Signal de Botrange
694 m
Belgium
Also known as Ботранге, Botrange, +3Also known as
Ботранге · Botrange · Σινιάλ ντε Μποτράνζ · ბოტრანჟი · Синьяль-де-Ботранж
- Elevation
- 694 m
- Prominence
- 119 m
- Difficulty
- 1/10
- Easy walk
- Best Season
- May–Jun
- Routes
- 1
NoticeReported 16 Sep 2026
A wildfire that started near Baelen on 14 August 2026 burned about 3,370 ha of the High Fens. On 16 September 2026 the provincial emergency phase was lifted, but the burned zone and surrounding forests and nature reserves in the Verviers, Malmedy and Elsenborn forestry districts remain closed to the public until further notice. The Botrange visitor centre and summit area are open, but many walks crossing the fens are closed or diverted. Check the official map before walking.
wallonie.be
Routes
1A walk of about 1 km on tracks and paths beside the N676, from the High Fens–Eifel Nature Park visitor centre (Maison du Parc Botrange) to Belgium's highest point. The summit is marked by a survey pillar at 694 m next to the road, the Baltia mound with steps up to 700 m, and a stone tower. About 15–20 minutes with almost no ascent; most visitors drive to the top.
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- 1.6 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +38 m
- start → summit
- High Point
- 697 m
- Time Up
- 29m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 28m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
Start at the Maison du Parc Botrange (Rue de Botrange 131, Waimes), the visitor centre of the High Fens–Eifel Nature Park, with a car park, bus stop, exhibition and bistro. Walk north-west on the tracks and paths that run beside the N676 (Rue de Botrange), crossing the edge of the Bois de Sourbrodt and the open plateau. You pass the Colonne Hauptmann memorial and the old Luxembourg–Stavelot boundary stone and reach the Signal de Botrange, about 1 km from the start. Allow 15–20 minutes. The natural high point (694 m) is marked by the Tranchot survey pyramid next to the road. Beside it, the Butte Baltia is a grassy mound with steps, built in 1923 so that visitors could stand at 700 m. The stone tower of 1933–34 and the Signal de Botrange restaurant stand on the same spot, together with a visitor car park, the bus stop and a 50 m microwave mast. The summit is the start of La Grande Ronde des Fagnes, an easy 8.7 km loop (about 2 h 20) waymarked with a blue rectangle and blueberry logo, with long stretches of boardwalk across the raised bog, and of longer walks to Baraque Michel and the Noir Flohay. Inside the nature reserve, access zones apply: zone B means marked paths only, and zone C is accessible only with an approved guide. Check closures before setting out, especially after the August 2026 fire.
Start
Maison du Parc Botrange662 m
- TEC bus 394 (Eupen–Botrange–Sankt Vith, roughly hourly, about 15 minutes from Eupen) and TEC 390 (Verviers–Jalhay–Botrange–Rocherath, a few a day, about 30 minutes) both stop at Botrange Signal de Botrange and Botrange Centre Nature.
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maison du Parc Botrange → Signal de Botrange | 1.6 | 38 | 6 | 29m |
Waypoints
- Trailhead: Maison du Parc Botrange662 m
Nature park visitor centre with car park, bistro and bus stop (TEC 390 and 394)
- Feature: Colonne Hauptmann692 m
- Summit: Signal de Botrange694 m
Tranchot survey pyramid; Butte Baltia mound (700 m) and stone tower alongside
Equipment
0/3 packedDownloads
Route confidence 70%Overview
Belgium's highest point (694 m), a barely perceptible rise on the High Fens plateau beside a main road. It is marked by a survey pillar, a 1923 mound that lifts visitors to 700 m, and a stone tower. It is the starting point for boardwalk walks across Western Europe's largest raised bogs.
The Signal de Botrange is the top of the broad High Fens (Hautes Fagnes, Hohes Venn) plateau in the east of Liège province, between Eupen, Malmedy and the German border. It is the highest point of Belgium, the Ardennes and the Benelux. There is no mountain to speak of. The N676 crosses the summit, and the high point sits between a car park, a restaurant, a stone tower and a microwave mast. Most visitors drive up.
