Bavarian alps route. An absolute paradise!!
Kamikaze6666
Posts: 6
Of all the places I have been since my early years, nothing comes even remotely close to the following route that I will describe for you.
The trip starts in the village of Oberstdorf. It is the highest elevation and southernmost village of Germany just a few kms from Austria.
It is located about 180km south west of Munich in the Bavarian alps and is in my opinion the most picturesque village in all of Europe both from an architectural and geographical point of view. Here's why.
First of all it is located in a valley which is wide enough (approx. 2 km) to enable a great view of all the surrounding mountains. The peaks in the area range between 2000 and 4000 meters and offers to bikers of all levels every thing that they could ever dream of. The village is also very accessible to tourists as it has all kinds of accommodations for every budget in a setting that is to die for.
I have travelled extensively in my life and have yet to come across a place which comes even remotely close.
One of my favorite roads caters to riders who like perfect asphalt roads which do not allow cars in an absolute paradise like environment. You will never forget this one as long as you will live. Here we go.
Route#1: Round trip of approx. 65km or less if you decide to turn around sooner.
The trip begins in Oberstdorf (or any surrounding little village where you have elected to stay).
As you begin to leave town on the B19 (which stands for Bundes Strasse 19 in German or national road 19 in English), you will cross a river called the Breitach. Just after you cross the bridge, you will turn left on the Breitachstrasse and travel for a few kilometers along the Breitach river which will be to your left.
The road will come to a T stop which will give you the choice of turning either left towards the Breitachklamm gorges (another great place to visit) or to make a right turn on the MuhlBach Strasse towards Tiefenbach/Wasach.
As soon as you make the right turn towards Tiefenbach/Wasach the road will start to climb a little but only for a few hundred meters until you make a left turn onto Rohrmooser Strasse. Don't go too far or you will miss it!
Up until this point, the trip will have been on good quality and mostly flat roads (3 to 4% incline at the most for a short stretch).
Once you are on Rohrmooser Strasse, you will ride just a little while until you come to a barrier which forbids any motor vehicle except local farm tractors from proceeding any further. This is the main road which leads to the village or Rohrmoos. This is where the ultimate paradise starts!!! You will see mountains, cliffs, waterfalls travelling on a perfect asphalt road with no vehicle in sight for the next 15 to 20 kilometers.
Total calm, peace and quiet with no one to hassle you. The terrain is ondulating but nothing extreme. The perfect ride!
Just after you pass the small village of Rohrmoos you can take a small road climbing to PissenAlp. It's a place on top of the northern slope where you can enjoy delicious Bergkase (a local specialty). All the locals fantasize about that place but I have yet to discover it for myself but it's on my agenda for sure. It's a great place to make a pit stop!
If you don't go to PissenAlp, then just keep on the same road and aim for the village of Sibratsgfall in Austria which is just a few clicks down the road. You will pass the Germain/Austrian border and at some point will reconnect with a very low traffic road, the L24. You don't need to have your passport as the customs house is vacant.
You will have travelled in the Rohrmoos Valley until you start climbing a steady but not too difficult hill until you reach Sibratsgfall which is essentially the most elevated point in the trip. After this, you can decide to go a little bit further (about 4 to 5 km) until the L24 connects with the L5. It's a nice downhill ride!
Take a left at the junction where the L24 meets the L5 and ride into the village of Hittisau Austria.
The trip Oberstdorf - Hittisau is 33 kilometers long and takes about an hour if you are in real good shape but can be done in about an hour and 20 minutes for an average person.
You can take a break in Hittisau and sit down for a snack.
At this point, you have three options:
Option#1- Enjoy the same route as you go back to Oberstdorf. This is advantageous because of the scenery and security plus the fact that you will still have energy left once back in town to enjoy the end of the day.
Option#2- Come back to Oberstdorf by staying on the L5 and going over the Riedbergpass which is quite a workout for any biker no matter how good you are. The road has some traffic but not an outrageous amount and there are several interesting places to visit along the way if the legs start burning a little too much.
The downhill all the way to Obermaiseltein is also fun and very scenic. The whole route is great but requires more endurance. Once in Obermaiseltein, you turn on the OA5 towards Tiefenbach and reconnect with the Breitachstrasse which leads back t0 Oberstdorf via the B19.
Options#3 - If you have more energy you can push on from Hittisau all the way to Bregenz and Lindau on the Lake of Constanz. It's also very nice but you have to deal with a bit more traffic but its a very nice trip also.
Oberstdorf Bregenz roundtrip is about 130km.
Conclusion: If you have only one bike trip to make in your lifetime, do the Oberstdorf Hittisau trip via the Rohrmoos Valley. I have been all across the alps and nothing even comes close.
