Hiking on the Utrechtse Heuvelrug

The Utrechtse Heuvelrug is a moraine, created about 150,000 years ago in the penultimate ice age (the Saalian) by the advancing ice that pushed up river deposits of the Rhine and Meuse. The sand ridge runs from Huizen in North Holland to Rhenen in the southeastern tip of the province of Utrecht. The area is very wooded, but also includes a number of heathlands and shifting sands. The Amerongse Berg is the highest point at 69 meters above sea level. Other well-known hills are the Doornse Kaap (53m) with watchtower and the Grebbeberg (52m) near Rhenen. There are many estates in the area, along the edges dozens of residential areas.

The Utrechtse Heuvelrug National Park comprises the southeastern part of the ridge plus the floodplains on the north side of the Lower Rhine near Amerongen, Elst, Remmerden and Rhenen.