From the Harz Mountains to the Zittau Mountains to the Breisgau in the very south of Germany - these 10 trail routes from BIKE 6/2019 are worth travelling a long way for. You can download the corresponding GPS data free of charge here.
1st Bavarian Forest Mühlgraben Trail
72.7 km | 1550 m elevation gain | Difficulty: difficult
The Bavarian Forest is huge. Even if you subtract the no-go area of the national park, there are still hundreds of kilometres of tours through absolute wilderness for bikers. But if you ask the locals about the one trail you have to ride, they all agree: the Mühlgraben Trail. For seven kilometres, it winds its way down from the Oedwies at the 1086-metre-high Hirschenstein. The forest trail is not in a hurry. Thanks to its gentle gradient along the Mühlgraben, you can incorporate every bend and every root as a playful element. Unless time is of the essence, because you've set your sights on the big marathon from Viechtach. If you only want to ride the centrepiece of this tour, simply start in St. Englmar.
INFO: The tour is difficult due to its length. If you start from St. Englmar, you can shorten the tour to a relaxed 21.5 km and 650 metres in altitude.
2nd Chiemgau Hochgern-Reib'n
36.5 km | 1451 m elevation gain | Difficulty: difficult
The Chiemgau Alps are of course not a low mountain range. But their peaks remain below the 2000 metre mark. The Hochgern near Marquartstein, for example, is 1748 metres high, but this tour only circles its flanks at half the height. So purely in terms of feeling: a low mountain tour. But with sensational views over Lake Chiemsee. But you have to fight for it first. You crawl 700 metres uphill on a steep forest path to the Schnappenkirche church and then uphill on a trail at the end. But after that, it's pure enjoyment: four kilometres of trail around the northern flank of the Hochgern, a rustic snack at the Staudacher Alm, the trail in the Weiße Ache valley, the gorge up to Eschelmoos and the flow trail back to Marquartstein at the end.
INFOThe hardest part of this classic tour is the steep climb at the beginning. The trails themselves are rocky, but moderately difficult to ride.
3rd Black Forest Canadian Combi in Freiburg
20 km | 858 m elevation gain | Difficulty: medium
With its two-metre rule, the Black Forest is not exactly considered the land of the future for mountain bikers. However, southern Breisgau is home to a not-so-small, unruly bike scene, which has created five official trails at its own expense. This tour, which starts at the Biosk scene meeting point in Freiburg Waldsee, connects two of them. From here, you pedal for around an hour to the start of the Badish Moon Rising, which undulates up and down with jumps and berms towards Kybfelsen (4.2 km). After a good warm-up, you pass the locks of The Canadian just below Kybfelsen. This descent is now 3.2 kilometres long, with tight bends, surprising jumps and a combination of berms that require good body awareness.
INFO: The Badish Moon Rising Trail is wider and easy to ride, even for beginners. The Canadian: a little more challenging.
4th Harz North Rim Trails
55 km | 1460 hm | Difficulty level: difficult
If you've never been to the Harz Mountains, you have to press on up to the 1142 metre high Brocken. Together with all the cable car tourists, you can see almost the entire green sea of the North German Plain from the highest peak. But the real highlight of the Harz Mountains are its trails. And you won't necessarily find them in the centre of the mountains, but on the edge. "Nordrand-Trails" is the name of the gold circuit just outside Goslar. The tour climbs over the Rammelsberg, Huthberg, Großer Burgberg, Elfenstein and Winterberg - and threads every worthwhile downhill trail along the way. Before that, however, every metre of altitude. So be careful: 1500 metres in altitude with constant ups and downs can drain your energy.
INFOGravel, forest path, trail in constant alternation. The most challenging descent is the root trail at the Kästeklippe.
5th Palatinate Forest Hauenstein circuit
49.2 km | 1000 m elevation gain | Difficulty: medium
The DIMB "Premium Trail" trophy is still held by Tour 4 in the Palatinate Forest - and with its 25 per cent trail content, this is hardly surprising. However, since Germany's top trail area was extended southwards a few years ago, the Dahner Felsenland has been shaking this throne. Between Annweiler and Dahn, the trails not only wind up and down forest crests, but also up bizarre flat rocks. From Dahn, join the signposted Tour 11 and branch off to the west at kilometre 20. This allows you to add a few insider tips and extra trails to the route. These include the detour to the Nonnenfelsen ridge with super views over the Bärenbrunn valley; or the perfect final trail over the Wölmersberg.
INFO: moderately difficult tour - due to possibly wet roots and smaller steps also in terms of riding technique.
