The Harz Forest Route

The starting point of the route is Drei Annen Hohne. To reach the start, we take the Harz Narrow Gauge Railway (HSB) from Wernigerode to Drei Annen Hohne. Bicycle transport is free if the train capacity allows. Alternatively, you can of course cycle from Wernigerode up to Drei Annen Hohne.

From the Drei Annen Hohne platform, we walk about 250 m back to the street intersection where the road to Elbingerode branches off. We cross the street and turn left onto the well-developed forest road leading into the national park. This path (called Oberer Hohneweg or Eschwegestraße) we ride straight uphill until after about 500 m we reach a path junction with a bridge. Here we turn right over the bridge and reach after about 1.3 km a large crossroads with a shelter, the "Ilsetaler" bus stop, and the stone signpost "Hohnepfahl". We turn left and first ride to the junction "Gasthaus Steinerne Renne" (about 5.5 km from the start). Here a detour (approx. 800 m) to the waterfall and the eponymous inn "Steinerne Renne" is recommended.

Otherwise, we continue straight on the main path. At the next crossroads, we keep left and after another approx. 2.5 km reach the junction "Gasthaus Plessenburg" (to the inn we ride left over the meadow). To continue, we stay on the main path and reach a fork. We take the left path (slightly uphill) and continue towards Ilsenburg.

After about 200 m, we reach a large crossroads with a bus stop. Here too, we keep left and ride about 1.7 km steeply downhill to the Ilse Valley, crossing the stream "Loddenke" several times. Once in the Ilse Valley, we turn right downhill and follow the Ilse on its way towards Ilsenburg; the path then becomes a well-drivable cobblestone street. Riding straight ahead, we pass through "Mühlenstraße" and "R.-Breitscheid-Straße" to the market square of the town Ilsenburg by the Forellenteich pond. Here you can take the opportunity to visit the cozy town and the hut museum. At the market square, we also meet the route of the R1, which we follow to the right via "Harzburger Straße", "Pfarrstraße" up to the 1,000-year-old Ilsenburg Monastery with its significant Romanesque church. For the return ride to Wernigerode, we use the cycling trail R1 that starts slightly uphill to the left at the monastery. This path initially runs along the forest edge, later again into the forest, past a small pond. At the next crossroads behind the pond, we turn right uphill and at the next intersection immediately left again. At the following but one crossroads, we go left, slightly downhill to Darlingerode. Behind the inn "Zur Tonmühle", we keep right and ride straight at the next street intersection. After about 120 m, we then turn left onto a short path along a green area. This path merges after about 50 m onto "Lindenallee", which we follow left to the next street intersection. Here there is also an older information board about the R1. We turn right into "Öhrenfelder Weg" and at the next intersection again right into "Goethestraße". At the street fork, we then turn left, cross the bridge over the Sandtalsbach and ride straight until we turn right into the street "Gassenberg". At the end of the street, we enter the path on the right, which leads us back into the forest. We follow this path to a larger crossroads in the forest; here we turn left and reach a large clearing where the "Kloster Himmelpforte" once stood. From here, we ride left downhill again to the outskirts of Wernigerode, where the forest path ends at the street "Am Eichberg". Here we turn left about 50 m downhill and then immediately left again into "Pfälzergasse". From here, we ride about 1 km straight ahead. At the end of "Lüttgenfeldstraße", the R1 leads us right along "Mönchsstieg". At the following intersection, we turn left onto the pedestrian and cycle path along "Friedrichstraße" (L100) and reach (again) the Westerntor intersection, the starting point for cyclists who rode from Wernigerode to Drei Annen Hohne. From here, all other directions are signposted, and you reach the town center of Wernigerode and the market square with the impressive town hall, where cycling is only allowed in the pedestrian zone between 6:00 pm and 10:00 am; during the day, you have to push the bike.