Wallfahrtskirche Route

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Salzburg, Salzburg, AT; Berchtesgaden, DE

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Route Overview

Seth Patla

Specialty: long beautiful rides!

47 mi.

3,824 ft.

Mostly paved route from Salzburg around the Untersberg clockwise, featuring some significantly steep climbing to visit the Wallfahrtskirchen (pilgrimage churches) Maria Ettenberg and Maria Gern, and a stop to see Marienwallfahrtskirche Großgmain.

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Route Details

This route is a challenging route due to the amount of climbing and steepness of those climbs. It starts and ends in downtown Salzburg, and makes a loop around the Untersberg mountain clockwise. There are stunning views of the Alps throughout, and also viewpoints at three different beautiful pilgimmage chapels (Wallfahrtskirche in German): Maria Ettenberg, Maria Gern, and Marienwallfahrskirche Großgmain. There are a couple kilometers of light gravel (these can be avoided by riding on the main roads with a little more car traffic) and two different very steep pitches (2km at 12% average for Ettenburg, 2 km at 8% average for Maria Gern) that are climbed with similarly-pitched descents. Well-functioning disc brakes are a must; this route is just fine on 28 mm road tires. The best times of year for this ride are late spring, summer, and fall.

# Route

* The route begins in Salzburg and heads south on the path next to river. After curving away from the river path, there is a busy street @poi[crossing at Alpenstraße](123089929) please use caution when crossing. There is a pedestrian/bike island. The route continues on paths/low traffic roads through St Leonhard, where it utilizes the wide shoulder of the road into Marktschellenberg. The route crosses the @point[border from Austria to Germany](d,14436.8) between these two villages.
* The @slice[Etternburg loop](d,16599.9,26898.7) begins here and immediately starts climbing steeply. There are superb views of the Untersberg as you climb up. [Maria Ettenberg](https://www.berchtesgaden.de/wallfahrtskirche-maria-heimsuchung-in-ettenberg) is at the top, as well as [Gasthaus Mesnerwit](http://www.ettenberg.de/gasthaus-mesnerwirt/) . You can descend the way you rode up (pavement option), or climb a little more and descend a steep gravel road to tie back into the official route. Please pay close attention to speed on this descent, no matter which option you choose!
* Once back in Marktschellenberg, the route stays on the main road for only a few meters before @point[taking a right](d,27320.02) across the small river on a back-road paved alternate route. This joins back into the main road. After about 2.5 km the route follows the bike path to the right, which first ducks under the road, then follows mixed paved/gravel paths for about 2 km before re-joining the main road. If you'd like to skip the gravel, stay on the main road.
* The route takes one of the first right-hand turns into Berchtesgaden, and soon after turns right again and starts climbing. This section consists of steep paved backroads, then joins the main road shortly before arriving at @point[Maria Gern](d,37328.2). The climb finishes with superb views of the chapel [Maria Gern](https://www.berchtesgaden.de/wallfahrtskirche-maria-gern) and the Untersberg to the north, and Der Watzmann and Das Steiernes Meer to the south. It's definitely worth a little extra riding to get the views of Maria Gern from further on. The majority of the climbing is done at this point! 
* The descent from Maria Gern is smooth but steep: please pay attention and keep speed in check! The route turns right to continue along the upper foothills through Bischofwiesen and some beautiful meadows, and then descends through a super fun wooded section into Großgmain (which is back in Austria), with a viewpoint at [Maria Wallfahrtskirche Großgmain ](https://www.salzburg.info/de/reiseinfos/salzburg-a-z/marienwallfahrtskirche-grossgmain_az_8805)
* From Großgmain, the route loosely follows the national border on road next to the Weißbach (White Stream), then continues on follows well-marked bike paths and quiet roads back to Salzburg - @point[crossing into Austria](d,58424.67) for the final time just past [Schloss Marzoll](https://www.bad-reichenhall.de/schloss-marzoll) (notable for its castle-looking exterior).

# Notes

* Best ridden late spring, summer, fall
* 28mm road tires are fine
* If you want to skip the steep climbing and just do an around-the-Untersberg ride, it's pretty easy to modify this route. Also, Berchtesgaden tourism has a similar route [here](https://www.berchtesgaden.de/rad-bike/radwege/rund-um-den-untersberg)
* Due to the steep nature of the climbs (20% in places, and sustained 10+%) and descents, you definitely want very easy gearing and well-functioning disc brakes
* This route requires very good fitness
* There are plenty of opportunities to stop for necessities like food, water, beer, and baked goods, as this route travels through several villages

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Wallfahrtskirche Route

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Route Details

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