6th Spessart Horst & Forst in Bad Orb
54.5 km | 1393 m elevation gain | Difficulty level: medium
Bike & wellness - a combination that is increasingly sought after. The solution could be "Bad Orb". The centrepiece of the small town in the northern Spessart is a thermal spa with a large sauna area. It is surrounded by a network of 656 signposted kilometres of tours. Here, too, emphasis is placed on the highest possible proportion of single trails. This loop over the 540 metre high Horst alone turns off onto fun trails a total of 17 times, without demanding top riding skills. This is because these trails are looked after and maintained by locals. After the longest ascent up the Horst (350 metres), the tour leads up and down via Flörsbach, then along a three-kilometre trail past the Wiesbütter and Lochborner ponds, flanks the floodplains of the Lützel and Lämmerbach streams and climbs over the Hubertsberg including downhill trails back to Bad Orb.
INFOPure flow trails through the forest. But a long tour!
7th Taunus Flowtrail Feldberg and Altkönig
3.8 km | 445 metres per hour | Difficulty level: easy-difficult
For many years, Frankfurt's mountain bikers roamed the forests of the highest Taunus peaks more or less illegally. But at some point, the Gravity Pilots association was formed and, together with the DIMB, fought its way through the jungle of Hessian authorities. The result after three years: a three-part flow trail descent from the 800 metre high Windeck (below the Großer Feldberg) down to the Hohemark clinic in Oberursel. The trail sections are colour-coded according to difficulty. In addition to the easy blue downhill line, there are also black turn-offs with tables, gaps and root carpets. Use of the trails is subject to opening hours. The project information: www.gravitypilots.de
INFO: The easy downhill variant is suitable for beginners, for the black one a full-face helmet and protectors should be worn.
8th Vogelsberg Hirsch-Trail extended
37.9 km | 682 m elevation gain | Difficulty level: medium
43 per cent singletrack - trail builders are out and about in the Vogelsberg region of Hesse. One of them learnt his trade for 14 years in Colorado, USA: Klaus Marbe. The former bike pro has made sure that three Kokopelli-like single trails have been created on the 764 metre high Hoherodskopf. Lots of flow, but no crushed sand pits, instead natural earth, roots, stones - and a few berms to pick up momentum. The Hirsch-Trail extended starts at the Taufstein (773 m) with six kilometres of trail descent and then heads towards the old lava flows of the Uhuklippen. At Grebenhain, this tour leaves the signposted Hirsch Trail to collect a few more wild beauties in the direction of Bonifaziuskanzel.
INFOLong loop through the small, Hessian low mountain range. Roots, rocks and small steps are to be expected.
9. Würzburg M-Way and Käppele
52.6 km | 1120 m elevation gain | Difficulty: medium
If you don't have a low mountain range on your doorstep, you should look out for three things like the people of Würzburg: River, vineyard or chapel. These landscapes are usually surrounded by a network of hiking or pilgrimage trails, which are also worthwhile for bikers. This tour starts at the "Weingut am Stein" vineyard in the north of the city, winds its way through the tight bends of the Veitshöchheim trails and finally leads into the never-ending paths along the banks of the Main. Simply follow the blue "M" markings as far as Zellingen. Then it's back along the other bank of the river: first up the Eschberg, where freeriders have created a few nice lines, then into the trail ramifications at the Erlabrunner Käppele, which appears shortly afterwards.
INFOFive hours is all you need to plan for this trail loop along the banks of the Main. Some of the trails are steep and tricky.
10. Zittau Mountains Over the high forest
30.5 km | 659 m elevation gain | Difficulty level: medium
The Zittau Mountains are part of Lusatia and press against the Czech border in the far east. It is small, but not flat. Around the 793 metre-high Lausche mountain, there are mean ramps and countless trails that extend into Czech territory. In the middle of the forest there are surprising basalt rock formations, which are not called Satanskopf, Mönchsfels and Elefantensteine for no reason. You can experience a good cross-section of these refinements on this tour: it winds its way from Hermsdorf along the Malevil Marathon route, which is highly regarded among insiders, and entertains with its trails along the Snake Ridge, Pfaffenstein, Devil's Wall and along the border line to Johannisstein. A unique route that even attracts former world champions Alban Lakata and Jaroslav Kulhavy time and time again.
INFOSome trails run on sandstone rocks à la Moab.
You can find this article in BIKE 6/2019. You can read the entire digital edition in the BIKE app (iTunes and Google Play) or the print edition in the DK shop reorder - while stocks last:
Downloads:
Gitta Beimfohr
Editor