Plus!!!! on your other days, you can take bike trips from Oberstdorf into all different directions. There is the Schlappold alp hill (6.5 km at an average of 15%) for a 1000 meter climb up the Fellhorn mountain at the end of which you can sit down and eat some Bergkase (mountain cheese) right where they make it!!!
And there is the hair raising descent afterwards right into town where you don't need to pedal at all.
Or!!! if you wish to take the whole family for a picnic you just have to head south! Oberstdorf is the end of the road in the sense that the mountains are so impenetrable that no road makes it right through them. You have to make a huge 100+ km detour to make it to Austria if you want to cross those mountains. So they are magnificient and you can get close to their peaks by using a multitude of very nice asphalt and smooth stone dust bicycle roads (a road bike makes it easily). Several roads and bike paths lunge the different streams which drain the glacier waters. You can bike along the Stillach and the Trettach Valley until the valleys become so elevated that you are practically near the highest peaks. You can even walk your bike for the last few kilometers until you reach huts where you can spend the night (free of charge) Just bring your lunch and sleeping back and join all the other bikers and hikers who spend their summers up there. And when you are finished, the way back is a long steady downhill (not too steep).
I lived13 years in Oberstdorf and I haven't discovered even half of what it has to offer.
Tired of boring and expensive trips where you get depressed and have very little to see?
Head to Oberstdorf! It's the closest thing to paradise!
The trip starts in the village of Oberstdorf. It is the highest elevation and southernmost village of Germany just a few kms from Austria.
It is located about 180km south west of Munich in the Bavarian alps and is in my opinion the most picturesque village in all of Europe both from an architectural and geographical point of view. Here's why.
First of all it is located in a valley which is wide enough (approx. 2 km) to enable a great view of all the surrounding mountains. The peaks in the area range between 2000 and 4000 meters and offers to bikers of all levels every thing that they could ever dream of. The village is also very accessible to tourists as it has all kinds of accommodations for every budget in a setting that is to die for.
I have travelled extensively in my life and have yet to come across a place which comes even remotely close.
One of my favorite roads caters to riders who like perfect asphalt roads which do not allow cars in an absolute paradise like environment. You will never forget this one as long as you will live. Here we go.
Route#1: Round trip of approx. 65km or less if you decide to turn around sooner.
The trip begins in Oberstdorf (or any surrounding little village where you have elected to stay).
As you begin to leave town on the B19 (which stands for Bundes Strasse 19 in German or national road 19 in English), you will cross a river called the Breitach. Just after you cross the bridge, you will turn left on the Breitachstrasse and travel for a few kilometers along the Breitach river which will be to your left.
The road will come to a T stop which will give you the choice of turning either left towards the Breitachklamm gorges (another great place to visit) or to make a right turn on the MuhlBach Strasse towards Tiefenbach/Wasach.
As soon as you make the right turn towards Tiefenbach/Wasach the road will start to climb a little but only for a few hundred meters until you make a left turn onto Rohrmooser Strasse. Don't go too far or you will miss it!
Up until this point, the trip will have been on good quality and mostly flat roads (3 to 4% incline at the most for a short stretch).
Once you are on Rohrmooser Strasse, you will ride just a little while until you come to a barrier which forbids any motor vehicle except local farm tractors from proceeding any further. This is the main road which leads to the village or Rohrmoos. This is where the ultimate paradise starts!!! You will see mountains, cliffs, waterfalls travelling on a perfect asphalt road with no vehicle in sight for the next 15 to 20 kilometers.
Total calm, peace and quiet with no one to hassle you. The terrain is ondulating but nothing extreme. The perfect ride!
Just after you pass the small village of Rohrmoos you can take a small road climbing to PissenAlp. It's a place on top of the northern slope where you can enjoy delicious Bergkase (a local specialty). All the locals fantasize about that place but I have yet to discover it for myself but it's on my agenda for sure. It's a great place to make a pit stop!
If you don't go to PissenAlp, then just keep on the same road and aim for the village of Sibratsgfall in Austria which is just a few clicks down the road. You will pass the Germain/Austrian border and at some point will reconnect with a very low traffic road, the L24. You don't need to have your passport as the customs house is vacant.
You will have travelled in the Rohrmoos Valley until you start climbing a steady but not too difficult hill until you reach Sibratsgfall which is essentially the most elevated point in the trip. After this, you can decide to go a little bit further (about 4 to 5 km) until the L24 connects with the L5. It's a nice downhill ride!
Take a left at the junction where the L24 meets the L5 and ride into the village of Hittisau Austria.
The trip Oberstdorf - Hittisau is 33 kilometers long and takes about an hour if you are in real good shape but can be done in about an hour and 20 minutes for an average person.
You can take a break in Hittisau and sit down for a snack.
