Forest bathing in the saddle: surfing on easy single trails, enjoying a stop and soaking up the tranquillity of the forest. There is plenty of space for e-mountain bikers in Baiersbronn hiking heaven. We show you the three most beautiful trail tours around the small biotope for bikers in the Black Forest and give you tips on the exquisite delights that await you off the forest trails.
"The last time I experienced this was in Madeira!" exclaims Karen as she chases after her companion Tobi on the trail between man-high ferns. There is still morning mist down in the valley. But one floor above, the sun is just rising from an undulating sea of fir trees. Its rays gild the man-high fern branches on the almost 900 metre-high Burgkopf.
"Hey, let's stop!" says Karen shortly afterwards. The Walterhütte, a small mountain hut, is the perfect panoramic stop. As a bike guide, Karen has already been to countless dream spots. "Some people fly halfway round the world to experience something like this," she muses. And yet it's so simple: flowing trails meander through magnificent landscapes here in Germany too.
Nevertheless, the trails around Baiersbronn are still an undiscovered secret for many e-bikers and analogue bikers. The reasons: Laws and geography. Surrounded by dense forests, high moors and cirque lakes, Baiersbronn is located halfway between Stuttgart and Strasbourg - in the northern Black Forest. City dwellers would say: "In the middle of nowhere."
As is generally the case in Baden-Württemberg, the much-discussed Two metre rule Until a few years ago, every mountain biker on single trails was persona non grata here too. But no rule is without exception. "Baiersbronn is like the indomitable Gallic village that defies trail bans," grins bike guide Klaus Keck. And it's even completely legal.
"Mountain bike trails are the basic infrastructure for the future," explains Patrick Schreib, who joined us on the tour. He is a biker with heart and soul, but also the tourism director of Baiersbronn. Together with the mountain bike department of the gymnastics club, the forest owners, local councillors and other stakeholders, he devised a trail concept with the necessary exemptions from the two-metre rule. In the end, the project was even subsidised by the administration of the Black Forest Nature Park.
Eleven signposted tours with a total length of 400 kilometres lead in a star shape to the five side valleys around Baiersbronn. Perfect for e-bike tours, as the frequent ups and downs add up to quite a few metres in altitude - almost like in the Alps. The paths wind around mossy tree trunks and are either covered with a crackling carpet of needles or rustling leaves. The trail passes romantic forest inns and places steeped in history, such as the Buhlbach glassworks, where clever Black Foresters invented the champagne bottle in the 19th century.
Pleasure and style are also at home here. "A fine thing," nods Karen with a noble gesture over dinner. Hardly any other region in Germany has such a high density of gourmet stars as Baiersbronn. And if there was a star rating for fine root trails, the indomitable, bike-crazy Black Forest community would also be way out in front.
1 -Hirschkopf trail tour: flowing trail jewel
Distance 33 km | Uphill 1130 m | Cycling time approx. 3 h
Riding technique medium | Fitness medium | Battery 1 x 630 Wh
Start and finish: Swimming pool Klosterreichenbach
The dream tour for singletrail fans who feel comfortable on narrow, not too difficult forest trails. With a trail share of 33 per cent, this tour guarantees an intense flow experience. And this tour is not short of panoramic spots either. After the first ascent, a panoramic view of the valleys around Baiersbronn awaits you at the Zimmerplatzhütte.
Then the great fun begins: the descent along flowing trails to just before the Masthütte. The route continues with exciting ups and downs. Longer climbs are mostly on forest tracks. A tour where you are constantly in the flow. Unless you are tempted to take a break at one of the cosy rest areas. Replenish your energy reserves with grilled and smoked fish - or coffee and cake - in the beer garden at the fisherman's hut by the Friedrichstal ponds.
If you prefer to treat yourself to a cappuccino or ice cream sundae in front of the noble and historic backdrop of the largest converted market square in Germany, take a detour straight into the centre of Freudenstadt at the Wilderer-Bänkle: a wonderful contrast to the winding trails on the way back, some of which are peppered with hairpin bends. The trails in the Reichenbach valley offer a grand finale. They are among the favourites of local bikers.
