The SALT&LAKE Trail begins in Bad Ischl.

At the heart of the Salzkammergut, Bad Ischl is where our journey begins.

Once the summer retreat of Emperor Franz Joseph, this elegant spa town blends imperial history, café culture, and fresh alpine air.

Stroll past pastel facades along the Traun River, pause for a pastry at “Rührwerk”, and feel the calm before the adventure.

The “Kurpark”, the traditional park in the heart of the town will be our start- and finishing area, where we will already welcome you on the day before for briefing and come together.

From the start in the spa park of Bad Ischl, the route first takes us on a loop through town and then along the River Traun into the newly reopened Rettenbach Valley. A gently ascending gravel road – perfect for warming up – leads us into the winding valley and to our first lovely stop, the Blaa Alm.

Trip to Styria:

Soon we reach Styria and pass the first stunning lakes, Altaussee and Grundlsee. A steep climb on a gravel road takes us up to Bad Mitterndorf and toward the impressive Grimming, before we descend via Pürg into the Enns Valley.

Here, too, you can look forward to flowing roads with a few climbs that will carry you all the way to Ramsau, at the foot of the Dachstein.

Via Filzmoos, we return to Salzburg and follow beautiful paths along the Lammer River.
Another highlight awaits: from Golling through the Bluntautal valley, climbing up to the Stahlhaus and descending into Bavaria.
The demanding hike-a-bike section can be bypassed via a “chicken line.”

Lake Königssee, Berchtesgaden and Bad Reichenhall — all shaped by salt and lakes — offer a true bike highlight with incredibly long gravel stretches.

For the shorter route, the gravel begins already in Golling and leads directly back to Salzburg.

From Salzburg via Fuschl to Lake Wolfgangsee:
From Salzburg, the route leads via Fuschl to Lake Wolfgangsee. While a ferry crossing may not be a decisive factor here like it is in the TCR, the ride across to St. Wolfgang is still another highlight. From there, the route continues to more lakes—Attersee and Traunsee—and through the romantic Almtal valley, including a challenging hike-a-bike section down to Offensee, before returning to the Kurpark in Bad Ischl. The shorter route  heads directly from Wolfgangsee to the finish, where we’ll welcome everyone personally with a drink.