Legal trails in the south of Munich: Würmtal - the grand opening ceremony on 22 June!
"The commitment of our local interest group DIMB Fünf-Seen-Land is priceless," reports DIMB Chairman Lothar Maier. This is probably also the reason why the Würmtal trails were completed so quickly. A total of 6 lines will now be handed over to the bike community next Sunday, 22 June.
The programme for the opening ceremony on Sunday
- 13:00 Start
- 14:00 Speeches and official opening
- 16:30 Raffle prize draw
- 17:00 Estimated end
There will be information stands from the DIMB IG Fünf-Seen-Land, the BaySF (Bavarian State Forestry) and the Paul Lange/Shimano company on site. There will also be a raffle, action shots with a photographer along the routes and guided tours with the DIMB IG Fünf Seen Land.
Incidentally, the Würmtal project was financially supported by the two companies Sram and Shimano.
As co-operation partners of IMBA Europe, the two world market leaders in the component sector have been involved in the construction of "Flow Trails" for some time. However, the two otherwise competing companies are now acting as joint sponsors for the first time in the Würmtal project and naturally want to set an example:
Goals are achieved by pulling together.
The mountain sports specialist also supports Ortovox sustainable trail building in the Würmtal valley and promotes the MTB home trails south of Munich.
These are the 6 new Würmtal Lines
1st Burgstein Trail (blue/easy)
- Length: 610 m
- Uphill: 11 metres in altitude
- Downhill: 14 metres depth
- Character: Wide, easy to roll and actually only the feeder to the entrances of the other 5 trails
2. Würmflow (blue/light)
- Length: 870 metres
- Downhill: 58 metres in depth
- Character: wider trail with waves and small tables
3. plumber (red/medium heavy)
- Length: 460 metres
- Downhill: 41 metres in depth
- Character: partly steep berms, stepdowns, bowl
4. rockdrop (red/medium heavy)
- Length: 340 metres
- Downhill: 31 metres depth
- Character: berms, small jumps, medium-sized drop
5th G'Würm (red/medium difficulty)
- Length: 700 metres
- Downhill: 66 metres in depth
- Character: berms, waves, small jumps, table, roots
6. bermingham (black/heavy)
- Length: 450 metres
- Downhill: 45 metres depth
- Character: big stepdown, tight bends, jumps!
Where is the best place to park near the Würmtal trails?
The Würmtal hiking car park only has a very limited capacity. Therefore, please park outside the car park for the opening ceremony if possible or use public transport to get there: S6 to Gauting station, then cycle the last stretch to the Würmtal hikers' car park: (distance: 5 km idyllically along the river) or from "Starnberg Nord" station (distance: 5.3 km on the cycle path).
Our original article announcing the Würmtal Trails/ March 2025:
In cooperation with the German Mountain Bike Initiative e.V. (DIMB) and other partners, the Munich forestry operation of the Bavarian State Forests has granted authorisation for legal mountain bike trails. The new offer is intended to better protect the valuable hillside and beech forests along the Würm and at the same time offer bikers attractive routes. The realisation work will begin shortly so that the new trails can be opened in early summer. With this step, those responsible are responding to the problem of illegally created trails, which have led to conflicts between bikers, forest conservation and forestry in recent years.
Sustainable route concept
The new trail network is realised in a very nature-friendly way with narrow, mostly natural trails. It includes blue, red and black trails, the difficulty of which is based on the colours of ski slopes. This creates a varied selection for all riding levels - from beginners to experienced mountain bikers. The trails will be created on a designated area, while the numerous "wild" trails that previously cut up the forest area will be removed. This concept is intended to better meet the needs of mountain bikers as well as protecting the local flora and fauna on the remaining area.
Flow trail as a special highlight
A particular highlight of the new trail network will be the planned flow trail. Its construction is being financially supported by the co-operation partners Sram and Shimano/Paul Lange.
Involvement of the local biker community
The DIMB will actively involve the local biking community in the planning and realisation of the new trails. This should increase acceptance of the official offer and help to ensure that the trails that were previously created illegally are actually abandoned. Forestry operations manager Emil Hudler emphasises the importance of this collaboration: "We hope that, together with the mountain bike community and an attractive offer, we can better protect the valuable forests along the Würmtal valley near Munich from wild, unauthorised trails. However, we will only achieve this in the long term together with the bikers and the necessary respect for nature."
Positive feedback from those involved
Sonja Schreiter, DIMB expert for mountain bikers throughout Bavaria, is delighted with the conclusion of the negotiations: "The talks were always on an equal footing and solution-orientated. I think that with this agreement, together with the Bavarian State Forests, we have shown that the protection of all legitimate interests in the forest and attractive mountain bike trails are not mutually exclusive. Quite the opposite." This positive assessment emphasises the project's potential to serve as a model for similar projects in other regions.
Impact on nature conservation and tourism
The establishment of official mountain bike trails in the Würmtal also has an impact on nature conservation and local tourism. The work of the nature guides employed by the district of Starnberg and the Gesellschaft für Wirtschafts- und Tourismusentwicklung im Landkreis Starnberg GmbH (gwt) in this area is made much easier by the clear regulations. In recent years, there have been repeated discussions between bikers and the nature guides. The new concept aims to minimise these conflicts. At the same time, the attractive range of trails on offer could make the region more interesting for mountain bike tourists and thus have a positive effect on the local economy.
Würmtal Trails - short & sweet
- Trail network: blue, red and black trails (different levels of difficulty)
- Flow trail: Specially designed route with a flowing, curved course
- Trail condition: Narrow, mostly natural trails
- Location: Würmtal south of Gauting, near Munich/Starnberg
- Planned opening: 22 June 2025, 1:00 pm
