Kalterherberg - Weißer Stein - second highest point of Belgium

The trip can be done by e-bike (MTB recommended) or by a regular mountainbike. It combines very quiet asphalt roads with longer stretches of unpaved forest roads. There is a short distance on a single-trail, which has a gradient but is not very difficult. Less experienced cyclists may have to push the bike for a few meters.

The route starts from Kalterherberg, skirting Camp Elsenborn. Camp Elsenborn is a military base and exercise ground. It may be closed at times. There is some signage at way point Am Krummen Ast, with a mast and a red drum. When the drum is up, you must not proceed. If the drum is down, continue as indicated, turning left.

The trail enters the Hohe Venn (moorlands), and emerges on the asphalt road. Turn right, but do not continue up the the village of Rocherath. Turn right, as per the coordinates, before entering the village.

Eventually you reach the Weisser Stein (White Stone). The stone is slightly off the track; a boardwalk leads close to it. The stone is not white but grey - it usually is half submerged in the swamp. There is nothing spectacular about it; one wonders why it has become a point for sightseeing. Its mystique arises only from stories, handed through generations, about our ancestors attaching religious significance, or from amateur geologists marveling about a rock in the swamp. In reality, it is a regular occurrence - a rock of quartz sand and silica, formed 30 million years ago when oceans covered the Eifel.

More noteworthy, the second highest point of Belgium (at 693 meters just one meter lower than Botrange), is just nearby.

Soon after you enter the Holzwarche Valley. Here, the trail is a little more narrow for a few hundred meters. Continue through Mürringen and arrive at the airfield Büllingen. The place is mainly used by light sports aircraft and remote controlled model aircraft, which can be interesting to watch while enjoying a rest.

Continue along the Warche until Lake Bütgenbach. For a short while you follow the RAVeL (Vennbahn Trasse). In the village of Bütgenbach are several Hotels and Cafès. You could, in theory, follow the RAVeL until Kalterherberg station. If you do not feel comfortable crossing the Elsenborn Camp, or if the camp is closed, follow the RAVeL.

We crossed the Bütgenbach Dam instead, climbed up to Berg and went to Elsenborn. Here, we took the route straight across and through the Elsenborn military camp. Note, that a permit should be obtained from the Camp Commander in advance. Also observe any signage (red drum and signboards) indicating whether exercises are taking place. The ride through the exercise grounds is a little otherwordly; from its lowest point you have to climb a little back to the Krummen Ast way point. This is almost the end of the round-trip, and those who haven't done the trail with an e-bike probably wish they had one.