Despite the lack of big mountains in Germany, there is no shortage of downhill mountain bike parks and trail centers. In fact, there are 26 bike parks with lift shuttles – the most of any European country.
The following bike park map shows you where bike parks are located in Germany. So you can easily find out which bike park is located near your vacation destination. Good thing is they’re pretty much scattered across the country.
Usually, bike park season in Germany starts in May and ends in October. Snow is not nearly the issue it is further south in the Alps.
In some cases, German parks may open in the winter months when there is no snow cover. Usually, they are overrun on the first few opening weekends, so a visit is only recommended on weekdays then.
While not known for steep tracks (500 m vertical is a big hill here), for gravity-oriented downhill riders, there are a couple of well-known parks as well as insider tips to check out when on a road trip there.
Bordering France, Switzerland, Czechia and Austria makes it a great option for the ultimate MTB vacation or road trip.
German bike tracks are categorized in three difficulties:
From blue for easy to red for advanced to finally black for difficult.
With only three labels, overlap is quite common. Especially red lines can have a variety of natural and man-made features, while black lines are generally big jump lines or natural downhills.
Geisskopf MTB Zone
Bischofsmais is located in the state of Bavaria, towards Germany’s southeast. The popular Czech bike park Špičák isn’t far either.
On about 350 vertical meters, they managed to build a wide variety of trails, inviting novice riders as well as downhill pros like Nina Hoffman.
There are constantly new sections built and secret trails appearing. All off them have their own characteristics: not as steep as in alpine parks, so cornering and carrying speed are a welcome skills.
It’s hard to choose a favourite line here for me. With one of the best flow lines ever, a rough, natural freeride trail, lots of Northshore features and a downhill track littered with unforgiving rocks.
This is arguably one of the best overall and also easily my personal favorite german bike park.
As a side note, Geißkopf has the best lift I ever encountered: a 6-seater lift with 3 bike carriers on each for a fast and convenient shuttle back up the hill.
Even in the winter months, when there’s now snow to go skiing on.
Find nearby parking and free camping on Google Maps here. Campfires are a regular sight here, making for a chill atmosphere post-ride.
Winterberg Bike Park
Winterberg is located in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, towards Germany’s west. So far up north the terrain doesn’t really provide much elevation changes.
Bike park Winterberg is a regular host of an IXS European Cup downhill MTB race and other big events attracting riders from all over Europe. Which is incredible if you consider this hill has only 170 vertical meters on offer!
Besides the natural race track there are also mellow single trails, and flow or jump lines for beginners. Recently a couple of easy lines were added, which is great for new riders and also for spreading the crowd, which is a common problem on summer days.
Rounding out the complete package are the slopestyle area and a practice course. Riders are transported to all the trail heads by two different lifts.
Find nearby parking and camping on Google Maps.
Willingen MTB Zone
Winterberg is located in Hessen, almost in Germany’s geographical center.
You are probably starting to notice the trend here: The brand “MTB Zone” stands for quality descending. You can therefore expect well-designed trails. And it too hosts a stop on the European IXS DH cup regularly.
The natural downhill line has in fact been a former world cup track. Besides that there’s also a more freeride line and flow lines with some jumps and nice berms. The park has been redesigned to be able to combine the sections to your liking.
The 8-seater chairlift is in operation all year round. However, bikers are only transported outside the ski season. Usually, the bike season here lasts from April to October. In some years you can even shred from late March to early September.
Green Hill Bike Park
New bike park openings don’t happen too often anymore. But that’s what happened in 2022 near Schmallenberg, making Green Hill the newest bike park in Germany.
It has no less than 10 tracks available for you with the unique aspect of them criss-crossing all the way down. So you can combine them with each other for your individual perfect lap. Overall the trails are relatively smooth, ideal for beginners and riders seeking airtime on the freeride lines.
The two tow lifts are equipped with the Easyloop system that tows any bike (enduro or DH) up the hill. eBikers can either use the lift with a normal pass or purchase a discounted ticket for trail use only and pedal up themselves.
Overnight camping directly at the bike park is allowed on the lower parking lot for a minor fee of 5€ per vehicle. Toilets are also available. Reservations however are not.
Samerberg Bike Arena
Samerberg too is located in the state of Bavaria, towards Germany’s southeast. It’s also bordering Austria’s state Salzburg, home of some of the most popular bike parks in all of Europe, namely Schladming, Leogang and Saalbach-Hinterglemm.
Bike Park Samerberg is relatively new, only built in 2010. Since then, there has been a permanent trail network between Chiemsee and Rosenheim with a bike store and rental.
The tickets are among the cheapest. Trail access and lift shuttle can be bought seperately, depending on the endurance in your legs. Just don’t get the points card, those can be quite expensive.
So, if you prefer longer mountain bike tours and pedaling up the mountain, 15 trails of varying difficulty lead through the region from here. Bikers who are not familiar with the area can rent a GPS navigation system at the bike station at the Hochriesbahn parking lot or have the GPS tracks transferred to their own device.
Osternohe Bike Park
Osternohe is also located in the state of Bavaria, towards Germany’s east. Another popular Bavarian park while having arguably the least vertical meters of all – and there is a reason for that.
If you think you can’t build a proper bike park with only 136 meters of elevation gain, you should definitely visit the Bikepark Osternohe. You’ll be amazed at how many fun obstacles can fit on one slope. Especially for freeriders, the bike park in the Nuremberg region offers a unique playground with cleverly built obstacles. The digger crew has been exceptionally resourceful and crafty here.