2 -steep slope tour: a crisp treat
Distance 46 km | Uphill 1620 m | Cycling time approx. 5 h
Riding technique difficult | fitness difficult | battery 2 x 500 Wh / 630 Wh
Start and finish: Rosenplatz Baiersbronn
A royal tour for trail gourmets and connoisseurs. A whopping 1650 metres in altitude put a strain on your calves, energy stores and the battery on your bike on this tour. This means that the Black Forest tour is on a par with tours in the Alps. The motto is: up on gravel or tarmac, down on trails.
In addition to enchanted and sometimes somewhat rough, challenging trails, the tour offers plenty of culinary stops. At the Sattelei hikers' hut, you can recharge your bikes and bikers: an e-bike charging point - and specialities such as Swabian ravioli or the hut snack. For dessert, the Black Forest cherry slice is a must.
The route leads along forest tracks and trails to Forellenhof Buhlbach. "Trout have been bred here for 100 years," explains fish farmer Richard Eifler. "Rainbow trout, salmon trout, brown trout, golden trout, char - and now also Lake Constance whitefish and crayfish." They are served on the plate as Buhlbach trout stew, trout cakes or marinated char.
Brilliant panoramic spots such as the pleasure spot at the Walterhütte put the icing on the cake of the steep slope tour. For trail novices, there are a few steep sections on the downhill trail there that require you to dismount briefly and push.
3 -Murgtal Tour: A lively tour of culture
Distance 59 km | Uphill 1835 m | Cycling time approx. 5-6 h
Riding technique medium | fitness heavy | battery 2 x 500 Wh / 630 Wh
Start and finish: Swimming pool Klosterreichenbach
This tour offers plenty of biking fun and an unforgettable excursion into traditional and modern Black Forest culture. It is not stingy with altitude metres - you should therefore plan for a longer charging stop or a battery change.
If you prefer a more leisurely ride, you can divide the tour into two daily stages and, after the sections over the hills to the west and east of the Murg respectively, enjoy a relaxed ride back through the Murg valley to the starting point. A flowing single trail awaits after almost every climb. A tricky exception: the Weiherhütten trail on the Hahnenstein with its hairpin bends.
And there are other exclusive delicacies too. Have you ever tasted spruce tip ice cream? The Seidtenhof speciality is the perfect flavour complement to the trails on this tour. Forest that melts in your mouth, so to speak. Soft spruce shoots, collected in spring, give the ice cream its flavour.
The most idyllic corner of this loop is the legendary Huzenbacher See with its moorland banks and a floating island. This natural paradise is part of the Black Forest National Park. Most of the trails on this loop are even smoother than those on the Steile-Hänge-Tour. Highlights include the super flowy Huzenbach trail and the somewhat more challenging trail into the Tonbach valley.
The GPS data for all eleven tours around Baiersbronn are in a Free tour app for Android and iOS available.
Black Forest tips
GAUMENSCHMAUS Baiersbronn is located in the northern Black Forest region and is known for its award-winning gastronomy. The Hotel Bareiss with the Restaurant Bareiss, the Kaminstube and Dorfstuben, the Schwarzwaldstube and Köhlerstube in the Hotel Traube Tonbach as well as the gourmet restaurant Schlossberg make Baiersbronn a small but fine gourmet capital. Feasting on tour is also possible: Sattelei hiking hut, Forellenhof Buhlbach.
HEART FOR KIDS Gentle gradients, a small, flowing single trail, a playground right next to the route and the imposing Pudelstein rock towering in the forest. The 12.4-kilometre Kids-Tonbach-Tour offers an exciting discovery tour (230 m elevation gain) for the little ones - whether in their dad's bike trailer or on their own bike. To top it all off, there's an organic ice cream at the Seidtenhof.
BIKE-PACKING IN THE TREKKING CAMP It doesn't have to be a star hotel. The starry sky is no less fascinating. In six trekking camps around Baiersbronn, you can officially spend the night in a tent or tarp in the middle of nature. Info: www.trekking-schwarzwald.de
E-BIKEGUIDES Baiersbronn regularly offers free guided tours with trained guides. Details and everything else about e-mountain biking in the Black Forest community: www.baiersbronn.de
Surfing trails in amazement
Dive into fascinating forest landscapes. The Black Forest hills around Baiersbronn offer plenty of sporting and cultural highlights, not only on the trails but also off them.
