Routes

Planner

Features

Updates

App

Login or Signup

Get the App

Login or Signup

Routes
Hiking trails & Routes
Germany
North Rhine-Westphalia
Kreis Düren
Niederzier

Island Lake at Sophienhöhe – Rest Area by the Lake loop from Hambach

Routes
Hiking trails & Routes
Germany
North Rhine-Westphalia
Kreis Düren
Niederzier

Island Lake at Sophienhöhe – Rest Area by the Lake loop from Hambach

Moderate

4.6

(151)

488

hikers

Island Lake at Sophienhöhe – Rest Area by the Lake loop from Hambach

04:17

15.3km

280m

Hiking

Moderate hike. Good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels. The starting point of the route is right next to a parking lot.

Last updated: April 23, 2026

Waypoints

A

Start point

Parking

Get Directions

1

3.02 km

Picnic Area in the Orchard

Highlight • Rest Area

The orchard is a nice place to rest

Translated by Google •

Tip by

2

3.10 km

Stations of the Cross on Sophienhöhe

Highlight (Segment) • Religious Site

In the spirit of the peace movement and as a protest against the destruction of the environment, on Good Friday 1983 the pastor Josef Jansen from the parish of St. Rochus in Jülich organized a Good Friday procession to the Sophienhöhe to the summit cross. The organizers did not expect that 150 people would come to the procession even then.
As a result, 5 stopping points or stations were set up for the processions and a wooden cross was carried up to the summit at the events. From year to year the number of participants increased and the religious themes came more to the fore.
In 2002, the children of a school class with their teachers Mr. Lück and Mrs. Grunewald came up with the idea of creating a Way of the Cross on the Sophienhöhe. The company Rheinbraun, now RWE Power AG, supported this idea and donated large boulders from the nearby opencast mine for the planned 15 Stations of the Cross. The children developed the templates for presentations as silhouettes and metal figures for the boulders were made from them at the Jülich Research Center. The Way of the Cross was inaugurated on October 10, 2002. The communion children of the respective year tend the small gardens at the boulders.
Whether as a Good Friday procession, ecumenical Way of the Cross for young people or the Way of the Cross for the family - a number of communities in the area use this path today for processions for religious devotion.
Excerpt from www-euregio-im-bild.de
The first station is missing. It is on the section of the Elsbeerenweg that is not yet part of the H hiking trail. Unfortunately I don't have a picture of it.
euregio-im-bild.de/wandern-discoveren/noerdlicher-eifelrand/die-sophienhoehe/der-kreuzweg-auf-der-sophienhoehe-1.htm

Translated by Google •

Tip by

3

4.56 km

Island Lake at Sophienhöhe

Highlight • Lake

Beautiful to cool off the dogs and to pause and enjoy nature through the 2 Beiner. Beautiful corner.

Translated by Google •

Tip by

4

4.57 km

Rest Area by the Lake

Highlight • Rest Area

A rest area by the lake with a table and benches.
From here you have a beautiful view over the lake. The place is coveted.

Translated by Google •

Tip by

5

7.18 km

Personally, the term "mammoth forest" seems a bit exaggerated to me, as there are a few isolated redwood trees among the other trees. Nevertheless, the path, which deviates from the usual wide paths on Sophienhöhe, was a nice little change.

Translated by Google •

Tip by

6

9.14 km

Really comfortable shelter, even with tables and glass windows. The hut is either relatively new or regularly maintained. Also everything around it very neat and clean.

Translated by Google •

Tip by

7

11.0 km

The view is really great, even if today was unfortunately not inviting for a break

Translated by Google •

Tip by

8

13.9 km

Hambach Lake

Highlight • Lake

The Hambach opencast mine is located in the Rhenish lignite mining area, between Jülich and Elsdorf. The pit is currently approximately 350 meters deep. Part of the overburden has been and is being piled up to form an artificial mountain approximately 200 meters high, which is continuously being recultivated – the Sophienhöhe. The extensive site features a well-signposted network of trails leading through diverse landscapes: forests, small lakes, sand dunes, and heathland.

Translated by Google •

Tip by

B

15.3 km

End point

Parking

Loading

Way Types & Surfaces

Way Types

14.7 km

282 m

260 m

Surfaces

8.82 km

4.29 km

935 m

765 m

427 m

< 100 m

Sign up to see more specific route details

Sign up for free

Elevation

Elevation

Nothing selected – click and drag below to see the stats for a specific part of the route.

Highest point (270 m)

Lowest point (100 m)

Sign up to see more specific route details

Sign up for free

Weather

Powered by Foreca

Sunday 5 July

29°C

16°C

0 %

Additional weather tips

Max wind speed: 23.0 km/h

to get more detailed weather forecasts along your route

Comments

guide_signup

Want to know more?

Sign up for a free komoot account to join the conversation.

Sign up for free

Our route recommendations are based on thousands of hikes, rides, and runs completed by other people on komoot.

Save

Edit route

Download GPX

Move start point

Print

Share

Embed on a website

Report an Issue

Report restricted access

Nearby routes

Moderate

4.5

2,589

Beech halls and oak slopes - Theme Tour 2 - Eifel National Park

03:48h

13.7km

260m

Explore
RoutesRoute plannerFeaturesHikesMTB TrailsRoad cycling routesBikepackingSitemap
Download the app
Follow Us on Socials

© komoot GmbH

Privacy Policy