Mountain bike trails in Austria

In this article the questions apply:

• Which mountain bike trails are the best in Austria and more fun?
• Which routes are more challenging and exciting for mountain bikers?

It is quite difficult to answer the question “Which trails make the best lists of all dream trails in and around the Alpine region?” to answer. On the one hand, there are alpine trails that require a good amount of riding technique in addition to endurance. Other trails are routes that come from the capable hands of real trail experts and bear the signature of high-quality trail construction. There are also many trails that are a “MUST-HAVE” for every biker once in their life. Nevertheless, each of us will definitely have certain preferences and will know exactly what our heart beats for. Below is a fine selection of the top 10 trails in Austria.

1-    Half-day tour in the Salzkammergut

At the beginning we cycle along narrow and comfortable meadow paths towards Bad Goisern. We only touched on it in passing, but we still got our first impression of the beautiful holiday resort. After we have comfortably driven around the town center following the Traun, we continue into the so-called. Weissenbachtal. Here we climb slightly uphill, with few technical challenges, in the direction of Chorinskyklause. Gradually steeper climbs lead us deeper into the forest into the valley next to Dürrenbach and then back high above the Weißenbachtal.

We then continue flat until we reach the small clearing of the Brunnentalalm with the three wooden huts. We turn left here, cross the Weißenbach and reach a junction. If we turned right, we could still approx.2km. Cycle slightly uphill towards Traunbachau. But we turn left at the junction onto a slightly sloping forest road on the real side of the valley to the Brunnentalalm. After 300m. On the left we reach the small junction to the Kaisertisch and the Chorinsky Klause, which is the last functional wooden hermitage in Austria. Here we turn right at the junction in the direction of Obermuth/Hochmuth and at the next intersection keep straight ahead in the direction of Niedermuth and Stainach. From here you have to be careful, because although the climb through the Weißenbachtal was not very challenging, the descent is just as difficult. It is washed out and follows through the partly deep gravel, which requires technical exercises from professional mountain bikers! We continue along the Traun in the direction of Lake Hallstättersee and then leisurely again, rolling out over meadow paths to the Landhotel Agathawirt.

2-    Blaa Alm round

We start at Hagan Lodge Altaussee and drive on a forest road to Blaa Alm. Only after this do we turn right and then immediately left again, into the valley of the Rettenbach, the Rettenbach Almen, then continue on the former wood delivery road, approx.9km. We then drive off on the asphalt road to the Renault Bruckschlogl car repair shop.

We then cycle in the direction of the freight station, over the Traun on the Kaltenbach Bridge, on Engleitenstrasse in the direction of Lauffen. As soon as we are at the Lauffen railway crossing, we drive straight ahead, through the last underpass before the railway barrier.

Now we continue along the banks of the Traun, under the railway bridge in the direction of Weißenbach, Weißenbachwirt, the Goiserer Bridge and to the SPAR market. Here we see the Limberger car dealership, the Stieger carpentry shop and the Red Cross, where we turn left in the direction of Herndl, drive under the B145, follow straight ahead at the Wiesen/Sollbach intersection, in Kogel turn right to St.Turn Agatha and turn left onto Güterweg Pichlern. We always keep to the right at the forks in the road and drive along the “Leislingstraße” along the Zlambach to the Leislingstube. After a total of 12km. After cycling, we reach the highest point at 900m. Height. Now we follow left in the direction of Waldgraben and then turn right to Altaussee. Roll past the Pflindsberg ruins, back to Altaussee in the town center. At the Maislinger bakery we keep left towards Loser Bergstraße, Blaa-Alm and then Hagan Lodge back to the start.

3-    Straubinger Haus and Röthelmoosalm from Seegatterl

We start in Seegatterl at the parking lot after the stream bridge. At the end of the parking lot we drive on the signposted forest path to the Straubinger Haus and follow it to the Hindenburghütte.

The path under the Hindenburghütte takes us on the steep section to the Straubinger Haus. When we arrive there, we cycle in a southerly direction over a yoke and then in serpentines along the Kreuzangeralm, downhill to the fork in the road. Here we continue right towards Kössen and, after climbing uphill, follow it again in serpentines to the upper part of the Klausenbergalm. At the Klausenbergalm we turn sharp right in the direction of Blindau. Shortly before Blindau we turn right onto the path at the edge of the forest and arrive at the large Blindau car park.

