Trail Guide Ahrntal: South Tyrol's northern lights - hairpin bends, alpine pastures and 3000 metre panorama
Sissi Pärsch
· 07.02.2025
It gets wilder and wilder. Up ahead, the Tauferer Ahrntal valley is still far and wide, gentle and lush green. But the deeper you drive in, the denser the mountains become. One castle follows the next, interspersed with waterfalls, farms with sunburnt fronts and little churches that stand so decoratively on hills, it's as if they were built with the Instagram crowd in mind.
And then, of course, there is the surrounding area. On the left, the Speikboden massif. On the right, the Große Windschar, the westernmost three-thousand metre peak in the Rieserferner group. And in front of us, the Zillertal border ridge, which stretches like a massive bar between South Tyrol and Austria. This side valley of the Pustertal is a dead end. And dead ends are always very grateful. Nobody travels through here, you don't pass by by chance. You end up in the Tauferer Ahrntal if you want to end up in the Tauferer Ahrntal. Us, for example.
Because it is said that the northern tip of South Tyrol is an excellent place for biking and that it is quieter than anywhere else. Almost an insider tip. Simon Enzi doesn't mind at all that his valley is a little under the radar "and that it's just a little more unspoilt here." We started out in his grandparents' home village of Prettau, the northernmost municipality in Italy. Here, Simon has designed an alpine eight for us. If you start at an altitude of 1500 metres, it doesn't take long to reach the tree line.
The path up to the Stegeralm leaves plenty of room and space to soak up the mountain world with your eyes. We're not very hungry yet, but a drink in front of the warm shingle walls of the hut is a must before we set off on the first trail fun.
Part two of the tour climbs up the other side of the valley from Prettau. Once again, the high alpine scenery grows with every turn of the cranks. We delve deeper and deeper into this world of steep rock faces, sharply grooved ridges and a remnant of the "eternal" ice. At the age of 30, Simon has experienced the retreat of the glaciers "massively". The Alps may seem monumental, but they are even more exposed to climate change than the valley.
Adam and Simon show us a special place
This makes it all the more important to enjoy them consciously. Simon and his mate Adam Ungericht are also experts in this. Although he moved out to Bruneck when he was six, "I come to Ahrntal a lot for my grandparents and the tours. There are simply more places of refuge here," says the now 20-year-old and adds with a smile: "and of course the food from grandma." The two of them let us descend at the Starklalm. They want to show us a special place on the condition that only fine people "who are travelling with decency" will read this tip. After barely ten minutes of hiking, we find ourselves in the middle of the Wieser Werfer biotope.
A mountain stream meanders through the high moor in an almost surreal, perfect S-shape. "The trail later becomes almost as serpentine," says Simon. The Rauchkofel towers above us at 3251 metres. Behind it lies Tyrol. We, on the other hand, lie down on the South Tyrolean grass and listen to the rippling water and Adam talking.
Swap Star Wars Lego for a downhill bike
He was 12 years old when he bought his first bike. It had to be a downhiller, because he had seen one like it at a friend's brother's house. It was just as well that he had invested his money skilfully as a child: in Star Wars Lego. A good investment, as it turned out. This enabled him to buy a "poison green" Ghost DH 7000. Unfortunately, his joy was short-lived: he broke his wrist on the very first ride at Kronplatz. "We simply had no idea what we were doing." Today he has it.
Not even ten years have passed since then. The downhill bike has since been sold, but Adam now owns an enduro bike, a hardtail, a racing bike and an e-MTB. This time, the money had to be earned in other ways. Among other things, he worked as a trail shaper at Kronplatz during school. Today, as a social media manager, his salary goes directly into his two-wheeler hobby. The most expensive item was the e-MTB. But it had to be, because it gets you up the steep slopes right behind the house and back down again on a wide variety of trails.
On the other hand, we now roll along idyllic country lanes deeper into the far north of South Tyrol, as far as the Tauernalm. In the meantime, hunger sets in. Thank goodness. On the alpine pasture, the Ludwig family cheeses, churns butter, cooks and bakes so excellently that you come up from the valley specifically for the food and for the view of the Dreiherrnspitze, which lies pretty much exactly on the Austrian-Italian border in the main Tauern ridge. This means that one side of the mountain belongs to the Hohe Tauern National Park, the other to the Rieserferner-Ahrn Nature Park. However, the almost 3,500 metre-high peak doesn't seem to care at all.
