Beer & Hike: Peak Beer & Belgium’s Highest Point

After two solemn days of desolate weather in the hallowed halls of Battle of the Bulge country in the borderlands between Belgium and Germany, I was ready for something a bit more light-hearted. About a 20-minute drive to the northwest of Elsenborn Ridge is a unique natural landmark of Belgium.

The Signal de Botrange. Otherwise known as Belgium’s highest point.

The pinnacle of Belgium sits at a humble 694m above sea level. Hiking gear is not required to reach it, but a car is helpful. It sits along the N676 adjacent to a parking lot. The official highest point is capped with a man-made hill and steps. Seems a little bit like cheating, but the alternative is enjoying Belgium’s highest point from the parking lot, and what fun is that.

This wasn’t always the highest point in Belgium. As I was browsing all of my classic Belgium travel books, I could not find a single reference. Then I realized that this location was actually part of Germany until 1919. And on a German-scale, this high point is a mere pimple. Thanks to the Treaty of Versailles though, Belgium earned its rooftop.

Rather than being a mountain peak, the Signal de Botrange is part of the Haute-Fagnes or High Fens. And a fen looks something like this:

Hike Details

Starting/Ending Point	Peak Brewery
Distance	17.8 km
My Moving Time	3h 52m

It’s Not Just a Beer, It’s a Journey

The sun was revitalizing. Even the fen, still looking barren and void of life seemed to look on in astonishment at the blue sky.

Glimpsing through some distant trees, you could see how dramatic the elevation drops off south of here.

Reaching the trees, the path starts to head down into a ravine.

The trail then follows a stream, and after several weeks of consistant rain, this part of the trail was a complete trudge. A good pair of waterproof hiking shoes is a must here.

Patience and determination is rewarded when reaching the village of Longfaye.

After Longfaye, the hike follows a gorge towards the Reinhardstein Castle.

Reinhardstein Castle was built in 1354, and while its Wikipedia page is not exactly thrilling, it does have its own beer brewed by Val-Dieu. It is open to the public for tours which should impress the kiddos.

Past the castle is the final interesting landmark on this hike before it heads back to the brewery; the Robertville Lake and dam.

Belgium Peak Beer Brewery

By the time I got back to the brewery, the weather had started to sour. But the brewery was still buzzing with crowds of people who had come out to sun-worship on what had been a beautiful Easter Sunday up til that point. The brewery itself has a full restaurant and gift shop.

Final Words

Just like that blond beer, this hike was exactly what I needed to wrap up a wonderful Easter hiking weekend in the Ardennes. I grabbed a selection of Peak beers and headed back across the border to my Airbnb in Udenbreth, Germany where I spent a final peaceful evening listening to the rain pelting the rooftops of this lonely village. Spring was showing itself to be elusive, and, except for one glorious weekend, it would continue to do the same during the entire month of April in Belgium. But for now, all that mattered was the satisfaction of putting my sore feet up on the coffee table and popping the cap off of a Peak Tripel.