The best family-friendly hikes and walks around Hürtgenwald

Beautiful place

Splendid view, remarkable place

The Kall Valley (Kalltal in German) is the river valley of the Kall River, a tributary of the Rur River. It originates near Konzen (located near Monschau) and flows into the Rur River at Zerkall after approximately 26 kilometers. This valley forms a characteristic landscape in the Eifel region, with a variety of stream valleys, forests, flower-filled meadows, and traditional Eifel villages. Due to the geological development of the region, the river and its tributaries have created an incised valley shape in the Rheinisches Schiefergebirge (Rhenish Slate Mountains), consisting of ancient Lower Devonian rocks and other sedimentary layers, resulting in a diverse and geologically interesting terrain. Ecologically and biologically, the Kall Valley is valuable because it harbors a network of alluvial (river and flood) habitats that are essential for numerous plant and animal species. Originally, the valley consisted primarily of wet alluvial forests with native trees such as birch, alder, ash, and hornbeam, but due to past human exploitation and agriculture, these woodlands had largely disappeared. Recent conservation and restoration efforts focus on reintroducing riverine nature, including restoring river courses, removing artificial obstacles, and re-developing wet meadows and wet forests to allow original natural processes to resume. These restoration projects are creating a rich diversity of habitats along the banks of the Kall, ranging from marshy grasslands and wet meadows to alder swamp forests and flower-rich grasslands. This variety supports considerable biodiversity: plants such as broad-leaved orchids, marsh loosestrife, and other water-loving species thrive in the wetlands, while amphibians, butterflies, dragonflies, and songbirds breed and forage along the river's margins. In addition, beavers, kingfishers, and rare bat species can be observed in the more natural parts of the valley. The valley also offers recreational and educational opportunities for visitors to the Eifel, and several hiking and cycling routes run along the Kall, such as the Kalltalweg and the Kall Trail, which lead you through the valley, past alder galleries, open meadows, and through villages like Zerkall and Vossenack. Along these paths, you'll see views of old mills and traces of historical activities such as water management, allowing you to experience not only nature but also the cultural and historical background of the Eifel landscape.

The Urft Dam (Urfttalsperre) is the oldest valley dam in the Eifel region, built around 1900–1905 to regulate the Urft River and supply water for drinking water and power generation. Together with the Urft Lake (Urftstausee), the dam is part of an impressive network of reservoirs in the Eifel National Park, offering fantastic views, especially from a specially located viewing platform on the dam wall. The official Eifel-Blick Urftstaumauer panoramic viewpoint is located directly on the Urft Dam wall. From here, you have a spectacular view of: • 💧 The Urft Lake (Urftstausee), a large artificial lake with a water capacity of up to 45.5 million m³, stretching approximately 12 km. • 🏞️ The dam wall itself is an impressive structure of natural stone and technical hydraulic engineering that was once intended to be the largest dam in Europe. • 🌳 The surrounding nature of the Eifel National Park, the wooded slopes and the plateau around Gemünd, together form a picturesque and wide panorama. • 🏰 The former Ordensburg Vogelsang, a well-known historical site in the distance, is part of the broader Eifel landscape that you can see from this viewpoint. The viewing platform itself once stood on the site of the dam keeper's house (between 1924 and 1926), but it was destroyed during World War II. Today, it offers an open panoramic viewpoint with free access all day long. The view of the Urft Dam spillway from the viewing platform on the Urfttalsperre dam wall is one of the most beautiful panoramas in the Eifel National Park. From here, you can experience the wide view of Lake Urft (Urftstausee), the imposing dam, and the surrounding wooded landscape—a perfect combination of nature, technology, and history in one viewpoint.

Impressive view over the dam

Very nice and quiet

The last section of the main road can be swapped for a dirt road. After a few meters along the road, take the first left.

Like in a fairy tale :)