recommended route
Biosphere Tour
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Radtour im Dahner Felsenland: Biosphären-TourVideo: Outdooractive – 3D Videos
The 35 km circuit is characterised by alternating dense forests and villages nestled in open valley meadows. The Franco-German Palatinate Forest-North Vosges Biosphere Reserve is the first cross-border biosphere reserve in Europe to be recognised by UNESCO. Lavish sandstone formations and countless rock castles dominate the landscape. With forestry and agricultural roads accounting for 80% of the route, the Biosphere Tour offers an incredibly beautiful glimpse of this landscape dominated by majestic forests. The park’s natural connections are experienced at close quarters in and around the Biosphere House in Fischbach, for instance high on the treetop path featuring information panels and interactive stations.
Difficulty level: Suitable for everyday cyclists, bikes can be pushed up the two climbs if necessary.
Route characteristics:
Route:
- 29 km of forest tracks and agricultural roads
- 5 km of cycle paths
- 5 km on urban roads with no cycle paths
- No rural roads
Surface quality:
28 km of asphalt surfaces
7 km of crushed brick/stone paths
Route overview:
- Dahn - Fischbach, 17 km (110 m of ascent, 90 m of descent). The eastern half: Heads south in the Lauter valley and across a briefly ascending watershed into the Sauer valley in the southern Palatinate to Fischbach. The Biosphere House is located on the cycle route.
- Fischbach - Dahn, 18 km (165 m of ascent, 180 m of descent). The western half: Through the valleys of two small streams and over a significant peak, solely on forest tracks and former military roads through dense forest back to Dahn.
Author’s recommendation
Two peaks pose a challenge for cyclists, but are neither steep nor long, and can be managed by all cyclists when travelling in the right direction. There are approximately 80 m of ascent between the Wieslauter and the Sauer, each around 2 km with a gradient of up to 4%. The second peak through the Fischbach and Moosbach valleys features noticeable inclines with around 100 m of ascent. The inclines cover 5 km from Dahn, and just 1.5 km from Fischbach. Should anyone wish to make the Biosphere Tour a little easier, they can take the circular route from Dahn via the Neudahner Weiher pond to Fischbach and return via Rumbach.
Refreshments along the route: local restaurants in Dahn, Dahn-Reichenbach, Bruchweiler-Bärenbach, Rumbach, Fischbach and the PWV lodge in Dahn.
Track types
Show elevation profileRest stops
Palatinate Forest/Northern Vosges Biosphere HouseWirtshaus zum Salztrippler
Am Alten Mühlrad
Restaurant Altes Bahnhöf'l
Hotel Pfalzblick
Restaurant Ratsstube
Cafe am Markt
PWV-Hütte im Schneiderfeld
Gasthaus Landhaus "Tausendschön"
Wasgau Frischemarkt Fischbach
Safety information
Cyclists must obey the German highway code (StVo).Tips and hints
Feedback, errors or omissions? Contact us by email: radwege@lbm.rlp.de www.radwanderland.de (responsible for infrastructure and route description).Start
Destination
Turn-by-turn directions
From the train station, the tour leads riders down the street named Im Kaltenbächel, along the German-French Pamina Cycle Route (Lauter Valley) to Bruchweiler-Bärenbach and Bundenthal train station. After the train station, turn right onto the country road and then ride along the Sauer Valley Cycle Route via Rumbach (from here it is worth taking a detour to Christuskirche church with its famous frescoes) to Fischbach. On the outskirts of the town, turn right to the Franco-German Palatinate Forest-North Vosges Biosphere Reserve with the unique Baumwipfel treetop path at a height of 18-35 metres.
From the Biosphere House, return to the outskirts of the village and continue along Hauptstraße to where it meets Dahner Straße. The route now continues straight along Dahner Straße and then on a small road through Wolfsägertal nature reserve. At the end of the valley, follow an agricultural road along the Fischbrunnen valley, up the mountain to the route marker on the north side of the Großer Mückenkopf mountain.
If you want to see the Hohle Fels natural monument, turn right here and follow the private road uphill for approximately 800 metres to the Hohle Fels, then retrace your steps on the way back down. At the route marker, everyone else turns left and follows the private road down to Moosbachtal nature reserve past the turn-off for Dahner Hütte lodge (open to the public, see opening times) 500 m away, which is the perfect place to stop for a break before continuing to Neudahner Weiher pond (it is a 10-minute walk from here to the ruins of Neudahn Castle).
After Neudahner Weiher pond, turn right and follow the German-French Pamina Cycle Route (Lauter Valley) back to the starting point of the tour in Dahn.
Note
Public transport
Public-transport-friendly
By train to Bad Bergzabern or Hinterweidenthal, from there by bus to Dahn. On foot from the centre of town to the youth hostel / campsite. From May to October, the Bundenthaler und Felsenland Express sightseeing trains run on Wednesdays, Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays from Mannheim/Karlsruhe to Dahn train station, Dahn Süd or the Moosbachtal valley in the municipality of Dahner FelsenlandGetting there
The South Western Palatinate is easily accessible by car from
The north via the A6 and B270
The south and east via the A65 and B10
The west via the A8 and A62
Parking
66994 Dahn, Bahnhof (HP Dahn) Pirmasenser Straße oder Parkplatz Haus des Gastes, Weißenburger Straße 17.Coordinates
Author’s map recommendations
www.radwanderland.de (verantwortlich für Infrastruktur und Wegebeschreibung)“ »Radwege in der Südwestpfalz«, Maßstab 1:1200.000; »Radkarte Pfalz« Beide Karten kostenlos erhältlich bei: Südwestpfalz Touristik e.V.
Karte: Wander- und Radwanderkarte Dahner Felsenland 1:25.000, 6,90 €uro zzgl. Portokosten von 1,45 €uro
Neu: 5. Auflage: Wandern und Radfahren im Dahner Felsenland mit den Premium-Wanderwegen, denHaupt- und Rundwanderwegen, den Radrouten sowie dem Rettungspunkte-System im Maßstab 1:25.000, ISBN 978-3-934895-95-9
Equipment
Please wear a helmet. Touring bicycle or bike with multiple gears, weatherproof clothing, drinks and supplies.Statistics
- 67 Waypoints
- 67 Waypoints
Questions and answers
Rating
Photos from others