Now we drive over Blindauer Straße and Fellhornweg in the direction of the Lofer Bridge and shortly before this we cycle left towards Kössen. We then cross the bridge over the Lofer, turn left and at the next junction turn right up to Unterbichl. There we cycle left on the road for a short distance and then right to Oberbichl. Here we turn left onto hiking trail no.3 and drive through the Lederergraben. We then cycle steeply up the road to the Hutzenalm.

We follow path no. past the Hutzenalm.34 again steeply uphill and after a flatter part turn right onto number.34 through the Aßberggraben steeply down to the B305. After the stretch on the road we turn right before Oberwössen onto hiking trail no.1 and drive along the edge of the forest. At the next intersection we turn right on a narrow asphalt road up to the Feldlahnalm. At the top, on the alpine pasture, we turn right further into the forest to the Kanonenpass and then steeply down directly to the Röthelmoosalm.

In the alpine pasture area we cycle right at the intersection to the Großwappbach and along it to the parking lot on the B305, at Weitsee. We cross the street and turn left towards Ruhpolding, a part next to the B305, and then turn right on the eastern bank of the Weitsee to the cycle path on the opposite side to Seegatterl. Once on this cycle path, we turn right back to Seegatterl.

4-    Mountain bike tour: Small Sandling round

We start at the Hagan Lodge Altaussee on the forest road to the Blaa Alm and then turn right and then left again downhill into the Rettenbach valley. We then cycle first to the Rettenbach Almen, then along the former timber delivery road and to the junction of the Grabenbach forest road. Here we continue left to Grabenbachklause, then right to the “Am Tauern” junction, left again and continue to the end of the forest road.

Here you come to the highest point of the Hütteneckalm (1240m.), where we are 350m. have to push for a long time. This is followed by a forest road and we drive downhill towards St.Agatha Then in Pichlern we cycle at the turnoff to Halleralm, then left to the Halleralm excursion inn and downhill at the end of the footpath. Here we have to go 250m again. Push until the forest path branches off to the left towards Waldgraben. At the intersection "Scheibenstraße" we drive on Pflindsbergstraße in the direction of Altaussee, then past the Pflindsberg ruins and then on to Altaussee into the town center. At the Maislinger bakery we turn left towards Loser Bergstraße, then drive to Blaa Alm and return to the start, to Hagan Lodge.

5-    Ötztal Glacier Trail – Sölden

This trail is a real classic from the “Enduro de luxe” category. Nothing was excavated here, nothing was shaped and nothing was changed by people. The Ötztaler Trail Highlight offers everything you would expect from a real enduro adventure, winding from the Tiefenbach glacier into the film set mountain village of Vent.

The start is in eternal ice. Rocks, gravel, narrow bends, streams, tough counter climbs and wonderful views of the Ötztal glacier world all the way to Vent await us here, which will take our breath away.

Tip: If you don't already reach 1700 m at the start of the trail. If you want to feel it in your legs, it's best to take a shuttle starting at the Tiefenbach Glacier. This is followed by pure enduro biking. It's a 10km. long, high alpine trail that takes you from the start to 2800m. transported above sea level. This adventure can never be enough.

6-    Trail Park Weidlingbach – Vienna Woods

The inspiring trail in the federal capital or, in other words, in the Vienna Woods. The bike scenes have been alive in the federal capital for a long time, since the sport of mountain bikes spread to Austria. Some trails that meander through the paths of the Vienna Woods in a sporty, fun way have already achieved cult status. An association was formed from the active bike community in Vienna with the simple and poignant goal of creating attractive mountain bike trails in the Vienna Woods, which is a really great initiative and a great project.

When it comes to Trail Park Weidlingbach, just outside the federal capital, this mission has already been implemented precisely and first-class. One of the two trails in the park, the Fun Line, was created for professional trail riders and overcomes 175m. on the 1.5km. long route. You can also look forward to the tables, berms, step-downs and the hip jump.

Tip: The flow line runs parallel and is therefore ideal for beginners, kids or families. Everyone feels comfortable on the banks and waves, no matter how long you've been in the saddle.

7-    Trophy Individual – Route F

The tour starts at the craft house on the market square in Bad Goisern. We drive along Marktstrasse, turn left immediately after the power plant and drive up to Herndl. After the short ride we cycle further up to Rehkogl, then downhill again and uphill again via Riedln to Wurmstein and on to the Rathlucken Hut. Just before the hut we turn right onto the mountain path and reach it after just under 1km. the eternal wall. Now it's approx.3km. downhill to Anzenau.

