From the valley cycle path to the Stoneman

In front of our bike hotel in Sexten rise the five peaks of the Sexten Sundial, the Neuner, Zehner, Elfer, Zwölfer and Einser. When mountain biking in Sexten, you ride in the shadow of these Pale Mountains. Numerous trails lead through the forests and across the alpine pastures, easy ones as well as very strenuous ones.

Around Sexten there are routes for beginners, leisure cyclists and pros, more than you can ride in a single stay. We know the tours in the Upper Puster Valley and will gladly help you find the right one.

The guides of the Bike Academy Sexten know the area around the Three Peaks inside out. Seven times a week they take guests along their favourite routes, and you can practise with them in dedicated riding skills courses.

The tours start at the Bike Academy near our hotel and lead to Lake Braies (Pragser Wildsee), across alpine pastures or right up to the summits. You need a good level of fitness and an honest assessment of your ability.

The Stoneman Trail is the idea of Roland Stauder, Transalp winner and multiple winner of the Dolomitenmann. His route leads into corners of the Dolomites that many people do not know. Anyone who reaches all the checkpoints in one, two or three days receives the Stoneman trophy.

Would you like to ride the trail with its inventor? As a Stoneman partner hotel, we have a guided bike tour with Roland Stauder at a special price for our guests. Just ask us for the next date.

Two enduro trails lie close by, the Erla Trail on the Stiergarten and the Standschützen Trail on the Rotwand. For the Erla Trail, you ride up on the Drei Zinnen gondola lift, which starts not far from our hotel. From the Stiergarten mountain station, you then ride back down into the valley on disused paths, over roots and rocks.

The Standschützen Trail is not for the faint-hearted, and you may only ride it in the company of a bike guide. The gondola lift takes you from Sexten to the Rotwand mountain station, and from there you ride downhill on old supply paths from the First World War all the way back to our hotel.

If you would rather start your bike ride high up on the mountain, you have five mountains to choose from near us: Haunold, Stiergarten, Mount Helm, Rotwand and the Col d’la Tenda in the neighbouring province of Belluno. You save your strength for the descent, because with the 3 Zinnen Mountain Card your bike travels on the lifts free of charge and as often as you like, except on the Haunold.

The valley cycle path to Lienz starts in Innichen (San Candido), a few kilometres from our hotel, and suits families as well as a leisurely day between two demanding tours. Because the start in the Upper Puster Valley is higher than the finish, you roll along without much effort, on any kind of bike. The bike train, with a carriage of its own for the bikes, takes you back to Innichen, Toblach (Dobbiaco) or Niederdorf.

The cycle path to Bruneck also starts in Innichen (San Candido). On partly asphalted, partly well-maintained gravel paths, you ride past meadows, forests and villages to the medieval town. Over around 35 km, there are 400 metres of ascent and a few rather strenuous sections. Allow about 3 hours, and if you run out of steam, the train takes you comfortably back to Innichen.

The easy tour into the Fischleintal valley takes you from our hotel through the Three Peaks Nature Park to the Talschlusshütte, past flower meadows, old larch forests and the rock faces of the Sexten Sundial. You ride back the same way.

The tour to Lake Toblach is easy too. From our hotel, first ride to Innichen (San Candido) as far as the Erschbaum sports centre and turn left there onto the forest trail towards Toblach (Dobbiaco). It is easy to ride and passes the source of the Drava and the shooting range until it meets the main road to Cortina at Pension Emma in Toblach. At Hotel Santer, cross the road and follow the cycle path from Toblach to Cortina as far as the lake.

The ride up to the Silvesteralm starts in Innichen (San Candido), near the Kaiserwasser factory at the western edge of the village. On an asphalted farm track, the cycle path from Innichen to Toblach (Dobbiaco), you ride to Toblach railway station and then follow the road towards Wahlen as far as the Enzianhütte hut. After a gentle climb, the road stays tarmacked at first, before an easy forest road takes you along the Silvesterbach stream, straight on all the way to the alpine pasture.

The Dreischusterhütte hut in the Innerfeldtal valley stands between high rock faces. From our hotel, ride via Innichen (San Candido) to the “Heilquellen Wildbad” fork at the entrance to the valley and follow the “Dreischusterhütte” signpost there. The asphalt road climbs at a moderate gradient to a large car park, then a gravel road takes you to the hut. An easy but rewarding trail leads you back to the Sexten valley.

The loop over the Kreuzberg is technically difficult and has two climbs. From the hotel you ride up to the Mitterberg fortress and along a gravel track, very steep in places, to the Nemesalm, before heading down to the Kreuzbergpass. There the second climb begins, up to the Rotwandwiesen meadows. A steep but easy forest road brings you back to the starting point.

The tour up Mount Helm calls for strength and stamina, because the climb is very long and the steep section after the Leckfeldalm in particular is tough. From the top you can see far across Sexten and the Puster Valley. After the Leckfeldsattel saddle, it is downhill all the way back to our hotel.

The tour to the Marchinkele means a whole day in the saddle. From the hotel you ride via Innichen (San Candido) to Toblach (Dobbiaco), then an old military road from the First World War takes you straight up. At the top, the Sexten Dolomites and the Three Peaks lie before you. The descent via the Toblacher Höhenweg trail to the Silvesteralm is just as demanding as the climb.

You are welcome to bring your own bike. We have a storage room for bicycles at the hotel, where you can also charge e-bikes.