Bikepacking in the Palatinate Forest: 4 days on a gravel bike in the Palatinate Forest

4 days on a gravel bike through the Palatinate Forest

Day 1: Neustadt an der Weinstraße - Frankenstein trekking site

• 37 kilometres
• 800 metres altitude
• max. 14 % gradient

Short, crisp - and a perfect start if you only set off at midday. Just after Neustadt, it's all uphill at first, straight towards a green wall. And then out of civilisation. The highest and first summit of the day is the Eckkopf after twelve kilometres, with a beautiful downhill trail section. In general: a mix of trails and forest paths leads over the wooded humps deeper and deeper into the Palatinate Forest Nature Park, varied and most of the time under the canopy to the Frankenstein trekking site.

Day 2: Trekking sites: Frankenstein - Am Herrentisch

• 57 kilometres
• 960 metres in altitude
• max. 20 % gradient

There are just twelve kilometres of air line between the start and finish, but the route makes so many loops that by the end of the day there are almost 60 kilometres on the speedometer. The fun begins with a fluffy single trail. Tip: Have breakfast, buy provisions in Weidenthal; at km 4.9 on the B 39, cycle 1.5 kilometres to the town, turn around there and return to the track. The route then leads along cleared forest paths through the mixed beech forest of the Pfälzer Dauerwelle to the "Pälzer Weltachs" (a worked sandstone on the 459 metre high Kleiner Roßrück) - sometimes fast, occasionally bumpy, but almost always smooth and flowing. The region is sparsely populated and you hardly ever meet hikers or other bikers.

Day 3: Trekking site Am Herrentisch - Forsthaus Annweiler

• 56 kilometres
• 1450 metres altitude
• max. 15 % gradient

Fast gravel descents, steep climbs, fluffy trails: there's hardly anything that doesn't get under your wheels on this day. On the varied route over the sparsely populated forest hills, we gain almost 1,500 metres in altitude over the course of the day - with luggage and without suspension, this is a challenge in the terrain. From the "Am Herrentisch" trekking site, the route heads roughly south-west through the vastness of the Palatinate Forest. Challenging trails and paths lead to the Almersberg, the highest point of the day; from there you have a magnificent view over the peaks of the Palatinate.

Day 4: Forsthaus Annweiler - Neustadt an der Weinstraße

• 76 kilometres
• 1360 metres altitude
• max. 18 % gradient

Two magnificent viewpoints await you on the first twelve kilometres: directly after the start on the Kirschfels, then on the 610-metre-high Weißenberg from the 35-metre-high Luitpoldturm. From there, the route continues along sometimes wild, sometimes dreamy forest and woodland paths through gently undulating terrain. At the end of the day, after several metres in altitude, we tackle the challenging climb up to the 673-metre-high Kalmit, the highest mountain in the Palatinate Forest. Afterwards, technically demanding trails peppered with roots await us on the way down to Neustadt an der Weinstraße.

Downloads:

GPS data: Palatinate Forest
PDF: Bikepacking in the Palatinate Forest