Discover Nettetal: Lakes, Hiking Trails and Culture

Explore Nettetal through its trails, lakes, and natural and cultural sites. When planning your stay, it’s worth deciding what to focus on first: Would you like to compare hiking routes, experience lakes and birdlife, or include textile history and cultural events alongside nature? The local routes and sites offer practical starting points.

Hiking Trails and Protected Lakes

Nettetal’s hiking trail network covers around 145 kilometers of signposted trails, some of which cross the border. These include premium trails, nature trails, circular routes, and accessible routes. The hiking landscape combines lakes and wetlands with forests, elevated areas, moorland and heathland, and broad, green river meadows. If you prefer to explore in a guided group, you can consider the themed hikes regularly offered by Schwalm-Nette Nature Park and the Niederrhein association. Check the specific dates for your visit.

In the Krickenbecker Seen nature reserve, two circular routes are easy to compare: the green route is 7.3 kilometers long and the blue route is 10.2 kilometers; both are designated for hiking or cycling. The Krickenbecker Seen are part of the Natura 2000 network as an FFH site and a bird sanctuary. Exhibitions at the information center beside the lakes introduce visitors to the nature of the protected areas. The shop there sells hiking and cycling maps, nature books, drinks, snacks, ice cream, and regional products. If you need a specific item from the range, check what is currently available before your visit.

De Wittsee: Activities and Birdwatching

Swimming, sailing, and canoeing are possible at the large De Wittsee; check the local rules in advance. The orange-marked circular route is 3.8 kilometers long and runs along the large lake. Along the way, there are views of the water, swamp forest, and extensive meadows. From seating areas on the old railway embankment, you can observe the diverse birdlife along the natural shorelines.

The smaller southern lake is protected and serves as a spring breeding habitat for waterbirds. This shows the difference between the activities described at De Wittsee: water sports and the circular trail are the main attractions at the large lake, while the southern lake is described as a breeding area. A cycle path beside De Wittsee also uses part of the former Kempen–Kaldenkirchen railway line.

Natural Sites and Culture in Nettetal

The NABU nature conservation center has an outdoor area of around two hectares, with chickens, wildflower meadows, ponds, and fruit trees. Individual features may change; if any of them are important to your visit, check the current information. Nature tours and themed programs are aimed at adults, families, kindergartens, school classes, and people with disabilities. The individual offerings vary.

A different kind of nature experience awaits you in Kaldenkirchen-Nettetal: the Sequoiafarm is an arboretum covering more than 35,000 square meters, with over 400 rare tree and shrub species and Europe’s first cultivation of sequoias. Its tree species and collection history complement the lakes and wetlands that characterize many of the hiking trails.

The DIE SCHEUNE Textile Museum presents changing exhibitions on the development of textile production and industry in the Lower Rhine region. Demonstrations feature hand spinning, spinning with a treadle spinning wheel, and hand weaving; they also include a working Jacquard loom. This brings the region’s industrial history together with its craft techniques. Nettetal also offers the NetteKultur cultural program, with a varied lineup and artists on stage.

For excursions in the Lower Rhine region, the Biological Station offers a program starting at the information center. Dates vary, so it’s worth checking the program for your visit. When choosing a hotel, you can first decide whether hiking trails, water activities, nature experiences, or culture will shape your stay.

Discover more destinations: Brüggen, Niederkrüchten, Schwalmtal, Kempen, Grefrath, Viersen, Willich, Tönisvorst.

Back to the main travel overview: Viersen.