Mountainbiking in the Harz mountains has changed a lot during the recent years. There are many new trails, new addresses for nice hotels and the e-bike, which has replaced many traditional cross-country and marathon races.
What remains are the mystical mountain forests, the peace in the forest and the endless diversity of paths. As a local, Fritz Geers offers a lot of inside information about mountainbiking in the Harz mountains. Do you already know where your next mountainbike tour in the Harz will start?
Mountainbiking in Bad Harzburg (northern Harz)
Mountainbiking in Goslar (northern Harz)
Mountainbiking in Clausthal-Zellerfeld (Oberharz)
Mountainbiking in Braunlage (Hochharz)
Mountainbiking in Torfhaus (Hochharz)
Mountainbiking in Hahnenklee (Oberharz)
Mountainbiking in Osterode (southern Harz)
Mountainbiking in Schulenberg (Oberharz)
Mountainbiking in Lautenthal (Oberharz)
Mountainbiking in Wildemann (Oberharz)
Mountainbiking in Altenau (Oberharz)
Mountainbiking in Bad Sachsa (southern Harz)
Along over 143 ponds and 500 km of canal-tracks, there are routes for mountainbikers that combine views to dark green peaks, untouched nature and the highest mountain in Northern Germany. Many of the longest trails in Germany can be found in the Harz region.
With five bikeparks, the Harz region has the highest density of bikeparks in Europe. From flow trails to difficult downhill routes, everything can be ridden in the typical low mountain range bikeparks. The downhill scene and mountainbikers who just want to try a park will definitely find suitable tracks here:
The large bikepark in Braunlage offers long stretches for anyone visiting a bikepark for the first time. Some rock passages are very difficult, but beginners will also find good stretches here.
The MSB X Trail is a mountainbike and downhill bikepark in St. Andreasberg. Beginners can ride with a mountainbike here, but the bikepark also offers more difficult downhill trails.
The Bikepark Hahnenklee is suitable for beginners and experienced athletes. Some passages are a bit steeper, but there are many options so there is a route for every level.
The Race Park Schulenberg is a real insider tip for the downhill scene in the middle of the Harz forest. The bikepark is the right choice if you have experience in downhill and mountainbiking.
The Rosstrappen Downhill in Thale is worth a visit if you are in the area. There are some small jumps and the route is very suitable for downhill training sessions.
Fritz Geers is one of the best local guides when it comes to mountainbiking in the Harz. Years of experience from hundreds of thousands of kilometers in the Harz mountains and professional mountainbike guiding characterize the offer of the young extreme athlete:
On guided MTB tours in the Harz mountains, Fritz Geers offers unforgettable insights into the world of the most beautiful trails. The mountainbike guide plans each tour individually, making it possible to start from anywhere in the Harz mountains. Additional guides can be booked for larger groups. This makes it possible to completely escape from everyday life on a guided MTB tour and just concentrate on mountainbiking.
Fritz Geers multi-day mountainbike camp is a comprehensive guiding offer for mountainbike groups visiting the Harz mountains. It not only includes several days full of trail fun, but also support in planning and organizing a trip to the Harz mountains. Several individually planned tours through the mining landscape of the Harz mountains take place on site. As an option, basic riding technique training or extensive leadership training for companies can be offered.
In order to learn the mountainbike riding technique in a course, it is advisable to use a professional riding technique trainer who has both experience and appropriate training. Recommended providers for riding technique courses in the Harz are the company Touren Harz and the company Trailtech. On guided tours, Fritz Geers passes on the basic basics of riding technique that have helped him achieve the German championship title in 24h solo mountainbiking.
The Harz is the northernmost low mountain range in Germany. For the majority of the North German residents, the Harz consists of real mountains, even if the mountains are not the Alps: Located between Hanover, Kassel and Leipzig, at the intersection of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia, the approximately 2,200 square kilometer low mountain range extends, which is about 110 kilometers long and 40 kilometers wide. The landscape is characterized by extensive forests, deep valleys with waterfalls as well as ditches, ponds and reservoirs.
