Veluwezoom National Park Trail

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Veluwezoom National Park Trail: Posbank and Heath Hills

Published 17 July 2025 Updated 5 June 2026

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HikeList Score

Veluwezoom National Park Trail scored 78/100 on HikeList's trail-quality metrics.

Very Good

See score breakdownHide breakdown

Ideal length 55
Balanced challenge 100
Scenery & wildness 68
Varied terrain 100
Accommodation 66
Food & support 88
Path quality 98
Season flexibility 63

Computed from length, challenge, scenery & wildness, terrain variety, accommodation, food & support, path quality and season flexibility.

The Veluwezoom National Park Trail is a moderate 17 km loop day walk in Gelderland, in the oldest national park in the Netherlands. Usually walked as the Rondje Rozendaal, it links Bezoekerscentrum Veluwezoom near Rheden with Posbank, Herikhuizerveld heathland and Rozendaalseveld before returning to the start. Expect 4–5 hours on undulating sandy, gravel and dirt paths, with repeated short climbs but no technical ground. It suits hikers wanting a compact, train-accessible Netherlands hiking route with heath, forest and unusually hilly Dutch terrain.

Route Overview

Most walkers start at Bezoekerscentrum Veluwezoom near Rheden, about 1 km from Rheden railway station, making this an easy car-free day hike. The circular route can also be started from Kasteel Rozendaal on the southern edge of the park. The loop takes in the Posbank viewpoint, crosses the open Herikhuizerveld heathland, continues through Rozendaalseveld and returns through mixed forest and rolling heath hills. Direction is flexible because this is a signed loop rather than a point-to-point trail. If you want another Dutch national-park day walk, compare it with the De Meinweg National Park Trail or the wetter lowland landscapes of the Biesbosch National Park Trail. For a longer multi-day route through the neighbouring Gelderland countryside, see the Achterhoekpad.

How Veluwezoom Became the Netherlands’ First National Park

Vereniging Natuurmonumenten began acquiring former hunting and estate land in Veluwezoom from 1911. In 1930, the area became the first national park in the Netherlands. Today the park covers around 50 km² on the south-eastern edge of the Veluwe and remains managed by Natuurmonumenten. Its landscape is a mix of heath, mixed forest and a small managed sand drift, with grazing used to keep open heathland from reverting to woodland.

Notable highlights

Posbank viewpoint (about 90 m): The park’s signature panorama is named after a monumental stone bench. On clear days, the view reaches across the Veluwe towards Arnhem and Apeldoorn.
Herikhuizerveld heathland: This open, sloping heath is the landscape most associated with Veluwezoom. It is especially striking in August and into early September when the heather flowers purple.
Scottish Highland cattle: These free-ranging, long-horned cattle graze the heath and open ground. They are part of the park’s conservation management, helping stop heathland from becoming forest.
Kasteel Rozendaal (Rosendael Castle): A medieval-origin castle with well-known gardens on the southern edge of the park. It is a useful start point or landmark on the wider Rondje Rozendaal loop.
Glacial relief: Veluwezoom’s hills are terminal push moraines from the Saalian ice age. That creates rolling heath hills and forested ridges that feel unusually pronounced for the Netherlands.

Challenges to expect

This is moderate because of repeated short climbs and rolling terrain, not because of exposure or technical difficulty. Paths are mainly dirt, gravel and sand, with mud possible in wet months. The loop is waymarked, but the park has multiple signed variants, so check you are following the 17 km circuit rather than a shorter 5–8 km option or longer loop. There are no on-trail huts because it is a day walk.

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