Zuiderzeepad · Stage 25
Walking time measured on the mapped line (TrailSplits time model, moving time; within 22 % on four in five test legs). Outside Switzerland our walking times often run short of the times route operators publish; treat them as optimistic. Climb measured on the mapped line, on terrain heights.
Where the route crosses by bus, train or ferry
Closed on set dates: The free Fietsbus that carries walkers past the Afsluitdijk’s locks does not run from 1 November 2026 to 1 March 2027, and the dike cannot then be fully crossed on foot: the paid line bus 350 stops only at Monument Noord. Walk this stage outside the winter stop. Source, read 13 October 2026
Over the Afsluitdijk to Den Oever: 29.5 km by Wandelnet, 29.7 km on our line, of which 4.7 km has no walking route: over the locks at Kornwerderzand, the 3 km west of them that Wandelnet crosses in one straight line, and the last 1.1 km past the Stevin locks into Den Oever. Walkers ride the free Fietsbus there: its stops are the Wadden Center at Kornwerderzand, Vismigratierivier, Breezanddijk Noord, Monument Noord and Den Oever (Robbenoordstraat), about 10 km apart in the middle; buses from the Noord-Holland side stop only at Den Oever and Kornwerderzand. It is free and takes about 20 people and 15 bikes. It does not run from 1 November 2026 to 1 March 2027, and the dike cannot then be fully crossed on foot; the paid line bus 350 stops only at Monument Noord. De Afsluitdijk expects the cycle path to open fully in the third quarter of 2027; Wandelnet says temporary cycle bridges are to be built in 2027. Our walking km and time leave the bus stretches out: 24.9 km on foot.
Best season: All year. The Zuiderzeepad runs on dikes and through polders and can be walked all year; it is waymarked white and red in both directions. Some crossings are seasonal: the free Fietsbus over the Afsluitdijk locks does not run from 1 November 2026 to 1 March 2027, so stage 25 cannot then be crossed on foot; the Eemdijk–Eemnes ferry on stage 9 runs from March to October and never on Sundays; and the Enkhuizen–Stavoren ferry, a short cut across the IJsselmeer, ran from mid-April to 27 September in 2026. In the breeding season stages 3, 6 and 26 take Wandelnet's alternatives. Before you go
Facts read from the guide's sources and OpenStreetMap on 13 October 2026. A page can change after we read it, so confirm with your accommodation before you rely on a date or a bed.
Stage start
Town
The Frisian head of the Afsluitdijk, between Zurich and Kornwerderzand: no village here, but Wandelnet lists Hotel Afsluitdijk; book it before you set off. From here the free Fietsbus carries walkers over the locks; it does not run from 1 November 2026 to 1 March 2027.
A town or village: find accommodation yourself. TrailSplits has not checked what is open.
Stage end · overnight
Town
A village at the Noord-Holland end of the Afsluitdijk, with a bus station. Wandelnet lists no stay here.
A town or village: find accommodation yourself. TrailSplits has not checked what is open.
Wandelnet, stage 25: 29.5 km; it publishes no walking time for any stage. wandelnet.nl, read 13 October 2026
Make it your trip
The Zuiderzeepad has no booking system: book each B&B, hotel or campsite directly. Wandelnet lists no stay at many stage ends, among them Scharwoude, Monnickendam, Durgerdam, Blaricum, Oosterwolde, Oudemirdum, Ferwoude and Den Oever, so plan to take a train or bus to a town for the night and back the next morning. The free Fietsbus on the Afsluitdijk takes about 20 people a trip; Enkhuizen–Stavoren ferry tickets cannot be refunded, and groups of more than 20 must book.
Wandelnet's 27 stages, a night at the end of each.
Plan this journeySix stages along the Markermeer by Hoorn, Edam and Monnickendam.
Plan this journeyNine stages by Naarden, Spakenburg and Harderwijk, with stations at Nijkerk, Ermelo, Harderwijk, Nunspeet and Kampen.
Plan this journeySeven stages by Genemuiden, the Weerribben and Lemmer to the Frisian coast.
Plan this journeyFive stages by Hindeloopen and Makkum, over the Afsluitdijk by Fietsbus (not from 1 November 2026 to 1 March 2027) and back by Medemblik.
Plan this journeyLoading the forecast for on the trail (sea level)…
Typical weather on this stage, around 0–7 m. Select a month to see why it is rated as it is.
| Month | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weather | Mixed | Mixed | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Mixed |
| Day / night | 6°/1° | 6°/1° | 8°/3° | 12°/6° | 16°/9° | 19°/12° | 21°/14° | 21°/14° | 18°/12° | 14°/8° | 9°/5° | 6°/2° |
| Rain, mm | 64 | 53 | 47 | 32 | 50 | 61 | 73 | 74 | 79 | 83 | 73 | 73 |
| Snow at high point | Frost | Frost | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Daylight | 8 h 04 | 9 h 49 | 11 h 45 | 13 h 54 | 15 h 47 | 16 h 54 | 16 h 29 | 14 h 51 | 12 h 47 | 10 h 43 | 8 h 44 | 7 h 36 |
Source: TerraClimate 1991–2020 monthly averages. Averages for the area at each point’s elevation (4 km grid, corrected for height). Not a forecast or a report of current trail conditions. Snow at the high point is estimated with a simple snowpack model from these temperatures and precipitation, not observed; steep islands and high summits can hold more snow than it shows. Daylight is for the 15th of each month. Hut, transport and park seasons are separate: check them for your dates.
