Across the Black Forest

Tour Itinerary

Day 1.
Arrival

 

Day 2.
We will take it easy on the first day with about 30 km. We master the first 1160 vertical meters almost exclusively on forest tracks interleaved by some single-track passages. Having passed Bühlerhöhle and its palace hotel, where the English national football team resided during the Worldcup 2006, we will reach the highest mountain of the northern Black Forest, Mt Hornisgrinde (1164 m). After a short downhill we will arrive at our hotel at idyllic Mummelsee and enjoy the evening with a cool glass of beer on the patio or a boat trip on the lake.

 

Day 3.
Today's stage has plenty of downhill pleasure (1880 vertical meters) in store for us. Leaving the hotel we will start off on a single-track. We will cover the first 10 km on ups and downs in the highs of the Northern Black Forest. On a 16 km descent, we will pass the ruins of a Gothic church seated in the middle of the woods, and reach Renchtal. After lunch a steep ascent on forest tracks awaits us, followed by a long slope with technical single-track passages and several short climbs before we arrive at our quarters.

 

Day 4.
Today's stage is the longest, comprising 1640 vertical meters and over 60 km. It is still rather easy to handle, being mostly on forest tracks with only moderate slopes. We will take bikeways, cross a remote valley, and then go down again on forest tracks to reach Elzach at noon. The next 30 km to our hotel lead us through a forested area without encountering a single village. The second longest river in Europe, the 2888 km long Danube, has its source here. Passing Mt Brend (1148 m) we will get to our hotel, having a dinner that includes traditional treats of the region.

 

Day 5.
A mixture of forest tracks and single-tracks awaits us today. Steep paths will take us down to the Hexenlochmühle which was built in 1825. Having climbed 400 vertical meters we will be back in the highs of the Black Forest. From here on, it goes interchangeably up and down, mostly on single-tracks, to Neustadt. After another 400 vertical meters of convenient forest tracks we reach the Mt Hochfirst (1190 m). The day of biking finishes with a splendid downhill to Titisee. Afterwards there will be time for taking a bath in the lake, having a sauna in the hotel, or taking a stroll in the shopping area of Titisee.

 

Day 6.
Easy tracks will take us to Feldsee, a former glacial lake which is surrounded by rock faces of up to 300 m in height. After that, some steep and pebbly tracks will offer sights of some traditional mountain huts and eventually lead us to the summit of the Mt Feldberg (1493 m), the highest mountain in the Black Forest. On clear days you can see the Alps from here, ranging from Vorarlberg in Austria to the French Mont Blanc. The almost alpine climate makes certain plants grow here which normally would be encountered in the Alps only. Apart from some climbs a 33 km downhill will take us mostly on single-tracks 1200 m down to Staufen. The day will be concluded by a visit of the Staufen Castle or some wine-tasting.

 

Day 7.
Before reaching the highs of the Black Forest on paths across remote valleys, we cycle several kilometers from Staufen southwards through wine growing hills. We will take a break at the former glacial lake Nonnenmattweiher. The countryside is too beautiful to just pass by and not have an extended view. The route is dominated by excellent single-tracks; the downhill to Badenweiler in particular is sheer pleasure. We will have enough time to relax our muscles in the hot springs of Badenweiler, which were known already to the Romans. The ruins of the Roman baths and a ruined castle are available for sightseeing.

 

Day 8.
First thing in the morning we hit steep forest tracks and single-tracks uphill onto the Mt Blauen (1165 m), where we will be rewarded with what is probably the most impressive panorama view of all the summits in the Black Forest: we can see Basel and the Swiss alpine upland, the main range of the Alps with their snow-capped summits, the Rhine Valley and the Vosges to the West, and back to the Mt Feldberg. On single-tracks downhill to Kandertal we will soon approach Basel. Two small ascends in the hilly Markgräflerland and there we are, on a vantage point above Basel. A quick downhill and we will have reached the end of the journey.

 

Day 8.
Departure