From Alm to Alm: Biking on the Nordkette

How many alpine huts can you visit in a day on a mountain bike along the “ Nordkette ”? Two to seven is definitely possible! The “Almenrunde” loop alone connects four alpine huts, which are wonderful to explore by mountain bike—or, of course, on foot.

If you’d like to rack up even more elevation gain, kilometers, and places to stop for refreshments, you can easily extend the loop and head to additional alpine huts. But let’s be honest: It’s better to visit a few fewer alpine huts and have plenty of time for a leisurely stop, a “ Kaiserschmarrn,” and a moment or two to simply enjoy the view. Because even the strongest calves will eventually have had enough.

The Alpine Pasture Loop on the Nordkette

It’s not just around the Patscherkofel that hiking and biking enthusiasts get their money’s worth. The Nordkette, located on the opposite side, also offers numerous opportunities to explore the Innsbruck mountains. If you enjoy traveling from alpine pasture to alpine pasture, you should take a closer look at the Alpine Pasture Loop.

The tour starts at the Hungerburg. From Innsbruck, simply drive up along the well-known Höhenstraße. If you’re traveling on foot, you can take the J bus line there. Alternatively, you can board the bus in the city center near the Congress Center and cover the first few meters of elevation gain on the Hungerburgbahn. 

From the Hungerburg, the route first leads to the Umbrüggler Alm and then continues on to the Arzler Alm. After that, it continues along a gently ascending forest road toward the Rumer Alm. After a stop for refreshments or a short break, follow the forest road back downhill to the Rechenhof. From there, take the road back to Innsbruck.

Forest Trails, Forest Roads, & Places to Stop for Refreshments

The tour can be tailored to suit your preferences: The “ Hungerburg ” serves as both the starting and ending point, offering the option to extend the loop depending on your mood, time, and fitness level. Particularly enjoyable is the combination of forest trails, leisurely forest roads, several places to stop for refreshments, and ever-changing views of and over Innsbruck.

• Ride time: approx. 3 hours
• Distance: approx. 20 km
• Elevation gain: approx. 880 hm

Tip: With the Welcome Card, the ride on the “ Hungerburgbahn ” is free—but bikes aren’t included! You can find out if this service is included in your stay by asking your host or contacting the tourist office directly.

First destination: Umbrüggler Alm

The Umbrüggler Alm is arguably the most popular alpine hut on the “ Nordkette ” trail; its full name is actually “Umbrückler,” but in the Innsbruck dialect it’s pronounced a bit more casually—Umbrüggler. The modern architecture of the Umbrüggler Alm already hints that the restaurant is breaking new ground in the culinary world as well. The menu features traditional Tyrolean classics alongside creative dishes inspired by local cuisine. Seasonal ingredients ensure variety and constantly new taste experiences.

But there’s more to discover than just what’s on your plate: even the first view from the terrace—stretching from Innsbruck all the way to the Serles across the valley—is a true delight. Here, modern alpine culture meets the Tyrolean mountain panorama.

Travel time from the Hungerburg: approx. 1 hour

The climb continues

From the Umbrüggler Alm, the route continues toward the Arzler Alm. If you’d like to explore a bit more of the “ Nordkette,” you can extend the tour from here and take a detour to the Höttinger Alm or even as far as the Seegrube and Bodenstein Alm (follow the yellow signs). For the Höttinger Alm, you should allow about 30 minutes of additional travel time; it’s about 1.5 hours more to the Seegrube.

My tip: The Höttinger Alm is definitely worth the trip. The route there offers repeated, breathtaking panoramic views of Innsbruck, along with impressive vistas up at the rugged cliffs of the Nordkette. It’s a fantastic combination of city views and alpine scenery.

If you skip the detours, continue directly to the Arzler Alm. The route climbs uphill again at first before leading down to the Alm with plenty of momentum.

The Arzler Alm is especially popular with families with children. For one thing, it’s easily accessible on foot from the Hungerburg; for another, a large playground awaits the little ones there. While the children play in the meadow, parents can relax on the terrace and enjoy the mountain scenery.

For later: A direct mountain bike trail leads from the Arzler Alm to Mühlau. The trail is rated as a red route and is well within the capabilities of many experienced mountain bikers. However, due to the more challenging terrain, I would recommend a full-suspension bike over a hardtail. If you find that the trail is too challenging, you can branch off along the way and take an easier route.

The rest of the alpine tour, however, heads first toward the Rumer Alm, so the next place to stop for a break is already waiting.

Ride time from the Umbrüggler Alm to the Arzler Alm: approx. 20 minutes

Ride time from the Umbrüggler Alm via the Höttinger Alm and Seegrube to the Arzler Alm: approx. 2 hours

Final highlight before heading down: Rumer Alm

From the Arzler Alm, it’s about another hour to the Rumer Alm. The forest trail starts out steeper, then levels off, and finally gets steeper again before becoming undulating as it leads to the Alm. This marks the completion of the final uphill section. After the Rumer Alm, the route is all downhill toward Rechenhof or along the Arzler Alm Trail described earlier. But before that, you can enjoy the sun and the mountain panorama while savoring traditional Tyrolean cuisine on the terrace of the Rumer Alm. 

Ride time from the Arzler Alm: approx. 45 minutes

Back to Innsbruck

From the Rumer Alm, the route is now almost entirely downhill—the perfect finale to a varied mountain bike loop. If you’re still up for some action after all the elevation gain so far, you can take the descent via the Arzler Alm Trail.

To do this, keep to the right at the turnoff to the Arzler Alm (marked by yellow signs) during the descent. The trailhead is on the left just before you reach the Alm and is hard to miss: there are usually already a few trail-hungry riders waiting there for their next run.

If you’d rather take it a bit easier after Knödeln, Gröstl, and the like, take the route via the RechenhofMühlau and ride back from there at a leisurely pace to downtown Innsbruck.

Ride time: approx. 30 minutes

Almenrunde Tour Dates

The mountain bike tour on the “ Nordkette ” is a popular classic. If you’d like, you can also extend this route.

Original Alpine Pasture Loop

• Distance: approx. 20 km
• Elevation gain: approx. 870 hm
• Time: approx. 2.5 hours
• Tour stops: Hungerburg – Umbrüggler Alm – Arzler Alm – Rumer Alm – Rechenhof – Innsbruck
• Tour link

Extended Alpine Pasture Loop

• Distance: approx. 28 km
• Elevation gain: approx. 1,500 hm
• Time: approx. 4 hours
• Tour stops: Innsbruck – Umbrüggler Alm – Höttinger Alm – Seegrube – Bodensteiner Alm – Rumer Alm – Arzler Alm – Innsbruck
• Tour link (visible only on mobile) or on Strava