Pump tracks, dirt lines, flow trails and trail parks - along the Rhine, or more precisely along the 200-kilometre stretch between Heidelberg and Koblenz, bike spots are sprouting up all over the place. Each one is worth a visit in its own right. If only because the trails bear the signatures of various trail builders and the terrain changes like the surfaces. The different communities behind these projects are also interesting. The perfect ingredients for a bikepacking trip in summer. Simply cruise down the gently sloping Rhine cycle path and branch off at the respective spots.
Heidelberg: Königstuhl trails
South-east of the university city of Heidelberg, the local mountain Königstuhl rises 567 metres above the Upper Rhine lowlands. Despite its location in the two-metre rule state of Baden-Württemberg, the locals were able to convince the city council of the need for official mountain bike trails. The result: three trails that are now managed and maintained as training grounds for HD-Freeride e. V:
- Downhill route: 1.1 kilometres / 230 metres in altitude
Rough natural line with typical forest obstacles to tinker with, but also shaped berms and doubles to accelerate. Or as the locals say: "Easy to ride, but hard to master!" - Flow trail: 1.2 kilometres / 130 vertical metres
Wide flowline for all those with stony ground, double and pull-off options. - Tannenzäpfle Trail: 0.5 kilometres / 80 metres in altitude
Shorter, but maximally playful and tricky: an experimental trail that the guys from Shapetastic/Radde_mtb helped to design and which is very popular with all levels of rider.
Attention, there are also a few conditions: If you want to ride the trails on the Königstuhl, you must either become a club member (adults: 80 euros, young people: 60 euros per year) or buy a day ticket for 7 euros (via Paypal). However, you are insured during this time and can be sure that 3 euros of this will go back into the maintenance of the trails. Joint after-work rides are also organised on Mondays and Thursdays, with a shuttle also available.
Info: hd-freeride.com
Odenwald: Miltenberg, Eberbach...
If you look northwards from the summit of the Königstuhl, the Odenwald forest already undulates into the horizon. In it: the now countless signposted and well-maintained trail tours from Eberbach, Miltenberg, Amorbach, Hardheim, Dossenheim, Collenberg... and many other places. The Geo Naturpark Bergstraße-Odenwald endeavours to provide an overview of all enduro, all-mountain and marathon tours: mtb-geo-naturpark.de
Our author Christian Penning was also there last summer to be shown the most rewarding laps with the iconic abbreviation names MIL1, AM1, HA1 etc.. He also asked the locals how they got this flagship project in Germany off the ground. The complete BIKE Trailguide "Odenwald-Syndikat".
We have also been out and about on the trails around the town of Eberbach, which are specially designed for bikers. Click here for the trail guide "Bikeländ Eberbach" with the complete giant tour incl. GPS.
Incidentally, you can shorten the route back to the Rhine by taking the S-Bahn. To Mannheim, for example. There you could hop back on the train to the next bike spot and reach Deidesheim on the other side of the river in just 40 minutes!
Deidesheim: Nature trail at Eckkopf in the Palatinate Forest
To the west of Deidesheim, the Haardt is the first mountain range in the Palatinate Forest. This includes the 516-metre-high Eckkopf peak with its striking observation tower - a spot that is particularly popular with hikers. However, the "Naturtrail Deidesheim" over this mountain has also been available for mountain bikers since 2024. A long loop of 18 kilometres and 677 metres in altitude through deciduous forest with four long trail sections:
- Three oaks: 800 m / 100 tm
- Churchner: 1.8 km / 218 tm
- Pechstein: 1.7 km / 160 tm
- Edelschweiß Uphill: 800 m / 110 m elevation gain
The trails have only recently been refined with a few features, for which suppleness and speed of reaction are also useful. Especially if it has rained beforehand. Then the natural structures made of stone and rock quickly turn into unpredictable momentum generators. Or as one user recently commented on YouTube: "Pechstein in combination with 3 oaks is so insanely good!!!"
The Edelweiss 1924 Deidesheim Riding Club took on the marathon required by the authorities for this project. The boys and girls also organise the maintenance of the trails and joint rides. Anyone who would like to get involved actively or financially can find open arms and all the information about the trails here: edelweiss-deidesheim.de
Between Mainz and Wiesbaden, the Rhine makes a 90-degree turn to the west and shortly afterwards you turn right into the pretty little wine village of Kiedrich. There, where the Hotel Wald.Weit recently opened its doors on a wild and secluded forest peak.
Bikepark Kiedrich
Here it was the bike-enthusiastic hotelier himself who had the trail construction company Natur-Projekte shovel flowlines into the Hahnwald garden.
5 trails await you here, from super-flowy to "Rhine Falls", which also delights experts with its steep slides and surprise effects. All trails are also freely accessible to non-hotel guests, there are car parks and a food truck at weekends. Riding technique pro Max Mey offers courses, and the guys and girls from "Wurzelwerke" also offer riding technique with yoga.
All information with webcam and opening hours of the trails: wald-weit.com
Hargesheim and Bad Münster pump tracks
If you cycle further along the Rhine, you soon reach the next big bend in the river near Bingen and could take a detour southwards to Hargesheim on the Wissberg and to Bad Münster to two very artistically designed pump tracks. Two courses that were also the brainchild of Kim Christian from the company Natur-Projekte.
Pictures: nature-projects.com
In St. Goarshausen, you could also turn right from the banks of the Rhine to Heidenrod/Laufenselden, just under 30 kilometres away: Here, the local bike community was allowed to create a flow trail in the landscape last year:
Flowtrail Heidenrod
Schlingnatter, Heidenride, Fieberklee, Wurzelwerk and Wildcat are the names of the various sections of the new Heidenrod flow trail. A total of 3.4 kilometres of trails have been signposted just outside Laufenselden in southern Hesse and furnished in a bike-friendly way. There are berms and small jumps on all descents to fire up the flow turbo, with only the Wildcat and Enduro sections showing their claws in the form of drops and roots. There is also a 450 metre long uphill trail with such a gentle gradient that you can have fun pedalling even without a motor and battery.
These trails were officially opened in April 2025 and since then everyone has been talking enthusiastically about the "Heidenride". All information, including opening times and all the club's activities: flowtrailheidenrod.de
Under no circumstances should you leave the Boppard Bike Park to the left, which you will touch anyway on the further route along the Rhine.
Bikepark Boppard
Not for Sunday riders, as the homepage says quite selectively. The Boppard Stadtpark mountain bike park has a freeride line with professionally shovelled ramps, wall rides and north shores. Around 250 metres in depth, which require good suspension. But there are also bypasses for less experienced riders. You can also gain momentum for several dirt lines on a three-metre-high launch ramp, which have already inspired top international riders. The whole thing is supported by a chairlift!
Info: boppard-tourismus.de
Koblenz: City forest trails
And it's not far from the Boppard bike park to the Koblenz MTB initiative's big negotiating success: they too were finally allowed to create an official trail network in the city forest in 2021. And if you have to negotiate for a particularly long time, you might think that you put a lot of effort into creating the lines. There are bikers who say: "Awesome, really, really cool what they've built there!"
The trails are located in 4 corridors, are mostly natural and are open to all bikers in the summer months. A dirtline was also added in 2023!
Info about the trails: mtbkoblenz.de and a map with the 4 corridors: koblenz.de/environment-and-planning
Fancy experiencing the Rhine from its source? On the two-day Trans Surselva in Graubünden you experience the trails above the still turquoise-coloured wild river.
Gitta Beimfohr
Editor