At this point, you have three options:
Option#1- Enjoy the same route as you go back to Oberstdorf. This is advantageous because of the scenery and security plus the fact that you will still have energy left once back in town to enjoy the end of the day.
Option#2- Come back to Oberstdorf by staying on the L5 and going over the Riedbergpass which is quite a workout for any biker no matter how good you are. The road has some traffic but not an outrageous amount and there are several interesting places to visit along the way if the legs start burning a little too much.
The downhill all the way to Obermaiseltein is also fun and very scenic. The whole route is great but requires more endurance. Once in Obermaiseltein, you turn on the OA5 towards Tiefenbach and reconnect with the Breitachstrasse which leads back t0 Oberstdorf via the B19.
Options#3 - If you have more energy you can push on from Hittisau all the way to Bregenz and Lindau on the Lake of Constanz. It's also very nice but you have to deal with a bit more traffic but its a very nice trip also.
Oberstdorf Bregenz roundtrip is about 130km.
Conclusion: If you have only one bike trip to make in your lifetime, do the Oberstdorf Hittisau trip via the Rohrmoos Valley. I have been all across the alps and nothing even comes close.
Plus!!!! on your other days, you can take bike trips from Oberstdorf into all different directions. There is the Schlappold alp hill (6.5 km at an average of 15%) for a 1000 meter climb up the Fellhorn mountain at the end of which you can sit down and eat some Bergkase (mountain cheese) right where they make it!!!
And there is the hair raising descent afterwards right into town where you don't need to pedal at all.
Or!!! if you wish to take the whole family for a picnic you just have to head south! Oberstdorf is the end of the road in the sense that the mountains are so impenetrable that no road makes it right through them. You have to make a huge 100+ km detour to make it to Austria if you want to cross those mountains. So they are magnificient and you can get close to their peaks by using a multitude of very nice asphalt and smooth stone dust bicycle roads (a road bike makes it easily). Several roads and bike paths lunge the different streams which drain the glacier waters. You can bike along the Stillach and the Trettach Valley until the valleys become so elevated that you are practically near the highest peaks. You can even walk your bike for the last few kilometers until you reach huts where you can spend the night (free of charge) Just bring your lunch and sleeping back and join all the other bikers and hikers who spend their summers up there. And when you are finished, the way back is a long steady downhill (not too steep).
I lived13 years in Oberstdorf and I haven't discovered even half of what it has to offer.
Tired of boring and expensive trips where you get depressed and have very little to see?
Head to Oberstdorf! It's the closest thing to paradise!
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Comments
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Sounds like a beautiful place! iMaps doesn't show the roads connecting between Germany and Austria as you describe but Google Maps does a much better job and I can pretty easily trace your routes. I'm pretty sure that Oberstorf is famous, probably among other things, for its ski flying hill. There are certainly a lot of ski areas showing on the Google map. Coming in from outside Europe (Canada), would Munich be the closest airport and then train from there? Thanks for the post!0
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Sounds like a beautiful place! iMaps doesn't show the roads connecting between Germany and Austria as you describe but Google Maps does a much better job and I can pretty easily trace your routes. I'm pretty sure that Oberstorf is famous, probably among other things, for its ski flying hill. There are certainly a lot of ski areas showing on the Google map. Coming in from outside Europe (Canada), would Munich be the closest airport and then train from there? Thanks for the post!
Yes, Munich is usually the way I fly go to Oberstdorf but you can also fly in from Zurich, Stuttgart and even Frankfurt if the price is right. The train ride is also very picturesque no matter where you come from as Oberstdorf is the end of the road/track. The mountains don't let you go any further. I am originally also from Canada. I still spend my summers in Ottawa to visit my family. Which part of Canada are you from?
If you ever decide to take a trip over there.
I can also put you in contact with a very nice family (the Leitner's) which I knew during my 13 years down there. They will go out of their way to make you feel at home. You can speak with Cristoff. He is a professional photographer in his late thirties who knows all the coolest and most picturesque places in the Alps and he could suggest to you all the possible routes and places that you could visit. He is probably the friendliest person on the planet and if you are not careful you might find yourself hanging out with him and his friends for a sizable part of your trip. He is a great down to earth kind of person with a very nice wife.
Just be careful with his mother as she will feed you some of her great home cooking along with a couple of pretty strong beers. You might have to make it a late start the next morning .
I see that you found out about the ski flying jump. Yes, Oberstdorf has that also. As a matter of fact, it has not only the Giant Ski flying jump just south of Oberstdorf but there are also three more in the village itself. A 90 meter, a 70 meter and a smaller one about 50 meters long where very young kids between 8 and 12 years old start learning how to jump. You can see them practice all year. Even during the summer as they slide down the jump and land on a plastic surface.
Everything is there. You don't need a car. Just your bike and your legs. It's not like Canada where you have to travel a long way for everything. Anyway, enough said, just let me know if you ever decide to go there and I can help you with all the details and warn all my friends you are coming.
