different from the usual sounds. I stopped and looked in the direction of the noise. To my surprise, we saw a snake quickly darting away into the vegetation. The moment was too quick for a photo, but it felt special to see a snake in the wild. According to the hiking map, this is the habitat of the smooth snake, so it was likely what we saw.
The smooth snake is a non-venomous snake and is considered a threatened and protected species. It is one of three snake species found in the Netherlands and Belgium.
The final part of the hike took us through a forest where sunlight beautifully shone through the trees. According to an information board, trees are being felled here to make room for other trees and plants. Just as we were nearing the end, we spotted a fawn on the path. My husband initially thought it was a dog, but when the little creature calmly walked into the woods, he realized otherwise. The fawn paused for a moment to look at us before continuing deeper into the forest.
As we were almost back at the information point, we took a wrong turn. The GPS indicated that we had missed a turnoff. When we walked back, we saw why it went wrong: there were bicycles in front of the marker post, while just a little further along there were bike racks. Once back on the path, we followed the main trail back and eventually reached our car.
It was a peaceful, beautiful hike through a well-maintained nature reserve, with highlights including our encounter with the snake and the fawn.
Our Photos
We take photos with our phone, mirrorless camera, or compact camera. We don’t edit our experience photos with colors or filters; all the colors you see are exactly as we observed them.
A Walking Pin
Would you like a walking pin as a souvenir of this hiking route? You can click here.
Other Hikes
If you’d like to read more about our hikes, check out our overview page.
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