Hoge Kempen National Park

The Hoge Kempen was designated in 2006 as the first national park in Belgium, covering around twelve thousand hectares of a sandy plateau in eastern Limburg with heather, pine plantation, oak and birch woodland, fens, and a series of flooded gravel and sand quarries that have become lakes with unusually clear turquoise water. Its history is industrial: the area was coal country, and the park sits between the old mining towns, with the pine planted originally for pit props. Six gateways with visitor facilities give access to a network of marked walking and cycling routes, and the Mechelse Heide and the Kattevennen observatory area are the best known sections. Heather flowering in late summer is the peak.

What you actually see

• Heather in late summer - the plateau in flower in August and September.
• Flooded quarry lakes - turquoise water in worked-out gravel pits.
• Pine planted for pit props - the mining legacy in the woodland.
• Six visitor gateways - marked routes from each entrance.

When to go

August and September for the heather; spring for birds and autumn for colour. Half a day for one gateway, two days to cover several. Weekends are busy near the gateways. Fire risk closes areas in dry summers.

Honest expectations

It is a national park by Belgian standards and small by international ones, with roads and towns close on all sides. Quarry lakes are mostly fenced and swimming is prohibited. Fire closures happen in dry weather. Ticks are present.

Nearby

C-mine at Genk is on the western edge; Maasmechelen lies east.