Harz district report
Oskar is waiting for me. The Harz Mountains are waiting for me. For six hours and six months to be precise. For Walpurgis Night on 30 April, I wanted to make the Blocksberg unsafe with Oskar. So I was going to cycle off from Sankt Andreasberg with a sleeping bag in my luggage, immerse myself for a few days in northern Germany's largest low mountain range and be spooked by the witches' gathering at the summit of the Brocken. But then this and that got in the way, and my car broke down on the home straight. So that's why there was this six-hour delay on top of everything else. But thank goodness my guide is not unforgiving.
When I pick Oskar up in Göttingen, he has already adjusted our plan to the shortened time window. The originally planned route over the Brocken to Bad Harzburg and back to Sankt Andreasberg, with an overnight stay in a bivouac, would have been difficult even without my delay. At the end of October, the days are already short, and as an additional darkening measure, rain clouds are currently creeping across the sky. Not to mention the storm that recently played Mikado with the bark beetle-ridden Harz mountains. On such a long route, it's difficult to predict whether there will be piles of fallen trees on our planned trails. But Oskar has a new idea in his head and I trust him blindly, because the man knows what he's doing. Even though he's only 21.
My guide knows the Harz Mountains like the back of his hand
Oskar is genetically predisposed. In my humble opinion, his dad Gunnar is the best cycling expert in the country. So it's clear that Junior learnt to cycle at an early age - in the early 2000s - almost before he learnt to walk. Also clear: as a native of Göttingen, Oskar knows every trail in his home region of the Harz Mountains by first and last name. I couldn't imagine a better guide. His brilliant idea in our unfavourable circumstances: We'll skip the multi-day tour, leave the sleeping bags at home and travel to Sankt Andreasberg by car. He knows an accommodation there called Werkmeister. In the Glückauf-Straße. Well, that's the first positive sign on a day that hasn't really been a success so far.
A stroke of luck: the lodge is closed, but we can still come!
The feeling of happiness lasts only a few minutes' drive, because: The Werkmeisters are closed. At least that's the message on the answering machine. Oskar looks over at me in disbelief from the passenger seat, but doesn't want to give up just yet: "Try again." With every unsuccessful redial, I become more panicked. Murphy seems to like me. And then I suddenly have Alexandra on the line. Yes, they're closed, she confirms her own machine. But she seems to take pity on my pathetic undertone. Okay, we can come! We have the whole bike lodge above the rooftops of Sankt Andreasberg to ourselves. Now it's sure to be a steep uphill climb with us and our luck. It's well past the end of the day when we check into our accommodation. A long day. Followed by a nightmarish night full of fog and all kinds of ghosts.
Spruce Mikado on the trails - the bike spot of the north seems bewitched.
New day - and Murphy is already at the start again. It's dripping down from the sky like it hasn't all summer, confirms Oskar. Or do the Brocken witches have their warty hands in the game? No matter. We're here now and we're going to go through with our plan. But speaking of plans: Oskar pores over the map again at breakfast with the foremen Alexandra and Jan. They advise against some of the tour sections that Oskar had worked out for us at home: There are too many fallen trees over the trail, harvesters have cut aisles and deep ruts in the ground ... In the end, the two lodge operators provide us with very good GPS tracks. Three routes around Sankt Andreasberg. Guaranteed without any major obstacles or nasty surprises. As a crossword fan, I'm naturally most interested in the mountain with seven letters. But Oskar frowns. The paths on the Brocken that are permitted for mountain bikers are not that exciting. What's more, there are naturally lots of hikers on the highest mountain in northern Germany.
Hotspot in the Harz Mountains: Sankt Andreasberg
Sankt Andreasberg is "the place to be" for mountain bikers in the Oberharz. The almost 1,500 inhabitants of the former mining town call their village "Annerschbarrich". "The people here are actually all very nice and open," says Oskar. "And the network of paths is very extensive. Even after years, I still discover something new here." It only takes a few turns of the pedals and we are standing in front of the Matthias-Schmidt mountain and bike park. At the bottom station of the chairlift, I wonder what you have to have achieved for a mountain to be named after you? Unfortunately, my guide has to pass, but of course he knows all about the bike park:
"I really like the bike park," says Oskar. "It's well thought out and a lot of time and energy is being put into expanding the network of trails."
