3 MTB hut-to-hut tours in the Alps: Today, we’re heading towards the Milky Way

Nothing smells as good as a summer meadow in the Alps. Behind it lies the view across the valley, where the worries of everyday life simply fade away. Onwards we go, up towards the sky, where a simple, wholesome meal and a crystal-clear starry sky await at the end of the day. Then, the next morning: simply carry on cycling into the panoramic scenery! Here are three particularly beautiful cycle routes through the Alps, with a stop in a four-poster bed.

1. From Davos to the Kesch Hut

• Length: 54.5 kilometres
• 11,729 metres of elevation gain
• Downhill: 3,139 metres of descent
• Trail difficulty: S0 – S3
• Info: kesch.ch

Anyone who takes up residence in the Kesch Hut at an altitude of 2,625 metres has definitely turned their back on everyday life down in the valley. Up here, there’s no Wi-Fi and the electricity comes from solar panels. In other words: if the sun isn’t shining, the hut warden decides whether there’s enough power to recharge the guests’ batteries – their mobile phone batteries, mind you! For the e-bike riders’ batteries – which are almost certainly under a lot of strain – things could therefore definitely get tight. You either carry a spare battery, use the lift, or switch to Eco mode during the climb. Although that’s almost impossible on this route, as long uphill sections are particularly gruelling:

The tour starts in Davos. Here, you can save yourself the effort of climbing over 1,000 metres in altitude if – as we did – you take the cable car up to the Jakobshorn. This also saves you the extra weight of the spare battery you’d otherwise need. This makes the subsequent, rather challenging ridge trail down into the Dischma Valley much more enjoyable. Energy-saving mode finally comes into play on the way up to the Scaletta Pass. The ascent starts on flat tarmac as far as the Gasthof Dürrboden, followed by a 600-metre climb for the more adventurous: tight hairpin bends, scree and steps! The whole effort is rewarded with a trail descent into Val Susauna, where, after a 400-metre descent, the turn-off to the Kesch Hut comes into view: a solitary trail leading up through a high-alpine valley. We’d conserved our energy wherever possible on our tour, but our batteries were flashing red by the time we reached the hut as darkness fell.

The hut-to-hut tour covers a total of 54.5 kilometres and involves a substantial 1,729 metres of elevation gain. However, the second day is dominated by a 30-kilometre descent, which is only interrupted by two short climbs of 150 metres in altitude each. The first of these (towards the Sertig Pass), however, is so rocky that you’ll be glad to have a push aid.

The walk to the Kesch Hut

GPS data for all three tours

Subscribers to BIKE magazine and Premium Digital can download the GPX data for the three mountain-hut tours free of charge from bike-magazin.de under “My Account”.

2. South Tyrol: On the Peace Trail to the Marchhütte

• Length: 75.5 kilometres
• Ascent: 1,980 metres
• Trail difficulty: S0–S1/S2
• Note: The Marchhütte is open until the end of September, marchhuette.it

Between two mountain ranges: the Marchhütte is perched on the Marchkinkele, the 2,545-metre-high rocky ridge that separates the Villgraten Mountains from the Dolomites. And nestled directly beneath this ridge lies the former border barracks, which Mussolini had built in the 1930s. From this easternmost point of South Tyrol, you can see all the way to the westernmost point of South Tyrol, namely the Ortler. In between, the entire Dolomite range makes an appearance in your breakfast selfie. It’s a good thing that this old barracks has been converted into a rest stop for walkers and cyclists since 2021. So now, on the famous Stoneman Dolomiti route, there’s finally a place to stop off for the best Kaspressknödel and a heavenly peaceful bed.

You’ll probably be absolutely knackered by the time you reach the latter, as the first day’s climb up to the hut from Sexten covers 33.5 kilometres and 1,450 metres of elevation gain. The route is easy to follow. Simply follow the Stoneman signposts via Toblach and Silvesteralm, then up the old military road to the Marchhütte. The gradient is moderate throughout, leaving plenty of time to take in the ever-expanding panorama. Technically challenging sections follow on day 2, down to the Steinbergalm and later on the 11-kilometre-long trail descent (very root-strewn towards the end) from the Obermahdsattel back to Sexten.

The MTB ride to the Marchhütte

3. Achensee: A mountain bike break at the Guffert Hut

• ​Length: 72.9 kilometres
• Ascent: 2,393 metres
• Trail difficulty: S0
• Info: The Guffert Hut is open until mid-October. Prices: from 22 euros for a twin room (DAV members), gufferthuette.at

On the northern shore of the “Tyrolean Sea” – as Lake Achensee is also known – the Blauberge mountains rise gently. And right in the middle of it all, the Guffert Hut (1,475 m) has made itself at home, with a perfect view of the mountain from which it takes its name. Elmar Moser already recommended this stop-off in his Karwendel guide. Not least because it’s only a half-hour walk from here to the Etruscan rock inscriptions at Schneidjoch. Incidentally, it makes for a lovely evening activity if you’re staying up here overnight.

This two-day tour starts in Achenkirch and, like the Moser Tour, leads via the Blauberg Alm and along the Bavarian-Tyrolean border up to the Gufferthütte. Daily distance: 22 kilometres and 889 metres of elevation gain. This means you can even set off on the tour on Friday afternoon. Especially as the Blauberge look their most beautiful in the evening light.

Day two is a much more challenging route, covering 50 kilometres and 1,500 metres of elevation gain: the route takes you over the Steinberg into the southern Rofan Mountains and up via the Kaiserhaus to the Kögljoch. The highlight of the day: the ‘Grand Canyon’ view down into the Steinberger Ache. The tour’s grand finale: a brave dip in the refreshingly cool Achensee! The route extends all the way into the Rofan Mountains and is almost entirely accessible by train from Munich. Neither the village of Achensee nor Steinberg am Rofan can be reached by train. The destination station is Jenbach in the Inn Valley. A non-stop journey from Munich to Jenbach takes 1 hour 25 minutes, with one-way fares starting at 19.90 euros. A bike ticket costs 9 euros. The final twelve kilometres up to Lake Achensee are then covered under your own steam.

The MTB ride to the Guffert Hut

GPS data for all three tours

Subscribers to BIKE magazine and Premium Digital can download the GPX data for the three mountain-hut tours free of charge from bike-magazin.de under “My Account”.

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