Germany · Harz · Premium route guide
Harz Mountain Riding Loop
Forest curves, granite gorges and the classic biker stops at Torfhaus and the Oker reservoir.
Wernigerode, Blankenburg, Thale and the Bodetal, Hasselfelde, Braunlage, Torfhaus, Altenau, the Oker reservoir, Bad Harzburg and Ilsenburg, back to Wernigerode. Built from our own track.
- Distance
- 125.8 km
- Peak elevation
- 828 m
- Elevation gain
- 1,366 m
- Best months
- Apr–Oct
- Germany · Saxony-Anhalt · Lower Saxony
- Loop
- 100% paved
The route
A compact loop around the Brocken, Germany's northernmost high mountain. East to the rock gorge of the Bodetal at Thale, across the high plateau to Braunlage, up to Torfhaus with its Brocken view, then down past the Oker reservoir to Bad Harzburg and back along the northern edge.
Works with Garmin, TomTom, BMW Navigator, Calimoto, Kurviger, komoot, MyRouteApp. Import as a track to ride the exact line. Road data from OpenStreetMap (ODbL); elevation from SRTM.
Track vs. route, how to load this into your GPS
What you are downloading is a GPX track, a dense, road-snapped breadcrumb of the exact line, with elevation on every point. It is not a GPX route (a short list of turn waypoints your device re-plans between). Tracks preserve our road choice; routes let the device pick its own way and can send you down a boring motorway shortcut.
How to use it on your navigator:
- BMW Navigator / Garmin Zumo / zumo XT: import as a track, then Convert to Route (or Trip Planner, new trip from track) if you want turn by turn prompts. Keep Recalculation off so it stays on our line.
- TomTom Rider: import the GPX in MyDrive, it loads as a track / itinerary. Enable Follow the exact route so it does not re-plan.
- Calimoto: open the GPX and choose Import as tour, Calimoto follows the track line.
- Kurviger / komoot / MyRouteApp: open the GPX and pick Import as track to keep the road choice. Only choose Import as route if you want the app to re-plan for your bike profile.
- Google Maps / Apple Maps: these do not read GPX. Use the map on this page for turn cues, or import the file into a GPX capable app first.
Rule of thumb: if your device asks "track or route?", pick track to ride our exact line, pick route only if you want the device to re-plan.
Elevation profile
From ~156 m at the base to 828 m at the top, 1,366 m of total climbing across the route.
Our track is 126 km with about 1,370 m of climbing, roughly 3 to 4 hours of riding without stops. Harz tourism publishes its own motorcycle tours of about 160 to 247 km, ours is a shorter day loop.
Why ride it
Endless forest curves, the half-timbered towns of Wernigerode and Blankenburg, the Bodetal gorge, and the two meeting points Harz tourism itself names for riders: Torfhaus and the Oker reservoir.
Hazards
Busy weekends with lots of bikes and day trippers, deer and wild boar at dawn and dusk, wet leaves and damp shaded forest corners, and speed cameras in the towns.
Fuel
Fuel in Wernigerode, Blankenburg, Thale, Braunlage, Altenau and Bad Harzburg.
Best months and difficulty
April to October. Difficulty: moderate.
What to see along the way
- Wernigerode - Half-timbered old town and castle.
- Blankenburg - Baroque castle and gardens.
- Thale and Bodetal - Rock gorge and Hexentanzplatz.
- Hasselfelde - Town on the high plateau.
- Braunlage - Resort town, fuel and food.
- Torfhaus - Biker meeting point with a Brocken view, named by Harz tourism.
- Altenau - Mountain town above the Oker valley.
- Oker reservoir - Lake and biker meeting point, named by Harz tourism.
- Bad Harzburg - Spa town on the northern edge.
- Ilsenburg - Gateway to the Ilse valley.
Rent a bike
Rent a motorcycle or scooter for Harz Mountain Riding Loop
Flying in? Pick up a bike near the start of the route. We've pre-filled the pick-up city with Wernigerode - change it if you're basing elsewhere.
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