The historically named Oberharz is the area around the seven mining towns around Clausthal-Zellerfeld. In many places there are not only rooted trails but also evidence of historical mining (Unesco world cultural heritage). A number of trails that are hardly passable within a year stretches from here north to the northern Harz and south to the southern Oberharz. This area is particularly recommended for mountainbiking. East of the high Harz lies the lower eastern Harz, which in terms of area takes up most of the Harz.
If you stand on the 1,142-meter-high Brocken summit and look out over the open land, you can see that the landscape north of the Harz mountains to the North Sea is relatively flat. Correspondingly little precipitation hits higher altitudes north of the Harz, whereby the Harz is affected by significantly lower temperatures and greater precipitation than other low mountain ranges in Germany. Especially in spring and autumn, the mystical clouds of fog between the dark green mountain slopes are a typical picture for the Harz.
The weather station on the Brocken nevertheless clearly shows that climate change is not passing by in the Harz: In recent years, winters have become shorter and shorter and it is now possible to ride mountainbikes in the Harz almost all year round. Only occasionally does so much snow fall between December and March that you have to replace your mountainbike with your skis. In summer, on the other hand, the temperatures in the Harz mountains are only a little colder than in the rest of northern Germany. In good weather - they say - you can see the church tower in Braunschweig from the Brocken.
The Hochharz is the significantly higher part of the low mountain range in the area around the Brocken (1142m high). There are also many other peaks more than 800 meters high. These include the Wurmberg (971m) near Braunlage, the Acker mountain range (approx. 860m high) and the Achtermann (924m high). Much of this area is part of the scenic Nationalpark Harz. Scenic landscape - But unfortunately other parts of the Harz are recommended for mountainbiking: In the Nationalpark Harz there are many hikers, few paths and often only very difficult trails.
There are no designated trails for mountainbikers right at the summit of the Brocken. An asphalt road leads from Schierke to the summit of the highest mountain in Northern Germany. This is also used by many hikers, horse-drawn carriages and road cyclists. From the water reservoir Eckertalsperre near Bad Harzburg there is a long and steep climb up to the Brocken summit. The "Panzerplatten-Weg" is the former inner German border between East and West Germany. The moss-covered concrete slabs are peppered with 28 holes each and perfect for mountainbikers who want to train their condition on a long climb!
The Volksbank Arena Harz is a mountainbike route network designed by Harz communities and municipal institutions. Since 2004, around 2,200 kilometers of official routes with around 59,000 meters of climbing on existing paths across the Harz have been planned on 74 different circuit rounds. In the forest, some of the routes are signposted with small signs to make it easier for mountainbikers to find their way around. In comparison to a bikepark, the routes are designed for touring mountainbikers and are therefore neither cordoned off nor delimited from other hiking trails.
To find the routes, it is advisable to buy the official map set for mountainbikers from the Volksbank Arena Harz. Armed with a map or a GPS device, the chances are good that the search for route and signs will be successful. Basically there are very few path or trail closures in the Harz mountains and it is allowed to ride a mountainbike almost everywhere. Nevertheless, as everywhere, you should behave ethically correct as a mountainbiker or e-biker: This includes only riding on paths, leaving as little traces as possible in nature and showing respect to other people or the animals in the forest.
When booking a guided mountain bike tour, a suitable hotel can be recommended independently. Some hotels in the Harz have been awarded the "Mountainbiker Willkommen" host label and may be suitable. These hosts can be recommended:
"Welcome to the heart of the Harz Mountains! The Hotel Viktoria is your address for those looking for a break in an impressive environment. Discover our modern hotel in the heart of Braunlage, let us spoil you in our restaurant or visit our bar. We are with you Passionate hosts and look forward to your visit!"
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"Welcome to our mountain bike-friendly holiday homes in St. Andreasberg and Braunlage. Bike washing area, lockable bike room, pump and tools. Suitable for groups of up to 24 participants. Garden with grill, fireplace and garden furniture to relax after the tour."
Website Location Book a guided mtb-tour from hereFurther hotel recommendations will follow shortly..
