The BIKE Deutschland Trail project: in 2017 BIKE editor Stefan Loibl with the help of the MTB community from the edge of the Alps to Hamburg. He cycled a whopping 1677 kilometres and 28134 metres in altitude in 19 days through Germany and its low mountain ranges. In 2019, he set off once again to Crossing Germany by mountain bike from west to east. From the border triangle near Aachen through the Eifel, the Siebengebirge and the Hochsauerland to Willingen. Over to Winterberg and further along the Rothaarsteig to Dillenburg. Over the Dünsberg into the Taunus, over the Gr. Feldberg into the Spessart to Bad Orb. BIKE editor Stefan Loibl spent eleven days travelling the first section of the Deutschland Trail, then another ten days for the second part from Bad Orb to Bodenmais.
We persuaded Stefan to pick out the 14 best mountain bike trails in Germany for you. You can read the exact descriptions of the single trails and what makes them special below.
The 14 best MTB trails in Germany
1 Hasselbach-Graben-Trail - Eifel
Not far from the Belgian border, just outside the southern gates of Aachen, the North Eifel region throws up its humps. But the Hasselbachgraben Trail doesn't even bother climbing up the mountains. At the end of the dam wall of the Dreilägerbach reservoir, it simply plunges straight into the forest and is a kind of Waalweg trail with carpets of roots and jumps. Due to the slight gradient, you have to pick up momentum yourself and should keep it up as much as possible to stay in the flow - for a whole three kilometres! It probably rolls a little smoother in an east-west direction.
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2 Püttner Trail - Fichtelgebirge
It is the Cube crew's favourite trail after work: pedal 400 metres up to the striking granite towers of the Kösseine (939 m), enjoy the view and then curve back down to Waldersdorf on an incredibly fun seven kilometres of singletrack. At the top, the Püttner Trail is still bumpy and blocked, but then it picks up speed with a few steep slides and wide bends. The root carpets soon become smoother. And this is just one of many downhill options on the Kösseine. A large, trail-filled 3-day MTB tour around the Fichtelgebirge with GPS data is available here here.
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3 Huber-, Kloster-, Larry-Trail - Würzburg
We can only recommend a biking student: Go to the University of Würzburg! The entire Main valley just outside the city is criss-crossed with winding flow trails. There is now even a super trail map of this area, and even the locals argue at the junctions about which connecting trail is the most rewarding. Code of honour: anyone who discovers a new trail is allowed to stamp their name on it. Only the monastery trail ends at the monastery. The BIKE area guide with five top MTB tours around Würzburg is available here here.
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4th Steinwald single trail - Steinwald Nature Park
It is the longest trail that Stefan has tracked down on his two crossings of Germany. The trail winds for seven kilometres through the Steinwald, Bavaria's smallest nature park. Seen from the valley, the 900 metre high mountain is not at all noticeable in the forest hump landscape. But the closer you get to the summit, the more bizarre granite towers mingle among the trees. The view from the observation tower is followed by the descent: non-slip granite boulder blocks lie in the way. It's not easy to find a line without bouncing. But soon everything dissolves into fast forest passages.
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5 Fellingshausen Trail - Dünsberg
There has already been a lot of trouble about illegal trail building on the 498 metre high Dünsberg. But you don't even have to go up there to experience maximum riding fun. Directly behind the Keltentor gate, parallel to the road, this trail rolls out into the forest. Narrow as a towel and two kilometres long, it winds around the tree trunks, sometimes dropping into muddy holes and then quickly making sure it is clean again with stream crossings.
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6 Kahler Asten, Hoher Knochen - Hochsauerland/Winterberg
The trails over the Kahler Asten (842 m) and the Hoher Knochen offer a natural counter-programme to the hustle and bustle of the Winterberg bike park. Although many hikers stroll through the high heath up to the panoramic peaks here at the weekend, the track is usually free during the week. So you can fly along sandy forest paths on the Hoher Asten and nibble at hairpin bends and roots on the Hoher Knochen. Tip: Kahler-Asten trail marathon with up to 100 kilometres, date: 10 August, info: www.bike-arena.de
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7 Jura Trail - Naabtal/Upper Palatinate
The perfectly signposted Jura Trail completes a 237-kilometre loop through the Altmühl and Naab valleys, among other places. Mountain bikers from Regensburg join the route at Etterzhausen, follow the nature trails parallel to the Naab river and then head out again towards the artists' village of Kallmünz.