Be careful! After approx.150m. On the narrow path there is a rocky step just before the forest road, which is only recommended for professional mountain bikers! But you can push your mountain bike.

Now we follow for about 700m. the forest road to the Anzenaukogl quarry. The original route of the Trophy continues on the left on the S1 category trail, crossing after approx.800m. the forest road and cuts after another 400m. these again. But at this point we turn right. If you are traveling on a gravel bike or want to conserve your material, drive straight ahead at Steintreib and stay on the forest road.

At the end of this part, just before the B145, we keep right, drive along the Anzenaumühle adventure museum and after a few meters we reach Lauffen. Here we cross the Traun and now drive upstream approx.1.5km. to Weißenbach. When we arrive at the Weissenbachwirt, we keep right at the first fork in the road and drive on the opposite side of the stream, along “Dürrenstraße” for approx.7.5km. in the direction of Brunntalalm. At the first alpine hut we cross the Weißenbach, turn left and after approx.400m. to the Chorinsky Klause.

We drive 800m. continue out of the valley and follow sharp right approx.5km. up to pride. There, at the highest point of the trail, two variants are available again. The original route goes to the right on a technically quite demanding trail in category S2, back to the start. The easier version, however, goes to the left and after the sliding section on the asphalt road into the valley.

The trail is very well signposted with white signs for the Salzkammergut Trophy. If you would still prefer to ride with someone who knows the area, you can usually reserve a guide from the Salzkammergut Mountain Bike Club at short notice.

8-     Trophy Individual – Route G

The tour starts at the craft house on the market square in Bad Goisern. We drive over the Ramsau Bridge past the Protestant church and follow the Traun for about 4km. downstream and branch off to the left into Weißenbachtal. When we arrive at the Weissenbachwirt, we keep left* at the first fork in the road and drive steeply uphill and deeper into the forest with a view of the Katergebirge.

Approx.1km. Before the Chorinsky Klause we turn left approx.5km. up to pride. There, at the highest point of the trail, two variants are available again. The original route goes to the right on a technically quite demanding trail in category S2, back to the start. The easier version, however, goes to the left and after the sliding section on the asphalt road into the valley.

The trail is very well signposted with white signs for the Salzkammergut Trophy. If you would still prefer to ride with someone who knows the area, you can usually reserve a guide from the Salzkammergut Mountain Bike Club at short notice.

* If you turn right at this point and switch to the "Dürrenstraße" on the other side of the stream, you can complete the tour via the Brunntalalm at approx.5km. extend and come directly past the Chorinsky Klause.

9-    Blindsee Trail - Singletrail

From the mountain station on the forest road we follow route 861 until just before the Grubigalm and turn right into the Blindseetrail. As an alternative, you can use your own power in approx.2 hours. Cycle up to the Grubigalm via mountain bike routes 804 and 860.

Shortly after the start of the trail there is a short counter climb, which we drive up and then continue cycling on a wider section to the first stream crossing. A technically demanding section begins here. The choice of line should be carefully considered because deep rubble often collects in gullies here.

We reach the key point at the waterfall and we recommend pushing your bike. This is followed by a short part on the forest path and we turn left onto a short trail. We go briefly along the forest road again and then turn left again onto the technically demanding trail in the direction of Blindsee. Arriving at the first fork in the road, we turn sharply to the right, then continue on the beautiful bank trail to follow the Blindsees to the parking lot. We continue past the Loisach springs to Biberwier and back to Lermoos via the Wachtersteig.

Tip: After this exciting tour, we can recommend a jump into the crystal clear water of the Blindsee. It is an absolute delight and you can relax wonderfully on the surrounding meadows and on the stone beach.

10- Wannigrunde

The Wannigrune is a challenging circular tour on the historic Roman paths over a long-distance pass, on the panoramic Marienbergjoch and on the good forest paths back to Biberwier.

We start at Biberwier and drive past the Hotel MyTirol onto route no.835 to Weißensee. We then arrive on the Via Claudia Augusta to the Fernpass. We cycle downhill to Fernsteinsee Castle and then to Nassereith. Immediately afterwards we drive over the Roßbach in the direction of Aschland/Holzeithensattel. Approx.100m. After the end of the town of Aschland we turn left onto route no.605 to the Marienbergalm. Then we cycle past the alpine pasture to the highest point of the trail, the Marienbergjoch. Then we drive past the Sunnalm on the fast forest paths down to the starting point in Biberwier on route no.835

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