The opening hours here are highly dependent on the weather. To be on the safe side, always check the Facebook page or website of the bike park. Here you will find daily updated information about the opening hours.
Todtnau Bike Park
Bike park Todtnau is located in the state of Baden-Württemberg, towards Germany’s southwest. And close to the border to Switzerland and France, perfect to include in a road trip.
Opened back in 1996, this one is the oldest bike park in Germany. Two different difficult routes provide both downhillers, as well as freeriders for a big smile on the face.
It’s a popular spot for Germany’s downhill elite to come training and testing equipment on the rough and technical 2.7km downhill line.
The other of the 2 tracks is “Wildride” which is just a tad longer and a little easier to ride. The tabletop jumps and northshore elements are all rollable, making it also suitable for less experienced riders. Still, this one’s definitely not suited for beginners.
Erbeskopf Trailpark
Erbeskopf mountain near Deuselbach is located in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, towards Germany’s east.
Bikepark Erbeskopf was opened just recently. Those who are not into uphill climbing can use a drag lift to clock laps all day long. All with a great variety of a total of eight different trails (3 blue, 2 red, 3 black).
The two natural enduro trails are the highlight. A tad more difficult than the red “Wildcat” is the black “Schinderhannes” trail. The trail leads over root carpets and rock gardens and also challenges bikers with built drops and other obstacles.
Other Great Trail Areas
Bad Hindelang Bike Park
Bad Hindelang is also located in the state of Bavaria, towards Germany’s southeast.
The Bikepark Hindelang offers 510 meters difference in altitude – the most vertical meters of any bike park in Germany. Though, they’re not quite as resourceful as other parks on this list with only 2 full tracks with a couple of variations to mix it up.
It’s especially known among downhillers for the Black Course. But beginners can also gain their first off-road experience here on the Yellow Banana, Green Frog & Red Chili sections.
In addition to the regular opening hours, a nightride is offered on some summer days. In good weather you can shred until about 21:00.
Find nearby parking here.
Beerfelden Bike Park
Beerfelden is located in the state of Hesse, towards Germany’s west.
With seven different trails, the Bikepark Beerfelden offers plenty of variety for downhill and freeride fans. Races are regularly held here for advanced riders, but beginners also get their money’s worth on this relatively mellow gradient hill of only 120 meters.
This is another park that opens during winter months when weather allows it. For spontaneous bike park visits better check their website or Facebook page.
Hahnenklee Bike Park
Harzer Bocksberg mountain is located in the state of Lower Saxony, making it Germany’s most northern park.
Six trails of varying degrees of difficulty await you there. And they provide a fell-balanced mix with a flow trail, jump line, freeride line, downhill race track, single traild and a dedicated Northshore section rounding it out for beginners and advanced bikers.
It may be a relatively small mountain with 170 m of elevation, but it is packed full with bike rental, bike school, practice area, pump track, 4X track, bike wash and of course gastronomy.
In the rare winter days without snow cover, you can get a shred in to shorten the wait for summer.
Olpe-Fahlenscheid Bike Park
“Liftistan”, as it is affectionately called, is located in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, towards Germany’s west.
In the Bikepark Olpe Fahlenscheid you will find different trails that offer you shaped berms and relatively steep slopes. In addition to jumps, you will also find north shores and road gaps. The downhill line has also been a stop of the Super Gravity Cup in the past.
The park is designed in such a way that not all obstacles and jumps have to be ridden. For each Northshore, or Roadgap there is a Chickentrail.
A unusual fact here are the irregular opening hours. For current active days, you need to check the website beforehand.
Warstein Bike Park
Warstein is located in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, towards Germany’s northwest.
The family-run Bikepark Warstein in the Sauerland region offers bikers lovingly built trails of varying degrees of difficulty. The North Shore route is particularly impressive. Only the lift is a bit outdated.
Among the trails are the Downhill, Freeride, Funride, Northshore, Slopestyle and Dirt Line. So for every taste and riding style, there is something on offer in every difficulty level.
The Bikepark Warstein is usually open from the end of March to the end of October. In good weather, however, it may happen that you can also bike outside the season. For example, the lift was already in operation several times during the Christmas holidays.
You can always find current information on their Facebook page.
Schulenberg Racepark
As the name suggests, this is not a beginner’s park. The trails are kept rather difficult throughout. And the X-Cross is one trail, that can be ridden by largely anyone. But it doesn’t warrant the trip for novices.
For advanced riders, it’s a different story. While the tracks are not the steepest or roughest around, they are enjoyably natural and technical with lots of roots and off-camber sections.
The Bikepark Schulenberg is always open on weekends, holidays and bridge days from 10:00 to 16:00. With appropriate operation, the lift also runs after 16:00.
If the weather is suitable, you can also bike here in winter. On snow-free winter weekends, the bike park is always in operation when at least 17 people register bindingly to buy a day ticket (via Facebook, by mail or in the IBC forum).
Outside the regular opening hours there is also the possibility to rent the Bikepark. The cost is 450 euros, including lift tickets.
Bonus spots
Oberamergau
The Scott Bikepark Oberammergau has only been around since 2016. Two local guys, Markus and Lukas, have fulfilled their dream here and created their own bike park. Which is just very cool to see!
Visitors can take a tow lift to six different trails. Store, rental and pump track were not forgotten to complete the package.
Halde Hoppenbruch
Not really qualifying as a bike park due to the small size and limited vertical height, but actually filled with big features and variety you would only see in a park.
If you are in the area, a visit may be in order, but not as the sole aim of a longer trip.
