Tauern Cycle Path Round Stage 6: Salzburg - Lofer

Turn-by-turn directions

The branch-off point for the route through the Saalach Valley (= Tauern Cycle Path Loop) is located less than 100 metres south of the Nonntaler bridge - here at the Künstlerhaus, you turn West, cross the Hellbrunner Straße and follow the signs past the Nonntaler Hauptstraße towards the Fürstenallee. Turn right into the Sinnhubstrasse and then directly left into the Leopoldskroner Allee, then turn right and immediately again left into the Firmianstraße. At the banks of the Leopoldskroner pond turn into the König-Ludwig-Straße and at the end of the street turn right into the Nissenstraße.

Continue straight up to the Moosstrasse, turn left onto the cycle path and turn right at the first opportunity by the Volksschule. After 600m you reach the Glanuferweg where you follow the fence along the left of the airport site until you reach the end of the Glansiedlung. Here, you turn right into the Waldstraße, continue across the Kapellenweg until you reach Viehhausen.   Here, you take a sharp left and after the motorway underpass turn left again to Gois. At the far end of the village continue through the motorway underpass and then turn right by the beautiful moss meadows, until the trail opens into the Großgmainer Landesstrasse.

Now turn left and continue 500m uphill on the cycle path along the road, to the left lies the Salzburg Open-Air Museum, and after the crossing it’s about 3km straight on the cycle path to Großgmain.

Cross the street shortly after the Church at the state boundary and continue straight ahead to Bayerisch Gmain. Turn right onto the Dotzenweg (Reichenhaller Straße) and then turn left onto Sonnenstrasse. Continue via the Gmainer Strasse down towards Bad Reichenhall.

Follow Peter and-Paul-Gasse, Florianiplatz, and Sebastianigasse merge into the Tiroler Strasse, on the right is the path into the city centre and also the Alte Saline. However, the Tauern Cycle Path leads left, crosses under the road, railway and main road. At the Luitpoldbrücke, cross the River Saalach and continue upstream to the left. After a short distance uphill, you reach the old dam. Now continue along the Saalach Lake until you enter the village of Fronau. At the narrow wooden bridge turn left, cross the River Saalach and follow the narrow cycle path on the road back to the Schwarzbachbrücke, under which the main road (B-21) can be crossed. On the other side of the road again continue briefly upstream and turn right uphill in the direction of Unterjettenberg.

Keep to the right, merge into the B 305 left and after 200 m turn right onto the dirt road, which soon after reaches a forest at the south bank of the River Saalach.

This 2 km long forest trail is not asphalted and has some short steep ascents and descents (which is not for everyone, especially if you are cycling with luggage). An alternative is then the 2.5 kilometres from Fronau to Schneizlruth on the main road B 21.

At Schneizlreuth you are back on steady roads continuing up to the Haiderhof Inn, where it goes steeply downhill a little way to the wooden bridge, which is also the state border. For safety, please push the bike here.

Continue along a scenic path for 2 km to the next Saalachbrücke, turn right here and follow the path uphill to the old border station Steinpass. Cross the main road on a bridge and continue on the old main road to Unken. At the south exit, a cycle path begins again along the road, which leads all the way to Lofer. At the car park of the Festung Kniepass, the cycle path switches to the riverside and from the Reit Bridge, the well paved route leads directly along on the banks of the River Saalach until shortly reaching Lofer. At the entrance to the village, cross the road and the route takes you directly to the centre of Lofer.