Escapardenne Eisleck Trail
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Luxembourg & Belgium
“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” – Lao Tzu
Country | Belgium & Luxembourg
Distance | 106 km
Route | Kautenbach to La Roche-en-Ardenne
Duration | 4-5 Days
Official Website
The Escapardenne Eisleck Trail is 106 km long and goes from Kautenbach all the way to La-Roche-en-Ardenne in Belgium. This means you will cross the Belgium-Luxembourg border during the walk…PS: you don’t need your passport haha.
Completed in 2012 and extended with the Lee Trail in 2015, it is one of the newest long distance hiking paths in Europe. Awarded the European Quality Trail certificate, this is also one of the most spectacular hikes.
The trail takes you along valleys, across hills, through magical forests and to picturesque villages in both Belgium and Luxembourg. Yearly, many tourists visit Clervaux, Houffalize and La-Roche-en-Ardenne for it’s beautiful surroundings and peaceful atmosphere. For many years, the area has been a popular hiking spot, with other routes crossing the Eisleck Trail. Part of the trail is shared with the GR57, the GR14 and the E3. One thing that is special about this trail is that over 80% of it you will walk on natural soil.
Sections
Again, there are many options here. My guidebook recommended the following itinerary:
Recommended Itinerary:
Kautenbach – Clervaux: 25,5 km
Clervaux – Asselborn: 18,8 km
Asselborn – Houffalize: 20,6 km
Houffalize – Nadrin: 23,4 km
Nadrin – La Roche-en-Ardenne: 18 km
Although this is perfectly doable, I wanted to stay away from Clervaux and I chose to walk the extra 6 km to Woltzdal Campsite. The first part of the trail seems flatter than the Lee Trail and I was able to put some kilometres in the first day.
There was also a race on during the weekend that I hiked the Eisleck Trail. They were going to be running past all night, so on my way to Houffalize I decided to keep going instead of pitching my tent in the forest. I would have woken up in fear every time I would hear someone running past…wise decision!
Originally I had calculated 4 full days, but the last day I only had 6km left. Below is my itinerary:
My Itinerary:
Kautenbach – Woltzdal Campsite: 31.5 km
Woltzdal Campsite – Houffalize: 36 km
Houffalize – Maboge: 30,5 km
Maboge – La Roche-en-Ardenne: 6 km
How to get to the Eisleck Trail?
The most convenient way to get to the Eisleck Trail is by public transport. Most people start from Kautenbach and end in La Roche-en-Ardenne.
There is a train station in Kautenbach. La Roche-en-Ardenne is serviced by a bus, but some planning might be required here.
Checkout this website for your best itinerary.
Eisleck Trail Accommodation
Along the trail there are many campsites, all offering lunch packages and designated trekkers areas.
There are about 59 hotels, 42 campgrounds, and 28 BnB’s in the vicinity of the trail. This means that there is no shortage of accommodation and there is too many to mention on this website. There is also 1 free bivak place 3 kms outside Houffalize. Please be mindful that it can get busy here during the weekends.
Below is a list of campground options and their distance from the start of the trail.
- Trailhead – Camping Kautenbach
- 7.3km – Saint-Willibrord campground
- 9.7km – camping Val d’Or
- 19.8km – camping Reiler Weier
- 20.7km – camping Clervaux
- 26.5km – camping Woltzdal
- 31.4km – camping Troisvierges
- 56.2km – Bivouac des Blancs Bois (free)
- 61.2km – camping Du Viaduc
- 62.6km – Houffalize campground
- 67.7km – camping Moulin De Rensiwez
- 85.2km – camping Ardenne Maboge
- 88km – camping Lohan
- Trail End – Camping Benelux
Resupplies
The Escapardenne Eisleck trail passes a few picturesque villages. All have their unique facilities.
In Troisvierges you can find two supermarkets and a pharmacy.
Clervaux is a good place to stop for some food. There are plenty of cafes and restaurants, but only one very small supermarket.
In Houffalize you can also find a supermarket, and there are plenty of cafes and restaurants.
La-Roche-en-Ardenne is the town at the northern trailhead. There is a supermarket, and plenty of cafes and restaurants.
Gear List
For a complete list of the gear that I took with me on the hike, click here. The link will take you to my lighterpack gear list and includes weight and links to more info.
If you are looking for lightweight hiking gear recommendations, check out my favourites here.
Additional Information
Luggage Transfer: available when you book a guided hike
GPX File
https://www.openrunner.com/r/7593301
Maps and Guides:
- Map
- Complete guide for Lee Trail and Eislek Trail (German version)
- For more, visit the official shop
My Itinerary
Day 1: Kautenbach to Woltzdal (31.5km)
- The trail starts at the campground.
- Very diverse range of forests along the way.
- Afternoon pancakes in Clervaux.
- Beautiful track between Clervaux and Woltzdal.
- Made it to Woltzdal campsite – amazing spot!
Day 2: Woltzdal campsite to Houffalize (36km)
- Long day – wanted to get to the free campsite, but it was very crowded there. I decided to hike to the next campsite which was a bit further than expected.
- Hiked the last part in the dark – would not recommend it because there are some steep sections before Houffalize.
Day 3: Houffalize to Maboge (30.5km)
- Last full day of walking.
- I am really enjoying the beautiful forests and the sounds of nature.
Day 4: Maboge to Le Roche-en-Ardenne (6km)
- Last stretch to the finish.
- This was probably my least favourite section of the Escapardenne.
- My mum and brother picked me up from the town centre.
- La Roche-en-Ardenne is still as beautiful as it was 20 years ago
