The tour
The route from Kempten in the Allgäu to Lermoos, on the south side of the Zugspitze, covers a total of 144 kilometres and 3920 metres in altitude. Those in a hurry can complete the route in two days. However, the climbs on the first two stages (Allgäu and Ammergau Alps) are particularly steep, and the overnight luggage doesn't make things any easier.
You can click together the difficulty level of a bikepacking route yourself on tour portals. The trails on our route are in difficulty level S2, meaning they require solid riding technique and experience in alpine and exposed terrain. A fully with at least 120 millimetres of suspension travel is therefore definitely advisable.
In 3 stages from Kempten to Lermoos
- Stage 1: From Kempten to Pfronten (56 km | 1540 hm | 1390 tm)
- Stage 2: From Pfronten to Lake Heiterwanger See (43.4 km | 930 m elevation gain | 790 tm)
- Stage 3: From Lake Heiterwanger See to Lermoos (45 km | 1450 hm| 1430 tm)
Stage 1: from Kempten to Pfronten 56 km / 1540 hm / 1390 tm After a flat roll-in phase along the Iller, two steep climbs await you after Nesselwang, each with a beautiful downhill trail: the Alpspitze with a root trail down to Kappel and the climb to the "Himmelreich" with a fun descent to Pfronten with an overnight stay at the campsite.
Stage 2: from Pfronten to Lake Heiterwanger See 43.4 km / 930 hm / 790 tm Along the Vils with a short detour to Austria. Continue via Füssen, steeply up to the Marienbrücke bridge and then flatter again through the Bleckenau high valley. The single trail down to Ammerwald and Plansee is rocky and technical. Overnight stay at the Heiterwanger See campsite.
Stage 3: from Lake Heiterwanger See to Lermoos 45 km / 1450 hm / 1430 tm On forest paths in the valley to Lermoos, where the first steep climb to the Tuftlalm awaits. Downhill on the same route (trail closed). Then the final 700-metre ascent to the Grubigalm with the Blindsee trail.
You can download the GPS data for the bikepacking tour from BIKE 10/2020 free of charge below.
Campsites
Wild camping has reached an unacceptable level in the Alps, especially in times of Corona. Therefore, please make sure you head for an official campsite for overnight stays. It's best to book in advance. It is mainly the motorhome pitches that are fully booked. We had the designated tent pitches all to ourselves.
1st night: Camping Pfronten, Tiroler Str. 184 in Pfronten, www.camping-pfronten.de
2nd night: Camping Fischer am See, Fischer am See 2 in Heiterwang, Austria. Info: www.fischeramsee.at
Return transfer
Take the regional train from Lermoos via Reutte in Tyrol to Kempten (Allgäu); bikes can be taken along without any problems. Ticket price: single journey 15.70 euros plus bike or in our case with the Bayern-Ticket for 39 euros (valid for 3 people). Info: www.bahn.de
