Today is another great sunny day. Perfect for going on a mountain bike tour. For the wonderful day, we are planning a longer round trip, which will take us all the way to Elmau and from there back to Lake Badersee. It's already a half-day trip if you just calculate the travel time, but there are also some nice rest areas along the way.

Tour profile

Difficulty level: medium to difficult
Route length: approx. 43 km
ascents: 700 meters
descents: 700 meters

We start directly from the hotel am Badersee towards Hammersbach and Garmisch-Partenkirchen. In Hammersbach (which is also called Little Sibians by the locals, as there is no sun there for about 3 months in winter), we get on our “Radlautobahn”, which takes us directly to the Garmisch-Partenkirchen ski stadium. If you feel like it, you can make a short stop here to visit the “referee tower” of the large Olympic ski jump. From here, we follow the signs for Mittenwald and have to climb the first big climb towards Klais at the end of Partenkirchen. A total of 3 km and over 150 m should be climbed along the B2 federal road. It's worth the effort, because the view of the Alpspitze, the Zugspitze and the Waxenstein walls is terrific.

We continue to follow the paved cycle path and pass Kaltenbrunn, but continue towards Gerold and Klais. A short trip to Geroldsee is a must. Picturesquely situated with the Karwendel massif in the background, it is hidden in a small hollow. There is also a small beach on the lake itself, which is always well visited when the weather is nice.

In Klais, we now follow the signs to Schloss Elmau. There we get onto the toll road, which is free for bicycles, and follow it slightly uphill until we finally arrive in Kranzbach and are rewarded with a beautiful view of the Karwendel massif. By the way: The British noblewoman Mary Isabel Portman built an English country estate at the foot of the Zugspitze as her personal resort — Kranzbach Castle — over 100 years ago. Today, however, this is used as a public hotel.

We have already completed 500 m and 22 km up to this point. We continue to follow the quiet toll road towards Elmau and enjoy a rapid descent while our thighs can relax.

The imposing and world-famous luxury hotel “Schloss Elmau” is now enthroned in front of us. It was built in the years 1914 - 1916 and was constantly expanded until 2/3 of it was destroyed due to a fire in 2005 and had to be partially demolished. In 2007, it reopened as a 5*S hotel. In 2015, the well-known G7 summit took place there.

From here on, we are repeatedly accompanied by lush meadows and pastures, which are currently visited by our local animals. They are all waiting for the alpine buoyancy and the remaining snowfields to disappear.

Our tour now continues over a small steep climb to the Schachenparkplatz. From there, it's over a sandy road into the Ferchen Valley. A further steep climb of up to 15% awaits us here. There, we can put our energy reserves back on the pedals. From here, it's a constant up and down to the small hamlet of Hintergraseck.

From there, you have a wonderful view of the Reintal Valley. This is what the upper and lower Partnach valley between the Zugspitzplatt and the Partnach Gorge is called. The valley was created by the Reintal Glacier during the Würmeis period and deepened by the Partnach in the post-glacial period, after the glacier had retreated to the edge of the Schneefernerkopf.

We now continue downhill towards Graseck and Gasthaus “Klammhaus an der Partnach” (also known as “Partnachhaus”).

This is followed by an extremely steep paved descent with a slope of up to 35%. A sign asks cyclists to push onto the piece. However, brave and experienced mountain bikers can master the descent well with their treacherous hairpin bends. However, be careful, as the steepest section comes at the end. As a little tip: Interval braking extends the life of the brakes and prevents the “glazing process.” However, once you have achieved this, you can reward yourself with a snack at the “Partnachhaus” before continuing on to the ski stadium and back to Lake Badersee the same way.

Tips & info:

• The pure travel time of this tour is approx. 3 hours. A total of around 700 meters of altitude and 43 km must be covered.
• It is worth taking provisions with you for a rest in the beautiful countryside. There are also places to stop for refreshments in Klais or in the “Partnachhaus”, as well as at the Olympic ski jump.
• The tour can be done by mountain bike or by e-bike, depending on your fitness level.

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