Lake tours in the land of the Trophy - mountains and lakes are a combination that acts like a magnet for mountain bikers. And the Salzkammergut has many mountains and lakes, which is why it has generally been one of Austria's most popular holiday regions for many years. Wolfgangsee, Gosausee, Dachstein and Aussee mountains have always attracted many hikers, but bikers have also long since discovered this landscape for themselves. For the past 20 years, cyclists from all over the world have made an annual pilgrimage to Bad Goisern for the Salzkammergut Trophy. The ultra-marathon with its 211 kilometres and 7119 metres of altitude difference is one of the toughest, but also most beautiful racing experiences in Europe.
Especially in the Inner Salzkammergut, the core region around Bad Goisern, Bad Ischl and Lake Hallstatt, in Trophy Land, mountain bikers are now making a good living. Bike shops and bike hotels have joined forces to form a centre of excellence. There are signposted bike routes - one-day tours, but also a multi-day tour around the Dachstein with detours to Styria and Salzburgerland. In Obertraun, on the southern shore of Lake Hallstatt, the Bike Arena is bidding to host a World Cup in 2018 with a new cross-country course. With its challenging circuit, Obertraun has justified hopes of winning the bid.
It would be another milestone in the development of the sports region. After all, even the marathon world champions have been crowned in Bad Goisern before. That was in 2004 as part of the Salzkammergut Trophy. The region has a real attraction for all those who like to exert themselves in the mountains and want to dangle their legs in the crystal-clear bathing lake at the end of a day of touring. Because in the Salzkammergut you always come back to the shore. And then there's no way around a coffee on the lakeside terrace.
Info about the Salzkammergut region
The precinct
Locals like to call the Salzkammergut the "10th federal state" because it doesn't really want to stick to national borders. The largest part and the core region around Lake Hallstatt, known as the "Inner Salzkammergut", lies in Upper Austria. However, the Styrian Ausseer-Land and the Salzburg part with Lake Wolfgang and Lake Fuschl are also part of the region, which has grown over the course of its cultural history. The centre of the bike region is Bad Goisern on Lake Hallstatt. Most tours start here. In the south, the landscape is characterised by the massive Dachstein. In the north, there are grassy mountains that serve as a frame for the lakes left behind by the Dachstein glacier after the last ice age. A touristic overview of the entire region can be found on the website www.salzkammergut.at
Bike tours
www.oberoesterreich.at/biken leads to the tours portal of Upper Austria Tourism - with search filter by region or starting point. 79 tours in the Salzkammergut are presented, which also lead beyond the borders of Upper Austria.
Bike guides
The Salzkammergut MTB Competence Centre is an association of hotels, taxi companies and shops whose guides offer tours of all levels four times a week. Individual tours and riding technique courses are also available on request. If you don't have direct contact with a guide at a participating hotel, ask the centre manager, Helmut Simonlehner: info@biken.at
Bike hotels
Again, the quickest way is via the short link www.oberoesterreich.at/biken. This takes you to a list of ten recommended bike accommodation options, from huts to 4-star hotels.
Bike shops
Mauna Loa Bikeworld, Bad Goisern and Bad Ischl, www.mauna-loa.atBikes 4 You, Bad Goisern, www.bikes4you.atSalzkammergut Biker, Gmunden am Traunsee, www.salzkammergutbiker.at
Biking without luggage
If you are planning tours lasting several days, please contact Oberösterreich Touristik for planning. Info: www.radurlaub.com
Dachstein circuit
You have to take your time to cycle around the Dachstein massif. At least 182 kilometres and 4900 metres in altitude have to be covered if you want to circle the mountain massif on the officially signposted blue route. If you opt for the black route, you can add 269 kilometres and 7900 metres of altitude to your tour log. The red route offers the middle ground. But you don't have to stick to one colour and can opt for one or the other variant at intersections. This means that different requirements can also be catered for in groups. And there is now even a separate e-MTB variant, which is signposted separately.
The Dachstein tour is generally designed for three days, and there are packages including hotel and luggage transfer. Guided tours can also be booked. More information about this offer can be found at www.radurlaub.com
All details about the Dachstein Tour on: www.dachstein-salzkammergut.at
Dachstein Light
If you want to experience the look of the Dachstein circuit but only have the strength for an easy tour, you can take a taster course around the Sarstein. Simply cycle from Bad Goisern to Bad Aussee on the blue route of the Dachstein circuit (route information and GPS download at www.salzkammergut.at). From there, the road leads over a small pass with a view of the Dachstein massif to Obertraun. Now the route leads back to Bad Goisern along the shores of Lake Hallstatt, in the opposite direction to the Durchgangalm route presented on page 16. Andrea Schenner, landlady of the Agathawirt (www.agathawirt.at) or Helmut Simonlehner from the Salzkammergut Mountain Bike Competence Centre. Contact: see info column on the left.