Eventually, we persuade our full stomachs to continue digesting on the trail - and under very jarring circumstances. Namely on rocky S to Z bends down to the Ahr. Down on the level of the Heilig-Geist meadow, it's bustling. Dog and child owners mingle with visitors to the nature park centre in Kasern, where the valley's culture and landscape are explained.
Simon tells us about his family, which was still closely connected to copper mining, as Prettau copper was known for its smooth quality. Simon's grandad still worked as a miner and his grandmother lost a brother in a blast. "They were eleven children and grandma always said that they took turns going to church because they didn't have that many shoes." Poverty dominated the valley for a long time. None of the prosperous trade routes ran along the Ahr and tourism only developed late.
However, the Ahrntal valley is not short of castles. Taufers Castle has stood mightily and magnificently on a rocky outcrop since the 13th century. Right where the Taufers Valley merges into the Ahrntal Valley. And this is where our next tour destination, the Speikboden, awaits. Ski lifts have turned the mountain massif into the valley's playground.
The alpine path climbs pleasantly for 900 metres
But away from the cable car, we follow a surprisingly lonely narrow path uphill, which only rejoins the stream of tourists just below the mountain station, at an altitude of almost 2000 metres. Paragliders heave their paragliders onto their backs, children hop over to the petting zoo, hikers stroll to nearby Lake Trejer. "We'll soon be out of the hustle and bustle again," says Simon. And he's right. As soon as we leave the railway's catchment area, it gets quieter again.
But now the pulse is racing - thanks to steep snappers and rocky hairpin bends. Riding technique is required and the boys love it. But they love what's to come even more, they assure us. There is the sensational high-level trail along the ridge with a view of the mountain spectacle of the Rieserferner Group and the Dolomites. The refreshment stop at the beautifully decorated Weizgrubenalm. And the final ride on narrow paths back down into the valley. It is a finale that borders on perfection. Where it ends, South Tyrol is once again in top form.
Trail area Ahrntal - What you need to know
The Tauferer Ahrntal valley is not just a great place for various high mountain tours. Its nature park landscape between the Zillertal Alps and the Dolomites is also a great place to sleep, stop for a bite to eat and splash around.
The precinct
The Tauferer Ahrntal basically consists of two valleys: the front Tauferer area stretches from Gais to Sand in Taufers, from there the Ahrntal extends to the end of the valley. While Gais lies at 841 metres above sea level and the valley floor is wide and broad, the rear section becomes increasingly narrow. Prettau, Italy's northernmost municipality, is surrounded by the Zillertal Alps and the Venediger group at 1478 metres. The region lies at the centre of the Rieserferner-Ahrn Nature Park and is surrounded by 80 three-thousand-metre peaks. Many tours lead to the 100 or so mountain huts.
Overnight stay
The Hotel Innerhofer in Gais is one of the bike hotels par excellence in South Tyrol. Agnes and her daughters offer insider tips on routes, entertaining stories, excellent food and a good night's sleep - and of course the perfect bike guide (hotel-innerhofer.com).
Food
The Eggemoa cheese factory is located in the hidden side valley of Mühlwald. Here, Michael Steiner keeps 15 dairy cows at 1300 metres and processes their raw milk into soft cheese. You can also have a picnic basket prepared for you - and you will be told the most beautiful places to enjoy the cheese (eggemoa.com).
Fresh cheese and desserts made from goat's milk are available in Sand in Taufers in the Goasroscht (goasroscht.com) and many products from the region in the farm shop.
The Thara See Lounge is located in the Tauferer Valley. Here you can do pretty much anything that has to do with pleasure: have breakfast, savour gelati, drink Aperol, eat fish - or go fishing yourself. (thara-see-lounge.com)
Swimming and bike park
Baggalocke is what the locals call the natural swimming pond in Gais directly on the cycle path. Entry is free of charge. There is also a natural bathing lake in Sand in Taufers, but it is part of the Cascade wellness area.
In the Tauferer Ahrntal, you can use the lift support at Speikboden or Klausberg by bike. However, the prices are high and as these are touring areas, they are not really suitable for use - especially with an e-MTB.
At the nearby Bikepark Kronplatz is a different matter. You should definitely plan a stop for the legendary trails above Bruneck.
