Day two of our weekend trip to southern Bavaria was a 70 km ride from Murnau am Staffelsee back to Füssen. Right from the beginning, the day had great promise. If you have ever been to Murnau, you will know the city is perched higher up from the Murnauer Moos. The ride up will send your heart beating a bit, but the ride down is exhilarating! And, that’s how we started the day, directly from the Altstadt onto the cycle path south.
The next 25 km is a steady incline up to Garmisch-Partenkirchen. The route is almost entirely off-road, some on well-maintained cycle paths, some on knobby dirt tracks. We decided to leave the main cycle way shortly before the city, so we could route ourselves easily to some lunch without managing a ride through the center. Unless you are going there for a tour, find a good place beforehand and route yourself directly there; the city has heavy traffic throughout the day.
We ate a Philly Cheesesteak at a waffle restaurant, which was better than any cheesesteak in Philadelphia! (The original cheesesteak sandwiches are trashy garbage food and should be avoided if you find yourself in South Philly.) After a quick exit from the traffic-dominated streets of central Garmisch, we were back on the route climbing again towards the forest.
After a few kilometers of nice scenery, the route enters a mountain area in Griesen. After here, there are no reliable services until you reach Reutte. There are a few kiosks in Plansee, but these are seasonal with modest opening times. The ride between Griesen and Plansee is exciting. The road winds along and high above the Loisach river (which was 95% dry that day) where you have lovely views. Once you cross the Loisach, you have unceremoniously entered Austria. The road then becomes very steep, over 15% in some ramps, but it is rideable with good fitness since the roadway is well maintained. Halfway up there is a flat turn with a delightful view of the mountains and passes south towards Lermoos.
Then it’s downhill to Plansee, where you emerge at the lake near the entrance to the village, which is mainly a campsite, beaches, and kiosks. There are no services at all on the south bank of the lake, everything to be done is in the campsite area. At the time of our visit, April 2024, the bridge to Heiterwanger See was under construction, so no access to the south bank of the lake was possible if you wanted to do a roundtrip.
If you stop at a kiosk for a break, the first kiosk is OK, it’s new, but there is one slightly further on that is directly at the lakeshore. Food options are limited, but there is plenty to drink, plus ice cream!
After our break, we rode briskly along the lake on the road. There is a higher dirt road option that is accessible at the very beginning of the camp area with a short detour north, but we wanted to be directly at the lake. It is a sleepy road with few cars, at least in the off season. Up a short climb, you then descend to Reutte. The descent is FAST on a wide, smoothly paved road. My speed was about 51 km/hr on the 2 km segment — and that was with liberal breaking along the way.
Reutte deserves its post one of these days after we visit again. It is a perfectly up-to-date little town with a beautiful Altstadt, museums, and plenty of restaurants and bars. We had an ice cream cone (again) at Eva’s Eisdeal, where they have 10 flavors of homemade happiness.
Heading out of the town, we crossed the Lech River and rode through forests and farms until we were close to the edge of Füssen, where the cycle path was crowded with people visiting the Lechfall. Extra care is needed here since the tourists aren’t expecting bike tourists to be passing by. Shortly we are back in Füssen at the car, where a hug, kiss, and high-5 ended our weekend ride.
Together with the Day One ride from Füssen to Murnau, this route is the perfect weekend getaway with your gravel bike or MTB. Of course, for those with an e-bike, or the optimally fit rider, all 115 km can be done in a single day.
