National Park Dwingelderveld - Registration Required (free admission)
Schedule
Sat, 13 Jun, 2026 at 10:00 am
UTC+02:00Location
Dwingelderveld | Hoogeveen, DR
Advertisement
🌾NP Dwingelderveld - Jac. P. Thijsse Trail 13 km📅 Date: Saturday, 13 June 2026
🕙 Time: We start walking at 10.00 – please arrive a few minutes early
📍 Start Location: Bezoekercentrum Dwigelderveld, Benderse 22, 7963 RA Ruinen (free of charge)
📍 Google Maps: https://shorturl.at/4k7dT
🧭 GPS: 52.7816628 N, 6.3733361E
🚶♀️ Distance: 13 km
🔔 Only registered participants can join this walk; no confirmed registration = no walk! No walk-ins allowed! Register via FB Messenger or email: [email protected]
✨ Responses "Going" or "Interested" don't count and are not considered as registration.
🚨 Limited places, first come → first served.
🚘 Participants arrange their own transport.
🤝 Carpooling can be organised in the Event Discussion section where participants are welcome to post if they can offer a ride or if they need one.
🚌 Public transport – nearest bus stop is in Ruinen about 25 mins walk from the Visitor Centre Dwingelderveld (check 9292 Transport Planner)
⛈️Bring comfy shoes, water, your favourite snack and a rain jacket or umbrella; rain or shine, we’re going!
🐕🦺 Dogs are welcome! Please keep them on a leash in certain areas indicated by signs.
🌾NATIONAL PARK DWINGELDERVELD 🌾🌾🌾
National Park Dwingelderveld is one of the most peaceful and unspoiled landscapes in the Netherlands, it is a vast natural area of endless heathlands, quiet forests, winding sandy paths and secluded wetlands stretching across the Drenthe countryside.
The scenery transforms throughout the year. In late summer the heath turns deep purple, autumn brings morning mist and golden colours, while spring fills the wetlands and meadows with fresh greenery and wildlife activity.
The park is carefully maintained by the Dutch conservation organisations Staatsbosbeheer and Natuurmonumenten, whose work helps protect the area’s rare ecosystems, wildlife and centuries-old cultural landscape for future generations.
Jac. P. Thijsse Route
We follow marked route named after the ‘father of Dutch conservation’ Jacobus Peter Thijsse. It honours the man who co-founded Natuurmonumenten.
The walk is designed to showcase the biodiversity he fought to protect. It typically winds through transition zones where the forest meets the open heath, offering a greatest hits of the park’s flora and fauna.
This is a scenic walk through one of the wildest and quietest landscapes in the Netherlands.
Highlights of the walk include:
🐑 traditional grazing Drenthe heath sheep
🗼 watchtower
🌾 vast open heathlands and peat bogs
🌲 forest trails and sandy paths
💧 scenic vennen (peat pools)
🦌 wildlife including deer, cranes, birds of prey and woodpeckers
🦋 rich biodiversity and butterflies during spring and summer
⛰️ grafheuvels (prehistoric burial mounds)
🐦 birdwatching tower
📡 ASTRON & the Dwingeloo Radio Telescope
WOLF WARNING & AWARENESS
As of 2024 – 2025, wolves have firmly established themselves in Drenthe. While they are naturally shy, the park often posts Wolf Awareness information.
If you happen to encounter a wolf, DO NOT approach it, keep your dog(s) on a lead and back away calmly. The wolves in this area are wild and protected, disturbing or harming them is prohibited.
In general, keep your dog(s) on a short leash at ALL times. This isn’t just for the wolf’s sake but also to protect grazing sheep and local deer. If we are lucky enough to spot one, we keep our distance and enjoy the rare sight of a keystone predator in the wild.
After the walk
After the walk we can traditionally relax together and chat at the visitors centre café/terrace with a nice cup of tea or coffee.
NP Dwingelderveld
https://www.nationaalpark-dwingelderveld.nl/
Visitor's Centre Dwingelderveld
https://www.natuurmonumenten.nl/natuurgebieden/nationaal-park-dwingelderveld
Jac. P. Thijsse
https://www.jpthijsse.nl/
Jac.P. Thijsse Route
https://www.drenthe.nl/fietsen-wandelen/routes/2248424027/jac-p-thijsse-wandelroute
https://www.wandel.nl/routes/wandelroute-np-dwingelderveld-jac-p-thijsse-wandelroute/
https://www.natuurmonumenten.nl/bezoekerscentrum-dwingelderveld/route/jac-p-thijsse-wandelroute-weg
Sheep Farm (Schaapskudde Ruinen)
https://www.schaapskudderuinen.nl/
Astron / Dwingeloo Radio Telescope
https://www.astron.nl/
See you on the trail! 🌿
#Dwingelderveld #NationalParkDwingelderveld #Drenthe #NatureWalk #ExploreDrenthe #WalkingEvent #GroupHike #InternationalCommunity #DiscoverTheNetherlands #ExpatsWalkingGeeks #EWGITN #ExpatsInTheNetherlands
Advertisement
Where is it happening?
Dwingelderveld, Hoogeveen, NetherlandsEvent Location & Nearby Stays:
Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.