The cold weather is giving us a hard time
Last year, Oskar trained as a bike guide here and has already guided groups. So of course he has a few fun facts up his sleeve: for example, that the world's first snowmaking system was trialled on the Matthias Schmidt mountain in the 1950s. Speaking of snow - I'm surprised that no flakes are falling on the 663 metre high summit today. It feels like the temperatures should almost be right. A shiver runs down my spine: at this time yesterday, we were still determined to have an overnighter in the wild. Maybe Murphy didn't mean it so badly for me yesterday on the A7 motorway after all?
No prospect today
I have to move to avoid freezing. So onwards. Through the spiral staircase valley? Sounds like an ouch. Red bear? Bad dog? Wolf's lair? Oskar's suggestions sound a bit like a scary film. I'd rather go to Sonnenberg. Hope dies last. So we crank up past former mining tunnels in the direction of Sonnenberg and Rehberg. That sounds nice. A beautiful avenue leads us to the Oderteich, one of Oskar's absolute favourite spots. You can also splash around at the idyllic bathing spot in the middle of nature. But not in October. "Turn round!" Oskar suddenly asks me on the way and laughs. Fog soup, finely cooked by the Harz fog spirits. And? "From here you have an amazing view over the entire Upper Harz. Normally.
Unfortunately not today." Joker. But if I can't do ballroom dancing with the witches on the Blocksberg - i.e. on the Brocken - then I at least want to see it. So up to the Achtermannshöhe. Also one of Oskar's favourite places. We walk the last 50 metres up on foot. I hear voices in the fog. Children's voices. How creepy. But it's actually a school class on a hiking day. Meanwhile, Oskar, confidently balancing on the narrow rocky peak, points to the east with a Luis Trenker gesture: "There it is, the Brocken." Yes, yes, I get it: back there somewhere in the fog. Oskar laughs and raises his hands apologetically. Sure, what can he do?
Three quarters of all trails are permitted for bikers - there are restrictions in the national park
Generations of writers, tourists and Bibi fans have created a huge hullabaloo around the supposed Blocksberg, where the witches dance on Walpurgis Night. Thanks be to Goethe. The prince of poets was up there in the winter of 1777 and wrote his famous Faust scenes there. "Brocken-Benno", who died on 23 December 2022 at the age of 90, also made history last year with his 9,000th hike to the summit.
And I am now to be denied the mountain? But Oskar refuses to budge: "There are only a handful of officially authorised trails for bikers in the national park. But they climb extremely steeply from here along the former border strip up to the Brocken." Oh, I didn't know anything about path closures for bikers! "The bans are only limited to the national park. Three quarters of all paths in the Harz are permitted for bikers," estimates Oskar.
Foggy ghosts or not, the many tree corpses along the way are noticeable even without a clear view. "The last hurricane in the Upper Harz mowed down 300,000 spruce trees," says Oskar. "Of course, the heavily used forest paths are quickly cleared again. The main hiking trails too, but the rest takes time." He shows me a spot that would be ideal for an overnight stay. Overnighters are one of Oskar's great passions.
"A tour like this is a completely different experience when you're in the middle of nature in the evening, at night and in the morning," he says. But in winter too? "Preferably in the height of winter!" Oskar's eyes light up when he talks about one such Harz experience in February. With a fatbike and a night at minus 20 degrees. "That was an adventure!" Too bad we didn't bring our sleeping bags, otherwise he would have motivated me now. But then I'm looking forward to our warm bed at the Werkmeisters.
Revier-Info: Top spots in the Harz Mountains
Three federal states share the 110-kilometre-long low mountain range. Five bike parks, very different scenic trail spots and an exciting traverse over the Brocken await mountain bikers.
5 bike parks
In the Harz Mountains, you can basically shimmy from bike park to bike park on an extended tour circuit. The trails here are largely unspoilt, so you should be able to cope with roots:
1 Bikepark St. Andreasberg (MSB-X-Trail)6 rooty trail descents for different levels, 2 chairlifts. Day ticket: 35 euros, season: April to November.
2 Racepark Schulenberg: Very creative trail architects with big shovels are at work here. The 6 trails are open all year round in good weather. Day ticket: 30 euros.
3 Bikepark Hahnenklee on the Bocksberg near Goslar with cable car, chairlift, 9 different trails and bag jump. Season: April to October.
