Grande Granite Tour: Stage 3

Description:
It’s a spectacular way to start the section: glorious high-altitude biking at the top of the Bohemian Forest – with views for miles and miles around as well as some forest trails! At Guglwald, a descent into the Steinerne Mühl valley is sure to delight. After a mountainous trip to the backcountry, you can unwind and savour the seclusion. Back at the Steinerne Mühl river begins a fantastic ascent to the Petersberg ridge with a final stretch of cruising along at high altitude with panoramic views. Some free-flowing downhill fun is followed by a rough-and-ready surge up to the summit at the iconic Hansberg viewpoint (850 metres)! Then comes a prolonged, satisfying descent into the Kleine Rodl valley before heading across and high up to Waxenberg (village with ruins of castle at summit, 748 metres).

 

Highlights:

• Bohemian Forest (Central Europe’s largest forested area)


• Hansberg (summit with iconic views)


• Waxenberg (village with ruins of castle at summit, lookout tower with 360-degree panoramic view, palace)


• Overnight location: Waxenberg

Directions:
It’s a spectacular way to start the section: Glorious high-altitude biking at the top of the Bohemian Forest – with views for miles and miles around as well as some forest trails! At Guglwald, a descent into the Steinerne Mühl valley is sure to delight. After a mountainous trip to the backcountry, you can unwind and savour the seclusion. Back at the Steinerne Mühl river begins a fantastic ascent to the Petersberg ridge with a final stretch of cruising along at high altitude with panoramic views. Some free-flowing downhill fun is followed by a rough-and-ready surge up to the summit at the iconic Hansberg viewpoint (850 metres)! Then comes a prolonged, satisfying descent into the Kleine Rodl valley before heading across and high up to Waxenberg (village with ruins of castle at summit, 748 metres).

 

You start at the top of the Bohemian Forest in the hilltop village of Sankt Stefan am Walde (805 metres), and just a short climb later, you will already have reached the highest point of this section at the Aviva Hotel (914 metres). Congratulations! The Bohemian Forest – Central Europe’s largest forested area – begins behind the hotel, delivering the first highlight: some glorious Bohemian Forest biking along a gently sloping 5.5-kilometre ridge! Next, you will dive into the depths of the coniferous forest northwards. A large clearing will allow you to experience the eternal feel of the forests and the agricultural oases that punctuate them. Back on the southern edge of the Bohemian Forest comes a stretch of high-altitude biking with views far into the distance, followed by some fun on historical forest trails. From the lowest point, the tiny settlement of Löfflersäge, you will follow a quiet country lane along the edge of the Bohemian Forest, taking you briefly uphill to Guglwald (750 metres). Some “border ahead” signs still remind the passer-by of the time when the Iron Curtain separated Austria from the Czech Republic. The way back to the Danube begins with a scenic and happy downhill ride, with stretches of asphalt weaving through idyllic Granite Country – starting at the beautiful hamlet of Gugler (ornate window frames and gate posts made of granite, court chapel, wayside granite shrine) and progressing down to the Steinerne Mühl river. On the opposite side of the valley, you will move steeply uphill for a short while and over a gentle inhabited ridge back down to Piberschlag. There, you will enjoy the beguiling beauty of a jaunt into the solitude of the hinterland. After a brief, fun interlude along a trail in the Brentenbach stream’s valley, you will take some country lanes through forested solitude and secluded, mountainside farmland to reach the unassuming highest point of this detour: a crossroads (775 metres). Good work! Then comes some welcome respite in the form of a 2 kilometre-long, free-flowing downhill stretch into the Holzmühlbach stream’s valley and on to Untereben. There, a shady forest trail leads briefly up the slope of the valley, before biking downhill through a relaxing cultivated rural landscape. There are a couple of highlights along the way: a trail-like ascent through mixed forest to Brandl, and some free-flowing downhill exhilaration to Atzmühle mill on the Steinerne Mühl river. There begins a mountains classification from every biker’s dreams: the varied 7-kilometre ascent to Petersberg ridge (elevation gain: 260 metres)! Initially through lonely forested valley, then over a farm-dotted ridge and finally over flat agricultural land to the slope high up on the Petersberg. Crunchy steep sections, meadow paths that bring you close to nature and some beautiful views back towards the Bohemian Forest. Now, you will have arrived at the top of Petersberg ridge (great job!) – here awaits some relaxed cruising along at high elevation with panoramic views. A fun, fast-paced, 3-kilometre downhill stretch across a mixture of asphalt and trails takes you back to the valley. It is here that you will get your first look at our destination for this section: the castle ruins at Waxenberg! Following a short counter-climb to the hamlet of Kaiser, the valley floor is the springboard for a crunchy summit dash up to the iconic Hansberg viewpoint (elevation gain: 230 meters). The mountain ascent spans in four sections: ancient coniferous forest, an initially challenging meadow section, some more relaxed riding through nearby settlements, then finally a forest trail which also offers its tricky spots. Once you have reached the building at the top (all-in-one chapel, private housing and eatery), you have made it to the summit (850 metres). Congratulations! At this location,  a 10 metre-high tower and a chapel were built here back in the 17th century. In the 19th century, this was removed and replaced with a restaurant and lookout. Over time, the ensemble grew into an iconic lookout peak with the addition of a youth guest house and ski lift. Today, on the east side of the summit building, a panoramic viewpoint affords a glorious view of Pfarrkichen am Walde, Ameisberg and others.

 

The 5-kilometre descent is a captivating one, offering some moments of fun on the trail, a fast-flowing run along a quiet country lane to Sankt Veit im Mühlkreis and steep gravel path into the Kleine Rodl valley. Above the idyllic meadowed valley, the village of Waxenberg is perched on a forested cone of mountain. Once you complete another enjoyable ascent (elevation gain: 170 metres) through cultivated rural landscape and magnificent mixed forest, you will have reached the destination for the day’s section: Waxenberg (village with ruins of castle at summit, 748 metres).