The last decennia recreational use of nature reserves and forests has strongly increased. At the same time concerns about the adverse effects on these areas have grown. This work focusses on both the social dimension of recreation (visitor profile and habitat use) and the ecological aspects (mainly trampling). Trampling is studied through an elaborated field experiment in which various vegetation types are trampled following a standard procedure. In the same vegetation types a comparative study is made of the gradients in vegetation and soil along paths.