The 3 tours in the Ahrntal
1 Prettauer Almenrunde
- Length: 26.1 kilometres
- Uphill: 1171 metres in altitude
- Trail share: 19 per cent
- Difficulty: S0-S2*
- Condition: medium
- Starting point: Prettau
The tour
The figure-eight loop at the end of the valley brings together pretty much everything you would expect from a bike tour on the main Alpine ridge: numerous mountain pastures, idyllic forest paths, lively trails and magnificent views. From Prettau, the route climbs steadily uphill on forest paths to the Stegeralm, which is sensationally beautiful at 1957 metres. It's best to set off hungry, because the refreshment stop is really worthwhile.
A wooded singletrail takes you down into the valley. Back in Prettau, the route climbs up the opposite slope. Before the Starklalm, you should park your bikes (don't forget the lock) and walk up to the Wieser Werfer biotope. A gentle ascent and descent to the Tauernalm awaits with a view of all the mighty three-thousand metre peaks of the main Alpine ridge. After a stop at the Tauernalm, a stony trail winds its way to the Untere Tauernalm, down in the valley you follow the Ahr and simply roll out of the valley head.
Key points: The trail from the Tauernalm contains some rough S to Z bends, but is perfectly rideable.
Retreat: Excellent food is served at the Stegeralm and the Tauernalm.
2 Speikboden circuit
- Length: 24.9 kilometres
- Uphill: 1385 metres in altitude
- Trail share: 30 per cent
- Difficulty: S0-S2*
- Condition: difficult
- Starting point: Sand in Taufers
The tour
People ski here in winter and hike in summer. But the expansive mountain world of the Speikboden is also ideal for biking - especially during the week and not during the peak holiday periods, when it can get crowded near the mountain station. Please always be considerate here! You can soon leave the forest path that you take from Sand in Taufers and cycle along the well-maintained path no. 27 (S1) to just below the railway station.
Via the small Trejersee lake, you now ride steadily along a narrow mountain trail that could hardly be more scenic. The traverse to the Weizgruber Alm is an extremely fun, beautiful up and down with interspersed challenging uphill sections. After the refreshment stop, the fantastic downhill to Außermühlwald follows on perfectly grippy forest soil! Return to the start on the road and cycle path.
Key points: The uphill trail from Sand in Taufers is hardly challenging in terms of riding technique, but some steep uphill sections on the high trail are particularly treacherous. The descent from the Weizgruberalm is mostly flowy.
Retreat: The Weizgruberalm is not only beautifully situated, but also beautifully dressed up.
3 About the Ochsenlenke
- Length: 30.8 kilometres
- Uphill: 1609 metres in altitude
- Downhill: 2091 metres in depth
- Trail share: 23 per cent
- Difficulty: S0-S3
- Condition: difficult
- Starting point: Ahrntalstraße car park, Hasental valley entrance
The tour
The Ochsenlenke is a tough, battery-draining icon among the bike tours in the Tauferer Ahrntal - steep, long, impressive. Over the Ochsenlenke Pass, which connects the Ahrntal with the Reintal, you circle the Durreck group in the Zillertal main ridge. If you want to save yourself the 20 kilometres and 660 metres in altitude on the cycle path back through the Ahrntal, start in Prettau directly towards Hasental. The route winds its way quickly uphill in sometimes extremely steep hairpin bends (up to 23%) (battery management!) until the forest path on the extensive alpine pasture area turns into the old Saumweg 1b (S0).
At the summit of the pass at an altitude of 2614 metres, you can enjoy the Rieserferner panorama. The descent from the ridge to the Knuttenalm is hardly challenging, but the following uphill section has some key sections and extremely steep ramps. On the other hand, the Durra-Alm is a great place to stop for a bite to eat and you know that the trails and forest tracks are almost all downhill from here.
Key points: The uphill (S3) to the Durra-Alm is extremely steep and has some technical sections. The following descent is also rocky in places. Another challenge: battery management.
Retreat: At the Knuttenalm or the small, cosy Durra-Alm.
Return transfer: In Sand in Taufers you can take the bus back to Prettau in a relaxed manner.
The GPX data for the 3 Ahrntal tours
BIKE subscribers will soon be able to download the GPS data free of charge from bike-magazin.de
With a Pro+ subscription in our BIKE tour portal, you will receive the GPX data of the tours including top maps for direct navigation:
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