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8 Altmühltal Panorama Trail - Northern Bavaria
For 227 kilometres, the Altmühl has carved a winding notch in the ground: from Eichstätt to the mouth of the Danube. And the trails flow parallel along the banks. There are plenty of roots and viewpoints, but also some nasty uphill stretches. Especially when changing banks. The GPS data for a four-day MTB tour along the Altmühltal Panorama Trail can be found at here.
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9 Niedere Bleick - Ammergau Alps
Mountain biking in the Alps has a real disadvantage compared to the low mountain ranges: there are only a few tours that lead to the summit cross. However, the Niedere Bleick (1590 m) near Füssen is one of these - albeit steep - exceptions. And this effort is of course rewarded with views of the Alps and lakes. To enjoy the descent, however, you need to be able to shift the rear wheel. There are washed-out roots across the way, rough steps that need to be dropped and steep descents that need to be braked down in good measure.
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10 Nurtschweg - Upper Palatinate Forest
The Nurtschweg is an old smugglers' trail along the Czech border and has been fully signposted as a long-distance hiking trail. Bikers use the 133-kilometre trail between Waldsassen and Waldmünchen as a red thread, as many other trails branch off from its kilometre-long forest and meadow trail. And thanks to the Nurtschweg, these can be knitted together into day-long laps. A not entirely unstrenuous endeavour, as there are also some uphill trail ramps.
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11 Hemmkoppe - Thuringian Forest/Saal Valley
The Hemmkoppe with its sensational ridge rises above the small town of Ziegenrück an der Saale. Once you have reached this summit via a steep ramp, you balance along the narrow but not exactly unsportsmanlike trail at the top. You should stop in between, however, because the view of the Hohenwarte and Bleiloch reservoirs is no less gigantic.
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12 Mühlhäuser Landgraben
Men with shovels once travelled through the forest for this trail too. However, that was 660 years ago and back then, in the Middle Ages, it was more about building a boundary ditch around the town of Mühlhausen. In some places today, this trail shoots right through this ditch. The embankments are still clearly recognisable in places. The best starting point is Eigenrieden. From here, you head straight into the rooty rumble trail. With gentle ups and downs, but also with ramps, it makes its way via Eichsfeld, Bickenriede, Lengenfelder Warte and at the end another 200 metres in altitude up to the ridge of the Dün.
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13 Eberhard 3 Trail - Steigerwald
A never-ending trail through rare primeval beech forests. Of all the trails that Stefan has experienced on his two crossings of Germany, Eberhard 3 is his favourite. Trail maintainer Eberhard from the MTB paradise of Böhlgrund near Zell cranked up the Ebersberg with Stefan on the forest road and then proudly threaded his own signature trail: rarely wider than a small towel, the path clings to stream notches and bobs through hollows and hollows. Flowing in places, but in such a way that the brakes don't cool down. Quick reactions also help you stay on track. In 2019, you could seamlessly switch over to the snake trail at the end of the trail, but unfortunately this is currently closed to bikers.
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14 Deister trails - Calenberger Bergland near Hanover
400 metres above sea level doesn't sound like much at first, but as you roll out of Hanover, the Deister breaks out of the otherwise flat landscape like a whale's hump. So it's no wonder that the city's biking community has created a small but cosy hideaway here. What is surprising, however, is that the natural trails here are much easier to ride than the built ones. Stefan cranked up the mountain three times with the locals to experience as many downhill variants as possible and had a lot of fun in the process. He only had problems on the built trail with the misleading name "Ladies only". He would have preferred to tackle the obstacles piled up there without all his luggage.
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