An Enduro Mecca: Riding the Reschen Pass in Nauders, Austria
If you are looking for a place to shred pristine Enduro trails, you have to check out Nauders, Austria.
Nauders is famous for its rich network of Enduro MTB trails. Clocking in at 35 kilometres over 21 different trails, it’s hard to say no when you’re in the mood for shredding. Located at the convergence of Switzerland, Italy and Austria, you won’t find bike park style wide tracks, but instead technical trails woven straight into nature itself. This is also where the 3-Countries-Enduro Race happens every year.
Alpen Comfort Central Hotel
To ensure we had a place to catch some shuteye after our daily rides, we stayed in the Alpen Comfort Central Hotel. As the name suggests, it is located right in the centre of Nauders. It caters specifically to cyclists, with bike stands, tour tips, bicycle washing zone and a drying service for wet clothes. The breakfast was perfect for filling up the tank before hitting the trails and afterwards, a delicious 5 course meal was waiting for dinner. The rooms were clean and large with a very comfortable bed, which was important after a long day in the saddle.
The Alpen Comfort Central Hotel.
Bike stands in front of the hotel.
A delicious breakfast buffet.
The musli bar.
The beds were top notch.
The living room was also comfy.
Ride Planning
Deciding on which trail to ride was extremely easy. All we had to do was pick a number and follow the signs once we lifted to the top. The trails are also colour coded with difficulty levels, so you know what you’re getting into. Check out the map for download for more route planning info.
Nauders' Bike Map
A cutout of the map.
Signs are everywhere.
Ride 1
We awoke to dreary weather, but after a little breakfast we were still pumped to get riding. From the hotel, it only took us 5 min to get to the Mutzkopf lift. For a 62.00 € per person we bought a lift pass for three days and on the ride up we used the map to figure out where we wanted to go.
As soon as we got to the top, signs pointed us in the right direction. There was an intense storm the night before, and the beginning of some of the trails had a few fallen trees. However, shortly after, the trails began to flow again. We even ran into a few cows later. What’s a ride in the Alps without a few cows right? Even with muddy conditions, the Mutzkopf trails were a blast.
The weather for our first ride.
The storm the night before ripped trees from their roots.
Cows!
After riding down, we took the Bergkastel cableway to ride the legendary Plamort Trail. It passes by an Italian stronghold that was important during WWII. Besides the history, the trail offers amazing panorama views of the surrounding area. From up there we could see Lack Reschen and the iconic steeple sticking out of its waters. When we reached the bottom, another storm hit and ended the day for us.
Trails Ridden
| No. | Name | Length | Descent | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 66 | GreenTrail | 1.7 km | 350 m | S2 (red) |
| 67 | ElevenTrail | 2.0 km | 450 m | S3 (black) |
| 68 | Kreuzmoostrail | 1.5 km | 200 m | S2 (red) |
| 84 | Riatschwegeletrail 1 | 770 m | 130 m | S1 (blue) |
| 87 | Riatschwegeletrail 2 | 480 m | 150 m | S2 (red) |
| 86 | Almtrail | 2.1 km | 200 | S1 (blue) |
| 101 | Bunkertrail | 1.21 km | 273 m | S2 (red) |
The scenery was stunning.
The tank barriers on the Bunker Trail.
Riding on to the Bunker Trail.
A beautiful lake on the Plamort plateau.
The same lake, but on our last day riding.
Ride 2
The weather for our second ride was sunny and we were excited as we boarded the Bergkastel cableway. We lifted up to 2161 m and rode back down toward Lake Reschen. For the next descent we took to the Haideralm cableway, which required an 8 km ride along the lake. Just to say we did it, when we got out of the cableway, we decided to ride the most difficult trail in the region, the Haideralm Trail.
Bombing down to Lake Reschen.
This rock garden is a classic at Nauders.
After, we hitched a ride back up with the same cableway to hit the 3 Country Enduro Trails. These trails were extremely technical and required a lot of body English to get down. At the end of the first trail, there were plenty of options to stop and take a nice break at a few Alpine restaurants, but we decided to keep pedalling. When we finished the 3-Countries-Enduro Trails, we hit up Mutzkopf again. Exhausted we arrived back at the hotel, feeling accomplished.
Trails Ridden
| No. | Name | Length | Descent | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 86 | Almtrail | 2.1 km | 200 m | S1 (blue) |
| 71 | Plamort Trail | 1.25 km | 30 m | S1 (blue) |
| 101 | Bunker Trail | 1.21 km | 273 m | S2 (red) |
| 102 | Etsch Trail | 997 m | 175 m | S2 (red) |
| 90 | Haideralm Trail | 3.81 km | 628 m | S3 (black) |
| 92 | Plattweg Trail | 2.3 km | 250 m | S2 (red) |
| 95 | Unterer Spin Trail | 2.0 km | 330 m | S1 (blue) |
| 96 | Gorf Trail | 950 m | 150 m | S1 (blue) |
| 97 | Giern Trail | 1.0 km | 50 m | S1 (blue) |
| 98 | Oberer Schönenben Trail | 1.85 km | 312 m | S2 (red) |
| 65 | 3-Countries-Trail | 2.79 km | 246 m | S2 (red) |
| 68 | Kreuzmoostrail | 1.5 km | 200 m | S2 (red) |
| 69 | Gerry Trail | 1.2 km | 150 m | S2 (red) |
| 84 | Riatschwegele Trail 1 | 770 m | 130 | S1 (blue) |
| 87 | Riatschwegele Trail 2 | 480 m | 150 m | S2 (red) |
Taking great pictures is easy.
Thomas on the 3-Countries-Enduro Trail.
The last lake of our ride.
Absolutely stunning
The Reschen Pass region is definitely worth a visit. Though there are a few trails for beginners, make sure that you feel comfortable on your bike before you go. After all, the demanding 3-Countries-Enduro Race is held here. We will be back again to ride more trials and enjoy a solid time biking. Shout out to Mountainbike Holidays for setting up the trip. Next year, will are going to be pumping it Nauders for sure!
