How much distance does an ambitious gravel biker need? Can it be a bit more scenic? SalzburgerLand has devised a whole host of new tours for gravel fans in six regions. We have filtered out the most exciting of these: from the easy, very idyllic ride in Flachau, to the super tour in the Salzkammergut, which takes in five beautiful bathing lakes, to the historic Postalm road in Tennengau - all of which are magnificent, panorama-intensive day tours with at least one rustic hut stop.
The Pinzgau region, on the other hand, has a little more room for manoeuvre. In order to experience all the highlights of this region, a two-day tour with an overnight stay in a mountain hut has been organised. But of course there are also gravel bikers who only get into their stride when they can crank their way through an area for several days. This is also possible in SalzburgerLand on "The Tender" and "The Tough" tours. The two giant tours lead through the entire region south of the city of Mozart and even beyond its borders. One is a little gentler and more flowy on famous valley cycle paths and alpine trails, while the other is a real challenge with a mountainous 656 kilometres, for which you should take more than a week. Have fun!
Saalfelden Leogang / Saalbach Hinterglemm / Fieberbrunn
Three places that have not only joined forces with their bike park lines and cable cars to form the "ÖGBR" - Austria's largest bike region, but are also connected to each other via a huge network of gravel and alpine trails. Perfect for a two-day gravel tour through the entire region! The tour starts in Saalfelden am Steinernen Meer and soon follows the Leoganger Ache upstream. After 30 valley kilometres, the world of gravel bends, summits and alpine pastures begins in Fieberbrunn - and of course the metres in altitude. 1800 metres accumulate up to the Spielberghaus. And the views? Gigantic: firstly, because the father of downhill queen Vali Höll cooks excellent food at the hut and secondly, because the panorama doesn't let up until Saalfelden.
The two-day tour in the "ÖGBR"
Total length: 92 kilometres / 2790 vertical metres
Stage 1 Saalfelden - Spielberghaus
- Length 59.2 kilometres
- Bup to 1790 metres altitude
- Downhill 1214 metres
Stage 2 Spielberghaus - Saalfelden
- Length 32.8 kilometres
- Uphill 1000 metres altitude
- Downhill 1576 metres
SalzburgerLand Salzkammergut
Road cyclists love the SalzburgerLand-Salzkammergut region, where the Eugendorf, Fuschlsee, Attersee-Attergau, Mondsee, Salzburger Seenland and Wolfgangsee regions have come together to form a great touring backdrop. A landscape of mountains and lakes, into which tours for gravel bikers have now been incorporated. The most beautiful of these is also a sporting challenge: from Fuschl am See via Hintersee, Wolfgangsee and Schwarzensee to Mondsee. All of this on a sometimes challenging surface and a high point at 1250 metres.
Five Lakes Gravel Tour
- Length: 82.8 kilometres
- Uphill: 1960 metres in altitude
- Journey time: 8.5 hours
Flachau
Flachau and the Radstädter Tauern are the home of Austrian skiing legend Hermann Maier. Stitch tours through valley valleys await you here, culminating in picture-book alpine pastures or the Ski World Cup resort of Zauchensee. The tour from the village of Flachau on the Enns cycle path, past the Flachauwinkler bathing lake, is particularly scenic and easy and constant to pedal, even for gravel beginners, until the idyllic Marbachalm opens up after 10 kilometres and two huts invite you to stop for refreshments.
Marbachalm tour
- Length: 26.5 kilometres
- Uphill: 343 metres in altitude
- Journey time: 2 hours
Bike village Filzmoos
Picturesquely nestled between the imposing Bischofsmütze and the mighty Dachstein, amidst majestic mountains, glowing alpine meadows, dark mountain forests, rushing torrents and tranquil mountain lakes, lies Filzmoos, the bike village of the Alps. The mountain and bike summer attracts visitors with a varied mountain bike and gravel bike tour network, sporting challenges, extraordinary borderline experiences and overwhelming natural spectacles. The moderately difficult but somewhat longer Dachstein Panorama Tour takes you on cycle paths, dirt tracks and forest roads through the mountain region, always eye to eye with the Dachstein, the king of the mountains.
Dachstein Panorama Tour
- Length: 67.7 kilometres
- Uphill: 1675 metres in altitude
- Journey time: 9 hours
Tennengau
In the south of Salzburg, between the Salzach and Lammer rivers, rises the Tennengebirge massif. Surrounded by 14 villages that maintain a lovingly signposted network of gravel trails. One of these highlight tours is the tour along the old Postalm road. It starts in Voglau near Abtenau and winds its way up to the Genneralm at first at a leisurely pace, but at the end it is quite sporty and continues up to the Postalm on the second ascent of the day. The special thing about this historic road: it follows a very idyllic Gumpen stream and when the forest opens up, the rock face of the Dachstein shines across.
The Postalm Road
- Length: 52 kilometres
- Uphill: 1606 metres in altitude
- Journey time: 5 hours
Lungau
The southernmost district of SalzburgerLand is home to the 2740 metre high Preber. A natural beauty of a mountain: freestanding and with a striking peak. You may not be able to reach its summit cross on a gravel bike, but this tour at least climbs up to its pass and idyllic lake (1525 m). If you want, you can continue on foot from there into the nature reserve up to the Preberhalterhütte. But the rest of the tour is not short of highlights either: From Tamsweg, the route leads down into the valley to Penk and then up the serpentines to the Ötzboden with its stunning views. The descent from the Preber Pass leads via Lessach, the Turnschall ruins and Haslach back to Tamsweg.
