Anyone who hasn’t yet hit the trails on Tyrol’s so-called “Signature Trail” at Blindsee should hurry. Because those very 700 meters of elevation loss—which the Tyrolean tourism industry likes to tout as a flagship feature of the biking offerings in the self-proclaimed “Heart of the Alps”—will be off-limits to mountain bikers starting in 2027. The reason is a unanimous municipal council resolution passed this week. Due to ongoing conflicts between hikers, swimmers, and mountain bikers, the town felt compelled to take this step, explained Biberwier’s mayor, Harald Schönherr. “Blindsee is a wonderful hiking area, not a conflict zone,” the mayor is quoted as saying in local media. As early as last year, the Biberwier Hunting Association and the Municipal Agricultural Association had passed resolutions calling for the trail to be closed. It appears this pressure has now been yielded to.

Swimmers feel disturbed

In the run-up to the municipal council meeting, there was repeated public talk of tense situations on the trail and along the lake shore. Reckless downhill riders were said to endanger hikers and even ride over bathers’ towels. The concern was that this was dampening the vacation mood among guests. Because the Blindsee Trail is officially designated as a shared trail, mountain bikers have always been urged to be considerate and ride passively when encountering hikers. According to the mayor, however, this hasn’t worked, as he told the Tiroler Tageszeitung: “Shared trails don’t work. What’s happening here is no longer acceptable.”

“Shared trails don’t work. What’s happening here is no longer acceptable.”

During an on-site inspection last year, the situation looked somewhat different. The Blindsee Trail, which leads down from the Grubigstein to the eponymous lake, winds its way through a mountain pine field, sometimes steeper, sometimes flatter. The terrain is mostly gravelly and rocky. In between, magnificent views of the surrounding mountains and the almost turquoise-blue Blindsee open up again and again. No hikers were encountered during this ride, though that may have been a coincidence. Overall, however, the trail did not seem very inviting for hiking uphill. Once at the bottom, the route leads around the lake to the parking lot. One reason for the conflicts could be that, on the left, you can reach the parking lot relatively quickly, but you have to ride over the hiking trail to do so. The route on the right, which is permitted for cyclists, is less attractive because it is significantly longer and more arduous to pedal. The idea that mountain bikers and swimmers have gotten in each other’s way seems somewhat bizarre. After all, there is actually enough space on the lakeshore for both.

Brutal rhetoric 

From the municipality’s perspective, the tourism officials are under pressure to act, as the mayor explained. The problems have been known for a year, but the tourism association has not responded. Therefore, Mayor Schönherr is quoted as saying, they must now “force the issue.” While he is willing to negotiate, he insists there will be no continuation without fundamental structural changes—specifically, a separation of cyclists and hikers is demanded. Additionally, a new bike path must be built around the lake to protect pedestrians. No statement has yet been received from the tourism association in question; it will be added here as soon as it is received.

Given the deadlocked situation, a visit to Lermoos, the neighboring municipality of Bieberwier, is recommended. From here, you can take the cable car up the north side of the Grubigstein, so to speak. On the Lermoos side, several worthwhile trails have since been developed, offering unspoiled downhill fun. And to cap off a day of biking, the Blindsee Trail beckons. It leads down the south side of the Grubigstein to the lake. You can either park your car there and ride over to the lift at the start, or simply ride back to Lermoos at a leisurely pace after the trail. Option one is better on summer days, because a dip in the Blindsee is the perfect way to end a day of biking.

Tyrol as a Lost Place for Mountain Biking

If this mountain biking gem is truly to become history starting in 2027, the Blindsee Trail will join a whole series of lost places for mountain biking in Tyrol. The Bike Park Tirol at the Brenner Pass, once the first of its kind in the Alpine province, was abandoned years ago. The same goes for the legendary downhill run in Hopfgarten or the even more famous Nordkette singletrack in Innsbruck. Crankworx also left Tyrol shortly thereafter, and the trails at the Elfer in the Stubai Valley are now only being maintained in a makeshift manner.