Erlauf Valley Cycle Path (formerly Ötscherland Cycle Route)

Description

If you want to experience river cycling in the Mostviertel region, the Erlauftal valley is just the place for you. Sometimes rushing, sometimes murmuring and then again resting in silence: this is how cyclists experience the Great Erlauf along the 60-kilometre Erlauf Valley Cycle Path. From Pöchlarn on the Danube, fantastic views of the mountains await (the Ötscher is always visible in the distance) as well as impressive river landscapes (e.g. the Erlauf Gorge in Purgstall).

During short discovery tours in Wieselburg, Purgstall or Scheibbs, you can get to know Brettljause, Cider and Scheibbser Kugeln. There are plenty of cozy places to stop for refreshments along the route. The flat section of the Erlauftal Cycle Path ends in Gaming at the famous Charterhouse . Sporty cyclists can tackle the mountain stage via Pfaffenschlag to Lunz am See. Families and leisure cyclists will find the connection to the Ybbstal Cycle Path at Lake Lunz.

Starting point of the tour

Pöchlarn (Erlauf confluence)

Destination point of the tour

Lunz am See

Route description Erlauf Valley Cycle Path (formerly Ötscherland Cycle Route)

The Erlauf Valley Cycle Path starts directly at the Danube Cycle Path at the Erlauf confluence; a short climb must be overcome before Erlauf; on the southern exit, the cycle route still stays close to the river course before moving away from it in the municipal area of Bergland; continues to Wieselburg; from Bodensdorf the cycle route runs 8 kilometers flat at a higher level on moderately trafficked state road, with some curves through several rural villages to Purgstall; the following 7 kilometers to Scheibbs remain flat with cycle path quality and a water-bound gravel surface; this section is counted among the most beautiful of the Erlauf Valley Cycle Path; among the most beautiful places of the cycling tour is the center of the district town Scheibbs; afterwards, the route runs about 2 kilometers on a side road through two towns before heading from Miesenbach (St. Anton) as a cycle path parallel to the federal road with two crossings, continuing flat towards Kienberg; after Kienberg, mixed traffic is required, initially about 2.5 kilometers on the federal road to the center of Gaming; Gaming is the end of the family variant of the Erlauf Valley Cycle Path, as the climbs now begin, continuously on state and federal road sections; 2 kilometers after Gaming (431 meters), the route branches off onto an idyllic state road section; shortly after, the first shorter ascent starts, followed by a short descent and then the 2-kilometer-long climb to Pfaffenschlag with a slope between 8 and 10 percent; parallel to the route, the Ötscherland Express still runs today on special occasions between Gaming and Lunz am See; the train also manages this altitude difference but with a leveled track profile; after a break at the Pfaffenschlag saddle (695 meters), surrounded by rural farms of the eastern Alpine foothills, the cycle route continues on a moderately trafficked road downhill to Lunz am See, where the Erlauf Valley Cycle Path joins the Ybbstalradweg.