World Cup air
The 5.6 kilometre circuit in Obertraun is spiced up with 269 metres of elevation gain. An ideal training terrain for cross-country riders, from hobby racers to licenced riders. No wonder, as the route was created with the 2018 World Cup in mind, for which the Obertraun team has applied. Last autumn, the BIKE test crew rode the course with the two professional racers Simon Stiebjahn and Markus Schulte-Lünzum. Their first impression: "Absolute racing potential." The winding hairpin bends alternating with banked turns, nasty climbs and high-dosage root descents demand skill, concentration and full commitment from the riders. But until the World Cup date, the course will still be used by clubs for training camps. It belongs to the Obertraun Federal Sports and Leisure Centre, which also offers enough beds for the athletes.
Downhill on the Feuerkogel
High above Lake Traunsee, on the Feuerkogel near Ebensee on the southern shore, a largely unspoilt downhill trail leads down into the valley. The selective course consists of steep sections with gradients of up to 50 degrees, high-speed passages through alpine meadows and tricky root sections in the forest. This ride is a real challenge for downhill riders. Therefore, only experienced trail riders should attempt it. Not only because of the total length of 5.6 kilometres. The vertical drop also measures 1000 metres. This requires experience, strength and concentration. The trail may only be ridden with protective equipment and a full-face helmet. Rules of behaviour and safety instructions are available at the cash desk of the Feuerkogel cable car. There you can also buy a single ticket for 21.20 euros and a day ticket for 31.70 euros.
More about the route and the DH scene at: www.50grad.at
Upper Austria: Tour 1 - Passage to the Dachstein
Tour data and tour rating
Data: 66.34 km | 1480 m elevation gain | 5:30 h
Fitness level: 4/5
Riding technique: 1/5
Scenery: 5/5
Difficulty: medium
The GPS data of the tours described here can be found in the download area below the article download free of charge.
Starting point Car park at the tourist information office in Bad Goisern, directly on the B145.
Tour description This is the flagship tour of the bike region around Lake Hallstatt, because as a sightseeing tour it offers everything that can be found here in terms of natural beauty. It also partly follows routes that are also ridden in the Salzkammergut Trophy. To warm up, the route follows the shores of Lake Hallstatt for several kilometres before starting the 1000-metre ascent to the Durchgangalm in Hallstatt itself. This is the most strenuous part of the tour with an average gradient of 10 per cent. After the Rossalm hut, you gain a few more metres in altitude before finally hurtling down to the shores of Lake Gosau with panoramic views of the Gosau Valley and the Dachstein. The Kristallbergsee lake with its glacier view is a much-visited postcard idyll. The descent through the Gosau valley to Lake Hallstatt is a little long, but offers a cart track and a forest path at the end, where you can have some more fun.
Retreat Seeraunzn snack station for coffee in the morning, Obertraun lido, Rossalm hut at the highest point, Gasthof Gosausee.
"Apple sauce, bread, juices and meat, almost everything comes from our own farm. Our speciality is cream cheese, which is served on cheese bread, on the cheese snack, or fried in a bacon coat with salad, which is harvested on the mountain pasture. When it comes to sweet things, the colourful cake plate is a big hit, the idea of a guest who always wanted a slice of every cake. I cook everything fresh and on the wood cooker, so it takes a little time, but you can relax on the wooden lounger." Elisabeth Hubner-Koch, landlady of the Rossalm
Upper Austria: Tour 2 - Kaiser Tour
Tour data and tour rating
Data: 42.63 km | 1451 m elevation gain | 4:30 h
Fitness level: 4/5
Riding technique: 3/5
Scenery: 4/5
Difficulty: medium
The GPS data of the tours described here can be found in the download area below the article download free of charge.
Starting point Car park at the lowest point at the bridge over the Rettenbach (satnav entry: "Rettenbachmühle") in Bad Ischl.
Tour description This is the most exciting tour in the region around Bad Goisern and Bad Ischl. With three crisp climbs, it challenges the calves - after all, it partly follows the 2004 World Championship marathon route. The landscape is very varied, leading across open alpine pastures, past massive rock faces and through shady forests. At the end, it even sets off fireworks with a crisp trail. The tour also leads through the Ewige Wand, a rock face above Bad Goisern, into which a panoramic trail has been carved. But even the way there, a flow trail in the forest, is a lot of fun. Experience shows that you will also encounter a few hikers here, but on the way from the Rettenbachalm to the Hütteneckalm you have peace and quiet and a clear path again.