4 Bikepark Braunlage on the Wurmberg (941 m): 4 natural trails of up to 4.4 kilometres in length plus dirt and North Shoreline. Cable car day ticket: 38 euros. Season: June to November.
5 Bikepark Bodetal: The legendary Rosstrappen Downhill, which has also hosted the IXS Downhill Cup, has three easier branches and more are planned. Chairlift, season depending on the weather.
Trail area Goslar
The winding alleyways of the half-timbered metropolis of Goslar are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. But what is even more appealing are the many trails that follow the steep northern edge of the Harz. The advantage of this region: while rain clouds tend to cling to the Upper Harz around the Brocken, the northern edge of the mountains enjoys significantly higher temperatures and fewer rainy days.
Accommodation tip: Hotel Schiefer in the centre of Goslar. The area guide with free GPS data for the three tours Stauseerunde (49 km, 1060 m elevation gain), Harzer Wasserregal (43 km, 834 m elevation gain) and the highly recommended Nordrand-Trails tour (55 km, 1460 m elevation gain) can be found here.
Bodetal: Sandstone cliffs in the eastern Harz Mountains
The village of Thale in the Bode Valley is the absolute top spot on the former East German side of the Harz Mountains. Around the almost Moab-like sandstone cliffs of the "Devil's Wall", there are plenty of trail tours, all of which are permitted for bikers with a few exceptions. Situated in the lee of the major Harz peaks, you can expect significantly less precipitation and foggy days here than in the Upper Harz, there are fewer spruce trees lying across the trails and there is a very dedicated bike scene. Among other things, it is notorious for hosting the German Downhill Championships on the Rosstrappen Downhill.
Accommodation tip: Bodetal holiday park with hotel and holiday flats, Hubertusstraße 9 -11, Tel. 03947/77660. Very comfortably equipped complex near the bike park cable cars. Good starting point for tours.
The three best trail laps in the Bode Valley: Teufelsmauer-Ritt (48.9 km, 796 m elevation gain), Talsperren-Runde (36.3 km, 990 m elevation gain) and Bodetal-Panorama (26.8 km, 750 m elevation gain). The GPS data for the three tours can be found here.
Trans-Harz: from Goslar to Nordhausen (156 km | 4094 m elevation gain | 3 stages)
In two days from Goslar to Nordhausen in the south-east, then back towards Brocken on the narrow-gauge railway and on the third stage from Torfhaus back to Goslar. The route crosses the highest peak, the Brocken, twice. Once long and pleasant, once shorter, but mean and steep. The crossing of the death strip, which once marked the German-German border, is historically interesting. The most beautiful trails await you after the Granetalsperre dam, just before Torfhaus, in the Brandenbach valley and at the end of the tour around the Eckertalsperre dam. The GPS data for the tour can be found here.
St. Andreasberg
Alexandra and Jan from B & B Werkmeister in St. Andreasberg have scouted lots of recommended tours in their region. Guests can set off with the hotel's own tracks for these tours: "Achtermann & Wolfswarte" (41.9 km, 1249 metres in altitude), "Hanskühnenburg" (53.8 km, 1902 metres in altitude) and "Knollen-Tour" (37.5 km, 1808 metres in altitude). Info: harzbnb.de
Tour guides, trail network & accommodation: More Harz information for mountain bikers
Guided tours
Bike hire and tour guides can be found in almost every larger town in the Harz Mountains and in the bike shops of the bike parks. The following have specialised in trails Trailtech in Waake (also multi-day tours and riding technique) and MTB resin in Goslar (Trans-Harz routes and day tours) and Harz Agency in the Upper Harz.
Signposted paths
Volksbank Arena Harz: 74 tours with a total of 2200 kilometres have now been signposted in the Harz Mountains. You can access this network around the Brocken from 31 different locations. Information on the tours and a map set can be found here.
Overnight stay
There are many places to stay in the Harz Mountains. We have tried it ourselves and can highly recommend the lovingly run Bed & Breakfast Die Werkmeister in St. Andreasberg. The hosts cycle themselves and have a large portfolio of self-recorded GPS tracks. Breakfast is made from regional organic products. Price: a double room for 120 euros per night. Info about Harz B&B.
General information
Accommodation and all information about the bike trail network can be found at Resin Info.
