Four-Day Mountain Bike Ride
Kufstein - Lake Achensee (Ride Around the Karwendel Mountains)

Day 1: Kufstein - Lake Achensee
Uphill/downhill: 1.880/1.380 vertical metres, distance: 69.1 kiloemetres, highest point: 1,434 metres, difficulty: difficult

From the historic small town of Kufstein, pedal along the Inn Cycle Path in a northerly direction and cross the German border. In Kiefersfelden, cross left under the Inntal-Autobahn motorway and join the Innstraße road. Follow the Kieferbach river (which later becomes the Thierseer Ache) along the border in a westerly direction. Passing the Hechtsee lake and the Steinbruch Wachtl, the trail leads 8.7 kilometres and around 320 vertical metres uphill to Thiersee. In Thiersee, stay right and follow the Thiersee-Landesstraße in a westerly direction via Wieshäusl. Pass through the settlements of Schmiedtal and Landl bei Thiersee and, after 9 kilometres (just after passing Wacht), turn left in Landl onto the toll road. This leads along route 341 uphill to the Stallenalm and on to the Ackernalm (food & drink served). Continue straight on there, past the Marchbarchalm hut, through thick forest and finally downhill towards Erzherzog Johann-Klause. Wide forest trails then lead up via the Rohregger Bairachalm and the Schwendter Bairachalm huts to the Gufferthütte (food & drink served) at 1,465 metres above sea level. There then follows a long descent along wide gravel trails via the Ludernalm hut and the Schlag-Almen hut along the banks of the Ampelsbach stream into the Achental Valley. From there, head south via Achenkirch to Lake Achensee and ride along the eastern shore to Maurach.

Day 2: Lake Achensee - Scharnitz
Uphill/downhill: 1,801/1,771 vertical metres, distance: 68.5 kilometres, highest point: 1,797 metres, difficulty: difficult

Leaving from Lake Achensee, ride via Pertisau on a wide and gently rising road into the Gerntal Valley as far as the Almgasthaus Pletzachalm. After a further 2.2 kilometres you will reach the Gernalm hut. It is here that the steep climb to the Plumsjoch ridge and the Plumsjochhütte hut at 1,630 metres begins. This is followed by a descent along the Plumsjochstraße (route 452). When you reach the Rißbach stream, turn left and ride along the main road (Landesstraße) into an area known as Eng, past the Alpengasthof Eng to the Ahornboden in Hinterriß with its wonderful centuries-old maple sycamores. From there, return to the end of route 452 on the banks of the Rißbach stream and then take the road in a north-westerly direction through the valley. After 5.2 kilometres, before you reach the Kreuzbrücke bridge, turn left onto route 455 into the Johannestal Valley. It is here that the second climb of the day begins, via the Schwarzlackenhütte and the Kleiner Ahornboden onto the Hochalmsattel ridge, at 1,797 metres above sea level the high before descending along gravel trails to the Karwendelhaus at 1,765 metres. It is here that the final section  of the stage begins: route 595 leads along an 18-kilometre-long descent past the Angeralm into the Isartal Valley and all the way to Scharnitz.

Day 3: Scharnitz - Schwaz
Uphill/downhill: 1,396/1,828 vertical metres, distance: 76.3 kilometres, highest point: 1,229 metres, difficulty: difficult

From Scharnitz, ride in a westerly direction along the Gießenbach stream. In the settlement of Gießenbach turn right onto the Bodenstraße road and follow it for 5.1 kilometres. At the point where the road meets the Leutascher Landesstraße (L14), turn left and ride on for a few hundred metres before turning right onto a dirt track leading into the Fludertal Valley. The route then leads down via the Wildmoosalm hut to the village of Seefeld in Tirol. Once you arrive in Seefeld, take the Innsbrucker Straße road past the Wildsee lake heading in a southerly direction. A long gravel descent follows along route 588 via Reith bei Seefeld all the way down into the Inn Valley. In Eigenhofen, turn left onto the main road and ride to Zirl. In Zirl, cross over the Inn using the Bahnhofstraße road and follow the flat Inn Cycle Path for a little over 8 kilometres to Kranebitten, a settlement on the outskirts of Innsbruck. It is here that the climb begins to the Höttinger Bild, the Umbrüggler Alm and the Arzler Alm. Descend to Arzl and continue to Rum, Thaur, Absam and Gnadenwald before following the road to Terfens and Vomp on your way to the town of Schwaz.

Day 4: Schwaz - Kufstein
Uphill/downhill: 1,991/2,047 vertical metres, distance: 87 kilometres, highest point: 1,488 metres, difficulty: difficult

The final stage begins in Schwaz with a climb up along the Gallzeiner Weg to the settlement of Gattern. From there, descend back down to Buch in Tirol. Once you are back down in the valley, take the main road to St. Margarethen, cross over the Inn river and continue to Jenbach. Then take the Schalserstraße road to the settlement of Wiesing and follow the Dorfstraße road past Erlach towards Lake Achensee. Shortly after the intersection with the Achenseestraße road, take the forest trail winding its way up to Eben on the shores of Lake Achensee. Once you reach the lake, continue for almost 9 kilometres along the eastern shore of the lake. There then follows the second climb of the day. Take route 461 up to the Kögelalm at 1,430 metres. There is then a long gravel descent through the Schönjochtal to Steinberg am Rofan. There, take route 465 gently uphill via Hinterberg along the banks of the Steinberger Ache river to Pinegg and on to Kaiserhaus at the entrance to the Kaiserklamm gorge. Follow route 326 gently uphill, past Riedenberg to the Thiersee lake. The final section leads via the Marblinger Höhe back to Kufstein.