Retreat Hütteneckalm, Rossmoosalm (just before the Ewige Wand), Hoisnrad Alm, as an optional detour of around one kilometre before the final trail descent through the Gamsöfen (follow the signs).
"My tip for a refreshment stop on this tour is the Hütteneckalm. From its terrace you have a direct view of the Dachstein. The delicious desserts taste particularly good here. The refreshment stop is also perfectly located, as this is followed by the crowning finale of the tour: first you cycle along the high trail with its impressive panoramic views over the Goiserer Valley. Continue past the idyllic Reifoizalm towards the trail. The trail winds its way down through the Gamsöfen to Bad Ischl and is technically challenging. But even that can be topped, because for me the Kaiser tour is only perfect when I have finished off with a delicious scoop of ice cream in the park. After all, Bad Ischl is an imperial city with a very special flair." Irina Krenn, marathon rocket from Bad Goisern
Upper Austria: Tour 3 - Alpine pastures above Lake Wolfgangsee
Tour data and tour rating
Data: 35.51 km | 822 m elevation gain | 3:30 h
Fitness: 3/5
Riding technique: 2/5
Scenery: 4/5
Difficulty: medium
The GPS data of the tours described here can be found in the download area below the article download free of charge.
Starting point Car park on the right just after the town tunnel of St. Wolfgang. Start on the road in front (junction centre/pedestrian zone)
Tour description The impressions could hardly be more different. On the one hand, there is St. Wolfgang, a magnet for bus tourists from all over the world. Nature freaks will turn up their noses, others will simply let themselves be swept up in the bustling atmosphere. Behind St. Wolfgang's local mountain, the Schafberg, the Eisenaueralm awaits. On this extensive high plateau, you will find peace and quiet again and can enjoy the trail insider tip over to the Moosalm to the full. Planning: If you continue straight on from the Dampfersteg in Ried, you will inevitably come across the steep cart track over the Falkenstein. However, there are no biking signs here. You are therefore only allowed to use the path by pushing. That's why this tour includes the steamboat trip from Ried to Fürberg before St. Gilgen (with bike: 9.50 euros per person). If you're going to do Lake Wolfgangsee, then do it properly.
Retreat Eisenaueralm: Buchberghütte and Kienberghütte, Gschwandtnerhütte (Louisis Hütte) Alpengasthof Zur Lore am Schwarzensee plus countless cafés and inns in St. Wolfgang.
"My tip for a refreshment stop on this tour is Louisi's hut. They only serve homemade products from the farm: juices, cakes and dairy products. The hut is located on the right-hand side of the path in the high valley that leads towards Schwarzensee. The latter is a beautiful mountain lake with bathing facilities. If you don't need a refreshing dip here, you'll want to take the obligatory dip in the Wolfgangsee at the latest." Helmut Simonlehner, Head of the MTB Competence Centre
Tour 4: Around the Sonnstein
Tour data and tour rating
Data: 48.93 km | 1190 m elevation gain | 4:30 h
Fitness level: 3/4
Riding technique: 1/5
Scenery: 4/5
Difficulty: medium
The GPS data of the tours described here can be found in the download area below the article download free of charge.
Starting point Car park at Ebensee Landungsplatz station, right next to the B145 at the southern tip of Lake Traunsee.
Tour description This tour is an XL version of the actual Sonnstein tour, as it also takes you around the two Langbath lakes. This combination earns the tour extra scenic points, as the lakes, especially the smaller, rear Langbathsee, perfectly mirror the mighty walls of the Höllengebirge for photographers. As you continue, you gain metres in altitude in the forest on the flanks of the Sonnstein until the view over the Traunsee opens up just before the highest point. The route continues via the Hochsteinalm to Windlegern, where a short root path provides the icing on the cake for trail fans. The rest is rolling along goods tracks and strolling along the shores of Lake Traunsee. If you feel like it, branch off to the peninsula and stop for a coffee in the small village of Traunkirchen. Tip: The Vordere Langbathsee has a bathing beach with mountain views.
Retreat Kiosk at Vorderer Langbathsee, Hochsteinalm, Gasthof Windlegern, cafés and inns in Traunkirchen.
"My personal must on every bike tour is not just a cosy hut, but something sweet for the stomach. You can actually get a good Kaiserschmarrn and sheet cake anywhere - but my highlight on the Sonnstein tour is a stop at the Hochsteinalm, because they still serve Pofesen - a sweet treat that is now almost only available as a fasting dish at Easter - and which are (almost) as good as my grandmother's at the Hochsteinalm." Andrea Schenner, landlady of the Agathawirt bike hotel in Bad Goisern
