Mountain Biking in Innsbruck ()

Nothing beats a sunny day biking in the Alps, and the Innsbruck area is a premier biking destination. Touting itself as a bike city, Innsbruck makes a great day trip for any kind of cyclist. Innsbruck is so bike-focused that its tourist website has a massive section devoted to routes, trails and information. There are scenic valley bike paths and leisurely tours around the city, but the biggest draw is mountain biking.

Mountain Bike Trails

Mountain bikers can tackle one of the numerous routes available. Expect tough uphill slogs followed by incredibly fast downhill sections with views to die for. Almost all the trails have an alpine hut along the way to enjoy a break, take in the peak panorama and maybe grab a pint. The Innsbruck city website offers 60 different routes for experienced mountain bikers.

One of the best-known loops is the 21 kilometer Mutters Three Hut loop. The route features everything you’d want in an alpine trail: forests, meadows and alpine views galore, plus the opportunity to grab a wurst and beer at a mountain cafe. The route is not difficult after the initial, and optional, uphill section. It is primarily on easily navigable wide dirt trails, with grazing sheep and cows as your only potential obstacles.

The first five kilometers are an uphill sweat-fest on a wide dirt road with roughly 600-meter elevation gain. All that hard work pays off when you emerge from the forest and get your first view of mountain peaks. The top is also your first opportunity for a snack break at the traditional Mutterer Alm (hut). To make this ride friendlier on your calves, or for a family day out, you can skip the uphill portion by buying tickets for the Muttereralm gondola.

The trail is primarily downhill after reaching the Mutterer, with only two short and gradual uphill sections afterward. The middle part of the route flows in and out of the trees to the scenic, but closed, Raitiser Alm. From there the trail continues down to the quaint Kreither Alm and another potential lunch and drinks stop. The final section is the prettiest as you pedal downhill through mountain meadows facing the views across the valley.

Downhill Tracks

For those riders who want to focus on a fun, fast technical downhill ride, there are three gondolas near Innsbruck open to mountain bikers in the summer.

The Muttereralmbahn is the location of Bikepark Innsbruck. If you want speed, this is the place! Site of the five-day Crankworx festival and race, Bikepark Innsbruck features five singletrack high-speed downhill trails, plus a pump track, a beginner park with easy obstacles and a new jumpline for experts. Bike services abound; there are wash stations, maintenance tools and rental safety equipment – helmets and kneepads are mandatory. Bike rentals are also available if you book ahead and there is even a bike school for newbies. Tickets are sold for the gondola, and parking is validated for free for those who use it.

The downhill tracks here range in difficulty. There are easier routes aptly named The Simple One and The First One, plus other moderately difficult flow trails with jumps and ramps. The park also has a second, smaller location 5 kilometer down the road at the Nocksptizbahn with two expert trails: The Rough One and The Wild One.

There is a great family-friendly downhill ride at the Bergbahnen Oberperfuss. After taking the gondola up, you can enjoy a speedy mountain bike ride down on wide, gently sloping trails. There are extensive mountain views, open meadows and three scenic alpine hut cafes to choose from.

The best part of this option is that it can easily be adjusted for distance. Returning downhill from the top of Gondola 1 is 5 kilometers, mostly through the forest. Adding Gondola 2 means a 7 kilometer downhill through meadow and forest. You can also bike uphill from the top of Gondola 2 past the pretty reservoir for 2.5 kilometers to Rosskogelhütte where you can grab a snack and soak in peak views before speeding 8.6 kiometers back to the bottom.

The final downhill option is the famous Nordkette Singletrail accessed via the Nordkette gondola. This is an infamously steep, difficult 3.2 kilometer downhill singletrack with a 36 percent grade and 1000 meters of elevation change. Experts only!