Take care and be safe
Paul Duchesnay0 -
I'll put this place on my list for sure! Going to the Dolomites this year but always looking for good places to ride. BTW, I live in Ottawa so PM me next time you're in town and we can go out for a beer or take a spin in Gatineau Park. Cheers, Art0
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Kamikaze,
Sshhh. Dont tell anyone else about Oberstdorf
Our close friends live their right in the middle of the village and we try to visit one or twice a year. It really is a lovely place, and lovely people.
Im cycling down there from Amsterdam at the end of April via the Rhine. Ill try and get a trip report up here.
Happy cycling.
PS Our friends run a Guesthouse in Oberstdorf that is bike friendly. If anyone want details let me know.0 -
We need pics op!0
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No kidding? Ottawa!? What a small world.canamdad wrote:I'll put this place on my list for sure! Going to the Dolomites this year but always looking for good places to ride. BTW, I live in Ottawa so PM me next time you're in town and we can go out for a beer or take a spin in Gatineau Park. Cheers, Art
My family actually lives in Aylmer and we are quite fortunate to have a park which plunges almost to the downtown core of Ottawa. I don't know too many other metropolitan areas which have this kind of set-up.
From the parliament building, it takes 15 minutes max by bike to make it to the entrance of the park on Tache Blvd.
Just think of the poor guys in Toronto who have to drive about an hour to just get out of town let alone find a park where they can bike in relative tranquility.
I know the hills of the Gatineau park are not like the ones in Europe but it's still nice to have them. They are not the most demanding but you can get a great workout nonetheless.
I almost died there in 1996 after crashing head first coming down from the Belvedere Champlain just before the intersection where you turn right to go to Pink Lake and Hull.
I don't know if you remember the reflectors that were imbedded into the asphalt in the curve a couple of hundred meters before the intersection? I was following someone and didn't see them coming.
I was in a coma for two days while they reconstructed my face with titanium plates and screws. I had to have my neck fused with plates and screws a few years after the accident because of it. No more gunning down hills for me that's for sure! The buck stops at 60km/h or not much more.
I'll be back in Ottawa in April and I'd be happy to have a beer with you and bike in the park if the ice is sufficiently melted by that time. I'd also be interested to see your itinerary in the Dolomites as it's one region which I did not yet cover in my travels.
So if you have time this upcoming spring, give me a ring at 819 635-6666 and we might be able to set something up.
In the meantime, have a great time and above all, be safe!
Paul0 -
deanflyer wrote:Kamikaze,
Sshhh. Dont tell anyone else about Oberstdorf Our close friends live their right in the middle of the village and we try to visit one or twice a year. It really is a lovely place, and lovely people.
Im cycling down there from Amsterdam at the end of April via the Rhine. Ill try and get a trip report up here.
Happy cycling.
PS Our friends run a Guesthouse in Oberstdorf that is bike friendly. If anyone want details let me know.
You lucky son of a gun!!! I wish I could join you as this sounds like a great trip! What is the name of the Gasthaus of your friends?0 -
Rigga wrote:We need pics op!
The best way to get pictures of Oberstdorf and it's surroundings is to go on Google Earth and see all the photos that people have posted on the map. Take a look especially at the pictures directly south of Oberstdorf when the valleys start climbing up the impressive peaks. Check out the road that leads to the "SCHWARZE HUTTE" (black hut) and beyond. It's absolutely fantastic. These perfect asphalt roads are almost exclusively used by bikers. Your lucky if you see a car every ten to fifteen minutes.
Let me know if you want any precise details and I will be glad to help you.
Paul0 -
Looking forward to the trip, although im not going to be doing much sight seeing as I need to average about 65-70 miles per day. Hoping the weather will cooperate
Our friends run Gasthaus Geiger in Frohmarkt.0 -
deanflyer wrote:Kamikaze,
Sshhh. Dont tell anyone else about Oberstdorf Our close friends live their right in the middle of the village and we try to visit one or twice a year. It really is a lovely place, and lovely people.
Im cycling down there from Amsterdam at the end of April via the Rhine. Ill try and get a trip report up here.
Happy cycling.
PS Our friends run a Guesthouse in Oberstdorf that is bike friendly. If anyone want details let me know.
Wave as you pass through Stein/Bad Säckingen, which is where I work. I can just about see the cycle routes on both sides of the Rhine from here.0 -
Finished my tour. Rode from Ijmuiden to Koblenz, then sacked off due to truly horrendous weather. Got train to Freiburg and rode from there to Oberstdorf. Heres a pic of me up in the hills South of Oberstdorf one evening.
https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipN20twwUVMj7XKChFPmxUBEI2aJTqg4NTn-0rJ00
