Zuid-Kennemerland National Park

Zuid-Kennemerland National Park is a coastal national park in North Holland, Netherlands, protecting a mosaic of dune systems, heath, woodland and beaches to the west of Haarlem. The park combines natural dune landscapes with managed grazing and contains recreational beaches popular with locals and visitors.

Key attractions are the undulating dune fields, walking and cycling trails, and viewpoints over the North Sea and inland polder landscapes; wildlife includes deer, foxes and breeding shorebirds. The park uses traditional grazing with robust horses and cattle to maintain open dune grassland and heath habitats.

The area was designated as a national park to protect the coastal dune ecosystem while providing structured public access and education; visitor facilities and marked trails concentrate use and reduce disturbance to sensitive habitats.

The park is located just west of the city of Haarlem in North Holland, with main access points near Overveen, Bloemendaal and Zandvoort, and is within easy drive or public-transport distance from Amsterdam.

• Size: The park covers roughly 38 square kilometers of coastal dunes, woodlands and heathland to the west of Haarlem.
• Grazing management: Free-roaming grazers including hardy horses and cattle are used in the dunes for landscape management and can often be seen on the trails.

What to See #

• Kennemerduinen: Kennemerduinen - the dune landscape that forms the heart of the park, with rolling coastal dunes, heath and sparse pine shelterbelts extending inland from the sea.
• Coastal dunes and beaches: Coastal section near Bloemendaal and Zandvoort - sandy beaches and seaside access that form the park's western boundary along the North Sea coast.