How to hike around the Nisramont lake in the Ardennes (16 km)?

Detailed description of the beautiful hike around the Nisramont Lake in the natural park of the Two Ourthes (Les deux Ourthes) in the Ardennes in Belgium. During the 16 kilometers you will be hiking all the time along the Ourthe river, sometimes right next to the river and sometimes above it which results in beautiful views! 

In the National Park Les Deux Ourthes the river splits up into an eastern part and a western part hence the name ‘The Two Ourthes’. During this hike we will walk along the eastern and western Ourthe which is also called the lake of Nisramont or in french Barrage de Nisramont.

Hike description

Distance: The total distance for this hike is 16 kilometers (loop hike)
Elevation gain: The total incline was 669 meters
Moving time: According to Strava my moving time was 4 hours and 44 minutes.
Difficulty: I would rate this as a moderately challenging hike. There are some climbs but they never last long and there’s always a flat walk to recuperate and catch some breath afterwards. I did feel it in my calves the following days though. It is not recommended to do this hike during/after heavy rain or snowfall.
Address parking: Centre Adeps “Les Deûs Oûtes”, Engreux, 6663 Houffalize (Sports center)

How to get to the trailhead?

The starting point is at the sports centre ADEPS in Engreux which is located in Houffalize and only 25 minutes driving from La Roche-en-Ardenne which is a very popular tourism destination in the Belgian Ardennes.

As to my knowledge there is no public transport available to get there. A car will be necessary. There is plenty of parking available in the street right before you arrive at the sports center. Depending on the season and the weather it might become a bit crowded. We went in August on a hot summer day and didn’t have any difficulties finding a parking spot. We actually parked our car in the parking lot in front of a modern white building, right next to the trailhead, I’m not sure if it was allowed but it was still there when we got back without fines. 

The trail starts right in front of the sports center. When standing with your back to a modern white building with a small parking in front of it you can either go left or right in between the wooden fences. As this hike is a loop you can choose which direction you want to start in. We started going left.

The official and more popular starting point for this hike is at the dam of Nisramont (Barrage de Nisramont). As this is a very popular tourist attraction it can get very crowded and difficult to find parking there. We decided to start at the ADEPS sports center instead. While hiking you will pass by the dam of Nisramont.

This could be a perfect day trip from Brussels but make sure to leave early enough because it’s 1 hour and 40 minutes driving from the capital of Belgium.

What is the easiest way to hike around the Nisramont lake?

The easiest way to hike around the Nisramont lake is by following the red diamond signs.

Generally speaking for all hikes, the easiest way is to download a .gpx file that you can view on a gps device, a smartphone or smartwatch. It will tell you step-by-step how to walk. It also includes an elevation profile of the hike which can help you to decide if this hike is for you or not. All the hikes on this blog are being tracked on Strava (sports tracking smartphone application) and Wikiloc (community based hiking smartphone application).

Another hike with lots of stunning view along the way: Best hike in Bouillon Belgium is the 14 Panorama route (28 km)

How is hiking in Les Deux Ourthes around the Nisramont lake?

As mentioned before we went left in front of the parking of the modern white building. Pretty soon after we started this hike there was a descend towards the river Ourthe (l’Ourthe in french). To be more precise we reached the Eastern Ourthe. The first 2 kilometers you will be hiking mostly in the forest with occasionally an open space and all the time right next to the Eastern Ourthe river. After about 2,5 kilometers you will have to cross the river but don’t worry there’s a bridge which also serves as a dam, this is actually the point where the Ourthe river becomes a lot wider. 

As we started off pretty late it was noon already by the time we crossed the bridge / dam so we decided to get our packed lunch at a bench close to the bridge. I would advise you to pack your own lunch because along this hike there are no restaurants or bars except at the barrage de Nisramont (Dam of Nisramont).

After having lunch we started hiking again and the next 2 kilometers there was a bit of an incline but only about 100 meters which didn’t feel so hard over a distance that long. There are some sections where you can follow other trails but during this whole hike you need to stay next to the water so it isn’t that hard to find your way. Also check out my Strava upload if you want to see it on a map.

Around 5 kilometers into the hike you reach the point right across the sports center. The Ourthe river becomes the lake of Nisramont here (Lac de Nisramont in french).

I saw some signs that swimming is not allowed in the Nisramont lake however paddle boarders and swimmers are pretty common. A bit closer to the dam of Nisramont (Barrage de Nisramont) there was a section where swimming was allowed.

At approximately the 6 km mark there is an incline of 320 m to about 400 m above sea level spread out over 1 km so it might feel a bit tough but climbing usually means that there’s a rewarding viewpoint and here it wasn’t an exception. We took a small break and enjoyed the beautiful views. Immediately after the climb we descended again down to approximately 300 m above sea level. And don’t worry there are only two climbs like this during the hike and you just passed the first one. 

At approximately 9 km you will reach the dam of Nisramont (barrage de Nisramont). This is where most hikers start the route you are walking right now. There are some water sport activities here and there’s also a restaurant. Check opening hours before leaving if you’re planning to eat here. Immediately after crossing the dam there’s another steep climb similar to the previous one. You will climb about 80 meters over the length of 2 kilometers. It’s not all the time climbing, there are some descents also. Once you reach the top there’s an amazing viewpoint over the Deux Ourthes National Park. Also there is a piece of artwork there that looks like 2 fins of a fish. On Google maps this point is called ‘Avolare’. There’s also a bivouac zone called ‘Bivouac de la Confluence des Deux Ourthes’. With such an amazing view this could definitely be a cool place to pitch your tent for the night.

After this there’s one small climb left and then it’s pretty much downhill and flat until you reach a small bridge at the 14 km mark. Now it’s about 2 km left of flat walking along the banks of the Ourthe river until you reach the starting point again.

Congratulations, you finished the beautiful scenic hike around the Nisramont Lake along the banks of the Ourthe river. 

We drove down to La-Roche-en-Ardenne to get some refreshments and food before driving about 1 hour and 40 minutes back to Brussels.

Is it worth to hike at the Nisramont lake?

With many stunning views along the way it’s a very rewarding hike around the Nisramont lake. At times it gets a bit hard but it’s never for long. Definitely don’t underestimate how beautiful hiking is in Belgium and especially in the Ardennes! So yes, what is stopping you?

What other people say about the hike around the Nisramont lake

When researching this hike I noticed that a lot of people say that this hike is extremely hard and not recommended. Like for any hike, difficulty is something subjective and it all depends on your hiking experience. If the only hikes you ever do are around the park in your local city, this might be indeed pretty hard. If you have been hiking in the mountains this will be a walk in the park.