The Preber round
- Length: 38.2 kilometres
- Uphill: 1029 metres in altitude
- Journey time: 3 hours
The two big gravel tours through SalzburgerLand
The delicate
Explore the highlights of SalzburgerLand through its river valleys: crystal-clear mountain water, rustic alpine pastures, gorges, lots of panoramic views - 5 to 7 days with as few metres in altitude as possible.
The tour has a total distance of 462 km / 6920 metres in altitude
As soon as you leave the baroque buildings of Salzburg's old town behind you, the mountains of the region open up to the south: Dachstein, Tennengebirge, the Berchtesgaden Alps, the Leoganger Steinberge and even the 3000 metre peaks of the Hohe Tauern on the horizon. "Die Zarte", the easier version of the big gravel tour through SalzburgerLand, leads in a wide loop right into the centre of this impressive mountain scenery.
But it follows the cycle paths and gravel tracks through the river valleys. This keeps the metres in altitude on the almost 500-kilometre route to a minimum and leaves more time for the natural spectacles such as rocky gorges, waterfalls and the many clear bathing lakes along the tour. Of course, there are always uphill sections, but for good reasons: Either a particularly rustic inn with a sun terrace awaits at the top of the mountain pasture or the historic Postalm road in Tennengau leads to a viewing balcony that is not to be missed.
There are also some high-percentage ramps along the way, but for the most part, it is a fairly relaxed ride along the Enns and Salzach rivers, but also on sections of famous cycle routes such as the Tauern Cycle Path, Stoneman Taurista and Mozart Cycle Path. Well-trained cyclists can also complete the tour in five stages, with plenty of accommodation along the route.
- Stage 1: From Salzburg along the Salzach to Strubklamm and via Hintersee and Schafbachalm to Fuschlsee. Length: 50.3 km / 940 m elevation gain
- Stage 2: On the historic old Postalm road with Dachstein postcard panorama over into the Lammertal valley to Annaberg. Length: 66.2 km / 1290 m ascent
- Stage 3: Over the Langeggsattel (1313 m) towards Filzmoos and over some steep ramps into the Enns Valley to Radstadt. Length: 34.6 km / 940 m ascent
- Stage 4: Up to the Sattelbauer and then enjoy the descent down to Flachau. The Tauern cycle path leads to St. Johann. Length: 57.1 km / 710 altitude metres
- Stage 5: From Pongau to Pinzgau: past gorges, waterfalls and the pretty Zellersee lake to Mittersill. Length: 82.1 km / 710 m ascent
- Stage 6: The royal stage - via Jochberg to Kitzbühel and further uphill via the Spielberghaus to Saalbach. Length: 65 km / 1410 metres altitude
- Stage 7: Steinernes Meer, Leoganger and Loferer Steinberge, Berchtesgaden Alps - on the Mozart cycle path back towards the city of Salzburg. Length: 107 km / 730 metres altitude
The hard one
Twice as many metres in altitude, but every single one is rewarded with a view. The tough tour through SalzburgerLand even climbs up the Grossglockner High Alpine Road over the course of 10 days.
Total: 656 km / 12,360 metres in altitude
Even "Die Harte" starts gently and runs largely like the "gentle" tour. On the fourth day, however, it branches off further south and resolutely sets its sights on Salzburg's Lungau region and the Carinthian lakes. Here you fight your way up the tough ascent to the Gnadenalm and from there look directly into the Radstädter Tauern before taking a spray shower under the 60 metre high Johannes waterfall.
From the Murtal valley, the Schönfeldsattel saddle is cranked into your legs and you soon head for Lake Millstätter See and the Lienz Dolomites in East Tyrol on the Drau cycle path. The seventh day marks the highlight of the entire tour with the 2571 metre high Edelweißspitze. Folded into its famous 36 hairpin bends, the Grossglockner High Alpine Road winds its way uphill via Heiligenblut and then only downhill for 30 kilometres. Austria's highest peak (3798 m) and many other 3,000 metre peaks form the backdrop.
In Zell am See, the tour rejoins the "gentle" route and follows the Tauern cycle path to Mittersill. An extra mountain classification awaits on the short, but quite crisp stage from Saalbach to Saalfelden Leogang, before the tour ignites another panoramic firework display on the last day with the Berchtesgaden National Park.
- Stage 1: From Salzburg like the "Zarte", but with a steep detour to the Lärchenalm. Destination: Wolfgangsee. Length: 60.9 km / 1190 m elevation gain
- Stage 2: From Strobl via the Postalm to the Lammertal - with pools, gorges and waterfalls. Length: 49 km / 1180 metres altitude
- Stage 3: From Annaberg via the sporty climbs Langeggsattel and Sattelbergalm to Radstadt. Length: 50.2 km / 1260 m ascent
- Stage 4: To the Gnadenalm against the backdrop of the Radstädter Tauern. With pushing passage and waterfall. Length: 55.8 km / 1540 m ascent
- Stage 5: Over the Schönfeldsattel, then past Lake Millstätter See to Oberdrauburg. Length: 113 km / 1220 m ascent
- Stage 6: Detour to East Tyrol with a view of the Lienz Dolomites. On the Mölltal cycle path to Heiligenblut. Length: 53.8 km / 1100 m ascent
- Stage 7: The Grossglockner High Alpine Road - up to the highest point: Edelweißspitze (2571 m). Length: 62.3 km / 1660 m ascent
- Stage 8: From Zell am See via Pass Thurn and Kitzbühel to the Spielberghaus or to Saalbach. Length: 96.5 km / 1580 altitude metres
- Stage 9: From Saalbach over to Saalfelden Leogang with great views. Length: 30.6 km / 930 metres in altitude
- Stage 10: Great panoramic ride through the Berchtesgaden Alps, then along the Mozart Cycle Path to Salzburg. Length: 83.4 km / 730 m elevation gain
Gitta Beimfohr
Editor