© AusilioPhotography
Oud - Rekem hiking area
As you explore the Oud-Rekem walking area, you’ll discover the many traces left by the Meuse River over the years. The stunning Hochterbampd nature reserve flanks the river here in Lanaken, while the Oude Weerd nature reserve lies just a stone’s throw from Oud-Rekem.
Wandelen
Five scenic trails allow you to explore the beauty of this area. The green loop (2.8 km) is ideal for those interested in both nature and culture, leading through the historic village centre of Oud-Rekem and into Oude Weerd, where you can also enjoy some leisurely off-trail wandering. For more variety, the red (15.4 km) and orange (15.4 km) loops are perfect, blending the historic charm of Oud-Rekem with the wild riverside landscape along the Meuse, as well as other nature areas and floodplains.
Using convenient trail connectors, you can effortlessly combine different loops to create your ideal hiking route. Full details of each trail are available on the ‘Oud-Rekem hiking map‘.
Accessibility and parkings
Starting point
Parking 17 ‘Colmonterveld’: Populierenlaan, 3620 Oud – Rekem (Lanaken)
Additional entry points
Parking 18 ‘Kanaalzone’: Kanaal, 3620 Oud – Rekem (Lanaken)
Parking 19 ‘Dorpsplein Uikhoven’: Schoorstraat, 3620 Uikhoven (Lanaken)
Art on the Meuse
Taking the orange route also brings you to The Tree of Life, created by American artist Mark Dion. Specifically designed for the hamlet of Herbricht, this artwork is a tree featuring 16 figures representing the area’s ecology, mythology and history. It pays tribute Herbricht and the surrounding landscape, which has faced several floods. Click for more information on The Tree of Life.
Nature along your way
Oude Weerd
Oude Weerd is a 29-hectare nature reserve featuring a gravel pond, moist grasslands, fields, thickets and willow forests. Nestled in an old, silted-up Meuse meander, this small-scale reserve has been managed by Natuurpunt vzw since 2011. It serves as an essential link for plants and animals along a nature corridor connecting the Ziepbeek with natural zones along the Meuse and Hoge Kempen.
Hochterbampd
The Hochterbampd nature reserve is the southernmost nature area on the Flemish side of the Meuse Valley River Park. Located between the Zuid-Willemsvaart canal and the Meuse, this area includes a pond formed by gravel extraction between 1950 and 1966. The vegetation surrounding the pond is mostly alluvial forest that developed naturally, creating a rich habitat with a diverse plant community, including enchanter’s nightshade, sweet violets, and golden saxifrage. The soil exposed by these operations has been scattered with seeds by the Meuse’s high waters, giving rise to a typical riverside flora.
Culture lovers will find much to admire in Oud-Rekem, a village known for having one of the most authentic village centres in the Meuse Valley River Park. In 2008, it was voted “Most Beautiful Village in Flanders”—a well-deserved title for this picturesque and historic location.
