For hill seekers: The best trail runs in the Netherlands
Running Collection by Pauline van der Waal
8
Tours
14:43 h
77.8 mi
4,775 ft
Well, the Netherlands is as flat as a dime, of course. Are you an enthusiastic trailrunner who regularly runs in the mountains, then it is difficult for your training to include much elevation gain in our own country. Yet it is not entirely impossible.
That's why I've listed eight trail runs within the Netherlands. The runs vary in difficulty: there are very challenging runs of up to 30 kilometers, but also shorter ones that are suitable for beginners– burning calves and thighs guaranteed either way!
The dunes lend themselves quite well for taking in some elevation. For example, the Dune Top walk through the dune area of Schoorl makes for quite tough training. The dunes here are the highest in the Netherlands.
Less demanding and therefore also suitable for less experienced trail runners is the Vuurtorenroute on Vlieland. You climb via winding paths to the foot of the lighthouse at a height of 43 meters.
Two classics that should not be missing from this list are the
Utrechtse Heuvelrug Trail (UHT) and the route around the Duivelsberg near Nijmegen. The UHT runs from Rhenen station to Driebergen-Zeist station and is thirty kilometres long. You clock your time by taking a picture at both station clocks.
That’s not why it’s called Duivelsberg – devil’s mountain – but the 500+ steps you encounter on the route around the Duivelsberg can indeed be devilish! Meanwhile you can enjoy the beautiful nature in the woods around Nijmegen.
Proper mountains can be found further south, in the Limburg province, notably with the Sint Pietersberg and the Vaalserberg. That's where the most elevation gain can be expected. Moreover, you can easily enjoy a piece of Germany or Belgium too.
Try them all or choose your local favorite but make sure to enjoy the climbs that the Netherlands has to offer. Are these Tours too short or too long for you? Then you can easily adjust each of the routes to suit your needs. I wish you a lot of fun!
On The Map
Tours & Highlights
- 01:136.84 mi5.6 mph150 ft150 ftIntermediateIntermediate run. Good fitness required. Mostly paved surfaces. Suitable for all skill levels.
The Lighthouse Route is run annually as an official competition, but of course you can also train here when you are on holiday on Vlieland.
The route runs on the beach and on shell paths through the forest. You take a piece of Waddendijk with the sea on one side and the village on the other.
Making altimeters…
- 02:2412.6 mi5.3 mph650 ft650 ftExpertExpert run. Very good fitness required. Mostly accessible paths. Some sure footedness required.
The Dune Summit Tour through the dunes of Schoorl is actually set out as a walking route, but is also often used as a trail run. You will find the highest dunes in the Netherlands in this nature reserve, which means you can train well at altimeters. The highest dunes are 58 meters above NAP.
You start…
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- 00:191.87 mi5.9 mph50 ft50 ftIntermediateIntermediate run. Great for any fitness level. Mostly accessible paths. Some sure footedness required.
The Amsterdamse Bos is - literally - under the smoke of Schiphol and Amsterdam. It is therefore a surprise to many people that a thousand hectares of forest are waiting here for nature lovers. This makes the forest 22 times the size of the Vondelpark and 3 times the size of New York's Central Park.
Older…
- 03:5420.9 mi5.4 mph800 ft825 ftExpertExpert run. Very good fitness required. Mostly accessible paths. Some sure footedness required.
One of the most famous trail run routes in the Netherlands is the Utrechtse Heuvelrug Trail. This route of 30 kilometers and 330 altimeters runs from Rhenen station to Driebergen station.
The UHT, as this trail is also called, was completed at just under two hours with the men, and around two hours and…
- 01:216.88 mi5.1 mph400 ft400 ftIntermediateIntermediate run. Good fitness required. Mostly paved surfaces. Suitable for all skill levels.
When glaciers pushed sand and gravel in front of them with unprecedented force some 150,000 years ago, a lateral moraine of about 78 meters was created, while the rest of the area remained flat. We now call this hill the Lemelerberg.
The land was not suitable for farming. That is why nature has always…
- 01:378.80 mi5.5 mph750 ft750 ftIntermediateIntermediate run. Good fitness required. Mostly accessible paths. Some sure footedness required.
The N70 nature route is a trail through a beautiful piece of landscape in the Rijk van Nijmegen. The trail runs through a hilly and wooded area. A beautiful and intensive route for a real trail run.
The well-known N70 route in the Rijk van Nijmegen is perhaps the most beautiful trail run you can imagine…
- 01:257.24 mi5.1 mph650 ft650 ftIntermediateIntermediate run. Good fitness required. Mostly accessible paths. Some sure footedness required.
The Sint Pietersberg is a special place with the fortress and the caves. The old lime quarry is therefore worth a visit. Because of the steep parts and a lot of altimeters you can make here, it is a perfect place for a challenging trail run. Even then you see special things along the way.
For example…
- 02:3012.6 mi5.0 mph1,350 ft1,350 ftExpertExpert run. Very good fitness required. Sure-footedness, sturdy shoes and alpine experience required.
Well, the Netherlands is of course as flat as a dime. If you are an enthusiastic trail runner who regularly runs in the mountains, it is difficult to train altimeters in our own country. Yet it is not entirely impossible.
That is why I have listed eight trail runs within our national borders. The runs…
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Collection Stats
- Tours8
- Distance77.8 mi
- Duration14:43 h
- Elevation4,775 ft
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