Maarn lies in the forests of Utrechtse Heuvelrug National Park. Hiking trails, a recreational lake and traces of the village’s and industry’s history give the area its many facets. When planning your visit, it’s worth checking the specific routes: one returns to its starting point, while others run between different places.
Hiking between Koeheuvels and Zanderij
The 7.8-kilometre Koeheuvels walking route starts at Henschotermeer, passes through Koeheuvels near Maarn and returns to the lake via Maarn. Henschotermeer lies in the forests of Utrechtse Heuvelrug and is a recreational lake where you can hike, swim and relax. This makes it easy to combine the circular route with a stay by the lake. The Koeheuvels hiking area is characterised by varied tree cover, drifting sand and heathland. Dogs can run off leash there; check the local leash rules on site.
A different type of route is the fourth stage of the Utrechtse Mountain Trail: it runs from Koeheuvels via Maarnse Berg back to the edge of Maarn and ends with a path through Zanderij. As route details may change, check the current route before setting out. The East to East Path also offers a longer stage: its 13 kilometres run between Maarn NS railway station and Cothen and can be walked in either direction. Unlike the Koeheuvels route, which returns to Henschotermeer, this stage has two different endpoints.
For a shorter walk, Zanderij Maarn has quiet paths that are well suited to a stroll. The landscape there includes water, steep sand banks and grassland at the edge of the forest. Zanderij is now a nature and recreation area; its use changed after sand extraction for railway construction ended. The paths let you discover both the landscape and something of its past.
Erratic boulders, an estate and village history
Zwerfsteneneiland Maarn is a geological monument in the heart of Utrechtse Heuvelrug. Dozens of large erratic boulders from the penultimate Ice Age lie there. Visitors interested in the geological history of the landscape will find a different focus here than on the hiking trails through heathland and forest.
The Huis te Maarn estate includes a neoclassical manor house and a coach house. Both buildings were built in 1915 to designs by architect Jan Stuyt. Most of the estate is open to the public; check the conditions for your planned visit before you go.
A monument in Maarn also commemorates the plane crash of June 1943. The entire crew died in the crash. The Lancaster Monument consists of a bronze plaque on a centuries-old erratic boulder of pink pegmatite. Another historic site on Maarnse Grindweg includes prehistoric burial mounds and a cremation burial ground. The burial mound De Halm is one of the oldest in the region.
Maarn was originally laid out as a garden village and built in 1921 for workers employed in sand extraction for Nederlandse Spoorwegen. The small houses had large gardens so workers could grow their own food there. This village history is connected to the sand extraction that also played a role in railway construction; after it ended, Zanderij became a nature and recreation area.
Visitor information
Boek & Koek in Maarn is a VVV tourist information point with regional brochures as well as cycling and hiking routes. As the materials and visitor arrangements may change, check the current offering in advance. The routes described differ in length, course and destination: from a short walk in Zanderij to the 7.8-kilometre route by Henschotermeer and the 13-kilometre stage between Maarn and Cothen. This lets you plan around the route you want and the topics that interest you most.
Discover more destinations: Maarsbergen, Driebergen-Rijsenburg, Doorn, Driebergen, Amerongen, Overberg.
Return to the main travel overview: Utrechtse Heuvelrug.
