Heppenheim HP1

Switch off from everyday life and enjoy the varied natural landscape of the Bergstrasse and the Odenwald forest away from busy roads – that’s the motto of the newly signposted mountain bike circuit. Our tour begins in the immediate vicinity of the historic old town, at the Kleiner Markt. It takes us along the Burgweg and Kanonenweg paths up to the observatory below Starkenburg Castle, offering bikers a magnificent panoramic view of the town and the side valleys of the Odenwald. Along a ridge between the Hambach Valley and the Kirschhäuser Valley, we pass the “Helenenruhe” through beautiful mixed forests to the “Jägerrast” refuge. The ascending forest path continues to the Krehberg, the highest point of our tour and of the Odenwald. From here, we enjoy the view towards the Rhine plain and the Melibokus. After a short drive, we reach the “Mathildenruhe” vantage point, which offers a beautiful view of the Neunkirchner Höhe and the spa town of Lindenfels. The way back is rapidly downhill, past the Heiligenberg and Eselsberg, until we reach the northern ridge of the Hambach Valley. A cultural landscape opens up before us, presenting a harmonious interplay between viticulture and agriculture as well as areas left in their natural state. Through the “Steinkopf” vineyard, past the “Winzerrast” with a magnificent view of Starkenburg Castle and the Rhine plain, we return to our starting point.