Palatinate Forest by Motorcycle: The Kalmit, Johanniskreuz and the German Wine Route

The Palatinate Forest, the Pfälzerwald, is one of the largest continuous forests in Germany: a low mountain range of red sandstone, beech and pine that stretches from the Rhine plain west toward Kaiserslautern and south into France, where it becomes the Northern Vosges. Its roads twist through narrow valleys and over wooded ridges, and along its eastern edge runs the German Wine Route, through vineyards and wine villages that are some of the sunniest in Germany. It is a favourite of riders from Frankfurt, Mannheim, Karlsruhe and Saarbrücken, and of Dutch and Belgian riders on a long weekend.

This loop of around 200 kilometres starts in Neustadt an der Weinstraße and combines the best of the forest and the wine country.

Planning the loop

Neustadt, Bad Dürkheim, Annweiler and Dahn are all good bases. The forest roads are best on a weekday: several of the most popular are closed to motorcycles at weekends and on public holidays during the riding season (see below), and the wine villages fill with visitors. The loop runs anticlockwise: south along the wine route, into the forest at Annweiler, round the Dahner Felsenland, north to Johanniskreuz and back east to Neustadt.

The route, section by section

Neustadt to the Kalmit (about 15km). Leave Neustadt south on the wine route to Maikammer, and turn up the steep, narrow road to the Kalmit. At 673 metres it is the highest summit in the Palatinate Forest, with a road almost to the top, a hut, an observation point and views over the Rhine plain to the Black Forest and the Odenwald on a clear day. The climb is tight and twisting through forest, with gravel on the inside of some bends, and it is busy with riders and cyclists on fine days.

Along the German Wine Route to Bad Bergzabern (about 35km). Back down at Maikammer, follow the wine route south through Edenkoben, with the royal villa of Ludwigshöhe above the vineyards, then through Rhodt, Gleisweiler and Klingenmünster to Bad Bergzabern. The road winds between the forest edge and the vineyards, through villages of half-timbered wine estates. It is not a fast road, but it is a beautiful one, and the villages are made for a coffee or lunch stop.

Bad Bergzabern to Annweiler and Trifels (about 25km). From Bad Bergzabern head north-west into the forest to Annweiler am Trifels. Above the town, the reconstructed castle of Trifels sits on a sandstone crag; the access road climbs to a car park below it. It was once one of the most important castles of the Holy Roman Empire and briefly held Richard the Lionheart prisoner.

The Dahner Felsenland (about 40km). West of Annweiler the B10 carries most traffic, so leave it and take the smaller roads south-west into the Dahner Felsenland, a part of the forest dotted with towers and walls of red sandstone. Dahn itself has three castle ruins on a single rock ridge. The roads here are quiet and twisting, through narrow valleys and over low ridges. The French border is only a few kilometres south, and the Northern Vosges continue the same landscape on the other side.

North to Johanniskreuz (about 40km). From Hinterweidenthal ride north through the heart of the forest to Johanniskreuz, a crossroads in the woods that has been a riders’ meeting point for decades, with a café, a car park and bikes lined up on any fine day. The roads that radiate from here are the most famous in the Pfälzerwald: long, flowing sequences of bends through beech forest.

Back to Neustadt through the forest (about 45km). From Johanniskreuz ride east back toward the wine route. The most direct line, the L499 through the Elmstein valley toward Frankeneck and Lambrecht, has been closed to motorcycles at weekends and on public holidays during the season; on those days take an alternative route via the B48 and the roads north or south of the valley. On a weekday, the Elmstein valley is one of the best roads in the forest. Finish in Neustadt.

Weekend motorcycle bans

Because of accidents and noise, several roads in the Palatinate Forest have been closed to motorcycles on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays during the riding season, including the L499 between Johanniskreuz and Frankeneck in the Elmstein valley. Police check these closures. The list and the dates can change, so check the signs and the Landesbetrieb Mobilität Rheinland-Pfalz (the state roads authority) or the local police before you plan a weekend ride. On a weekday, all the roads in this guide are open to motorcycles.

When to go

April to October. The Palatinate is one of the warmest parts of Germany, and the almond trees along the wine route flower in early spring. Autumn brings the wine harvest and the new-wine festivals, along with tractors on the vineyard roads. Summer weekends are busy; weekdays in May, June and September are ideal.

The roads

Surfaces are mostly good, but the forest roads stay damp in the shade long after rain, and leaves and sandstone grit collect on the bends in autumn. Speed limits change often and are enforced, with fixed and mobile cameras around the popular biker roads. Fuel is easy to find in the towns along the wine route and in Annweiler and Dahn, but scarce in the middle of the forest.

Getting there and a shorter loop

The A65 runs along the eastern edge of the forest between Ludwigshafen and Karlsruhe, and the A6 crosses the north via Kaiserslautern, so the Palatinate is an easy run from the Rhine-Main and Rhine-Neckar cities. With only half a day, ride Neustadt to the Kalmit, the wine route to Edenkoben and back over the forest roads to Neustadt, about 60 kilometres. Coming from the Netherlands or Belgium, the Hunsrück and the Nahe valley make a good approach from the north.

Where to stay

Neustadt, Bad Dürkheim, Annweiler and Dahn have plenty of rider-friendly hotels and wine estates with rooms. For hotels, see the Mosel Valley biker hotels to the north and the Vosges and Alsace just over the border to the south. The Palatinate pairs well with the Hunsrück and the Mosel to the north, with the Odenwald across the Rhine, and with the Vosges Route des Crêtes to the south.