Before you go
Arrange your stays, food and travel first, then check conditions again near departure.
On stage 25, 4.7 km of the dike has no walking route, by the locks at Kornwerderzand and Den Oever. The free Fietsbus carries walkers and cyclists there, about 20 people and 15 bikes a trip. It does not run from 1 November 2026 to 1 March 2027: in that time the dike cannot be fully crossed on foot. De Afsluitdijk expects the cycle path to open fully in the third quarter of 2027 (Fietsbus page and news, read 13 October 2026).
De Afsluitdijk: the FietsbusWandelnet's route changes, read 13 October 2026: the dikes between Hoorn and Durgerdam are being rebuilt until mid-2027; dike works block Edam to Volendam on stage 4, where Wandelnet advises the bus (expected until the end of 2026); stage 5 follows the Trekvogelpad from Dijkeinde to Durgerdam until the end of 2027; past Schardam on stage 3 the outer-dike path is a bird area all year; and the route through the Enkhuizerzand on stage 27 has changed.
Wandelnet: Zuiderzeepad route changesUntil the end of November 2026 the Kadoelerbrug is closed. A temporary pontoon bridge takes walkers only on weekdays from 07:00 to 16:45, and is out of use for 45 minutes from 8.45, 10.45, 13.45 and 16.45. At weekends and on holidays follow Wandelnet's alternative along the Overijssels Havezatenpad (Wandelnet notice of 13 April 2026, read 13 October 2026).
Wandelnet: Kadoelerbrug crossing limits (PDF)Stage 6 crosses the IJ in Amsterdam by ferry. Stage 9 uses the Eemdijk–Eemnes cable ferry, March to October and never on Sundays, with a mapped alternative when it is not running. Stage 17 starts with the Genemuiden–Zwartsluis cable ferry, which runs all year (Wandelnet stage PDFs, read 13 October 2026).
Wandelnet: stage 9A passenger ferry that takes bikes crosses the IJsselmeer between Enkhuizen and Stavoren in about 80 minutes, three return trips a day in season, and splits the loop into two halves. In 2026 it sailed from mid-April to 27 September, with no service in October. NS day tickets are not valid on board, and tickets cannot be refunded (Rederij V&O's timetable, read 13 October 2026).
Veerboot Enkhuizen–Stavoren: timetableWandelnet also publishes a summer variant of stage 16 by Kampereiland, 23.4 km with two small self-service ferries from 15 April to 15 October, and two day loops, at Marken (6 km) and Vollenhove (6.5 km). On Marken much of the dike path is closed for works until the summer of 2027, Rijkswaterstaat says (read 13 October 2026).
Wandelnet: the stage 16 summer variantGetting there
Travel around Afsluitdijk to Den Oever.
Google Maps journey searches, not confirmed services. A mountain endpoint may need a booked transfer or an additional walk.
Enkhuizen station is the end of the NS line from Amsterdam by Hoorn. The first stage starts about 0.8 km from the station, and the last stage ends at the same point.
NS: journey plannerTrains reach Hoorn (stage 2), Amsterdam (stages 6 and 7), Nijkerk, Ermelo, Harderwijk and Nunspeet (stages 10 to 13), Kampen (stage 15) and Stavoren, Hindeloopen and Workum on the Arriva line to Leeuwarden (stages 22 and 23). Most other stage ends are villages served by bus; Medemblik also has the steam tram from Hoorn.
NS: journey plannerThe loop ends where it starts, about 0.8 km from Enkhuizen station; trains run to Hoorn and Amsterdam.
Wandelnet: stage 27Take your trip with you
Prepare each stage while you still have a connection, and check Wandelnet's route changes before you set off.
Keep your route and maps on your phone for places without a signal. For multi-day trips, prepare them in the installed TrailSplits app.
Saving a bookmark is not a map download. Storage can be cleared by your device; keep a backup map for remote trips.
Route & sources
Wandelnet publishes the Zuiderzeepad as 27 stages, a loop from Enkhuizen of 479.5 km by its stage pages (its overview page says both 478 and 495 km). It publishes no stage times, only each stage's km, given with ours on every stage. The line here is the route on OpenStreetMap (superroute 1561342 and its 27 stage relations, from the planet of 11 October 2026): 480.4 km, cut at the 27 stage ends. Stages 4 and 5 and most of stage 25 follow Wandelnet's own current stage files, matched onto OpenStreetMap: stage 4 Wandelnet's current line by the Edam–Volendam dike works, stage 5 the diversion along the Trekvogelpad from Dijkeinde to Durgerdam (until the end of 2027). On stage 25, the Afsluitdijk, 4.7 km has no walking route: the free Fietsbus carries walkers past the locks at Kornwerderzand and Den Oever, and our walking km and times leave those stretches out. The summer variant 16a by Kampereiland and the two day loops at Marken and Vollenhove are official options not drawn here. The route is flat; our climb is measured on terrain heights.
Official guidance and mapped-source comparison checked 13 October 2026. Map data is a route reference, not confirmation of today's path, weather or accommodation availability.
Wandelnet: ZuiderzeepadMap data © OpenStreetMap contributors · Source relation