The interest lies in the surroundings. The High Fens are a nature reserve of peat bog, heath and moorland, crossed by kilometres of wooden boardwalks. The Fagne Wallonne to the north is reached directly from the summit on the 8.7 km Grande Ronde des Fagnes. The visitor centre of the High Fens–Eifel Nature Park (Maison du Parc Botrange) lies 1 km away. Access in the reserve is zoned. Some areas are open freely, some only on marked paths, some only with an approved guide, and some are closed entirely. Parts of the reserve may be closed in dry periods because of fire risk.
The plateau has a harsher climate than the rest of Belgium: about 1,450 mm of precipitation a year, more than 130 frost days and frequent fog. In snowy winters the summit becomes a cross-country skiing centre. In August 2026 a wildfire burned about 3,370 ha of the High Fens north of Botrange, and the burned zone remains closed to the public.
Climbing Notes
No preparation is needed to reach the high point itself, which is a few steps from the car park and bus stop. To make a proper walk of it, start at the Maison du Parc Botrange or walk La Grande Ronde des Fagnes (8.7 km, about 2½ hours, easy, blue-rectangle and blueberry waymarks) from the summit car park. Wear waterproof shoes: the ground is boggy and the boardwalks are slippery when wet or frosty. Dress for cooler, wetter and windier weather than in the lowlands, as fog can come down fast on the open plateau.
Inside the nature reserve, stay on marked paths in zone B and do not enter zone C without an approved guide or zone D at all. The Maison du Parc has maps and advice. In dry spells the Walloon authorities raise a red flag and close parts of the fens because of fire risk. After the August 2026 fire, the burned area remains strictly closed until further notice, and police and the forestry service patrol it. Check the Wallonia website and the Maison du Parc before planning longer walks towards the Fagne Wallonne, Baraque Michel or Eupen.
History
Until 1919 Belgium's highest point was Baraque Michel, a few kilometres to the north-west; the summit only became Belgian when the Eupen–Malmedy region was transferred from Germany after the First World War. In 1923 the Baltia mound, named after the region's first Belgian governor, General Baltia, was raised beside the 694 m survey point so that visitors could stand at 700 m. The stone tower was built in 1933–34 by François Fagnoul of Ovifat; its spire now carries a radio transmitter. The summit housed a staffed weather station for decades. Since 1999 an automatic station on Mont Rigi, the University of Liège's research station nearby, has taken over. In 2013 a 50 m microwave mast was approved next to the summit to relay trading data between the London and Frankfurt stock exchanges. On 14 August 2026 a wildfire started near Baelen and burned about 3,370 ha of the High Fens.
Season
Best May–Jun- January: Good
- February: Good
- March: Possible
- April: Good
- May: Best (best window)
- June: Best (best window)
- July: Good
- August: Good
- September: Best
- October: Best
- November: Possible
- December: Good
- Jan
- Cross-country skiing when there is snow; fog and ice on boardwalks
- Feb
- Cross-country skiing when there is snow
- Mar
- Thaw; very wet and muddy
- Apr
- Fire-risk closures possible in dry springs
- May
- Bog cotton and birds; check fire-risk flags
- Jul
- Fire-risk closures possible in dry spells
- Aug
- Fire-risk closures possible; large fire in August 2026
- Sep
- Heather and autumn colours
- Oct
- Autumn colours; fog more frequent
- Nov
- Fog, rain, short days
- Dec
- Snow possible; skiing in good winters
Access & Permits
- Permits
- Guided access to zone C of the High Fens nature reserveOptional
Zone C areas of the reserve may only be entered with an approved nature guide. Not needed for the summit or for walks on marked paths in zones A and B.
- Fees
- No fee to visit the summit or walk the marked trails
- Rules
- High Fens nature reserve access zones: A open access, B marked paths only, C only with an approved guide, D no access
- In dry periods parts of the fens are closed for fire risk (red flag); check the Service public de Wallonie website
- Drones prohibited over the 2026 fire zone
- Getting There
Waimes and Malmedy (about 10 km); Eupen (15 km)
Liège (LGG) for limited flights; Brussels (BRU) or Düsseldorf (DUS) for most travellers
- Bus: TEC 394 Eupen–Botrange–Sankt Vith (roughly hourly) and TEC 390 Verviers–Jalhay–Botrange–Rocherath (a few a day) stop at Botrange Signal de Botrange and Botrange Centre Nature; check letec.be
- Train: to Eupen or Verviers-Central, then bus
- Car: N68 from Eupen to Mont Rigi, then N676 to Botrange; or from Malmedy via Waimes; car parks at the Signal and the Maison du Parc
Hazards
- Weather