Kraichgau / Stromberg

Mountain biking and gravel in the Kraichgau-Stromberg: the land of a thousand hills

Between the Rhine, Neckar and Enz rivers lies one of southern Germany's most rewarding riding areas: the "land of a thousand hills". Gentle loess hills, vineyards to the horizon, half-timbered villages and sunken lanes carved deep into the soil define the Kraichgau. To the south lies the Stromberg-Heuchelberg Nature Park, to the east the Zabergäu – Germany's largest red-wine landscape.

For mountain bikers this is not a downhill area, and that is exactly its charm. Instead of lifts and steep descents you get an endless web of gravel roads, farm tracks and forest paths made for the gravel bike, for long tours and the quick after-work loop. It rolls flat through the Kraichgau and turns hillier in the Stromberg and Zabergäu. From Stuttgart, Mannheim or Karlsruhe you're there in about an hour.

Trails, pump tracks and dirt lines

If you want something more playful, there are local spots: the Radsportverein Sulzfeld dirt park sits in the heart of the Kraichgau below Ravensburg Castle, while the Bönnigheim pump track in the Stromberg offers flow for kids and skills practice. Add signposted gravel and bikepacking routes linking castles, vineyards and the UNESCO World Heritage monastery of Maulbronn.

Why the region works

A mild climate, fertile loess soils and plenty of sun give the Kraichgau-Stromberg one of the earliest and longest riding seasons in Germany. The tracks are rideable almost year-round – though loess holds moisture after rain, and in autumn fallen leaves hide roots and holes. A look at current conditions is worth it.