Every few years it is said again: "The Isartrails are being built". The first utilization concept was already ready in 2017. Corona exacerbated the situation by increasing the number of visitors to the floodplain landscape on the outskirts of Munich to new record highs. Ride reported in 2024, the city and district of Munich provided 1.8 million euros. A trail construction company is expected to tackle the expansion in 2025, said one of the people in charge at the time.

Trails have been built on the banks of the Isar near Munich since the 1990s. Gradually, the lines that exist today were created: some along the contour lines, on ridges and ridges, others plunging into the depths, occasionally there are berms and jumps. All without official approval, of course. The history of the Isar trails and the discussion about their justification and future is nicely summarized in the contribution by former DAV board member Peter Dill. The low point from the mountain bikers' point of view: the closure of the bomb crater area.

The floodplain landscape around the Isar south of Munich is also a valuable natural area. Protecting this and continuing to provide space for the tens of thousands of mountain bikers in the region is the aim of the Isartrails. Various stakeholders have been looking for a solution since 2009.

The DAV takes over

In 2025, the city and district of Munich and the Munich section of the German Alpine Association (Deutscher Alpenverein e.V.) signed the contract for the implementation of the now revised utilization concept. The Alpine Association is contributing its expertise from trail construction in the mountains as well as a great deal of organizational and personnel power. Previously, the DIMB and the Isartalverein were under discussion as operators, but neither would have been able to cope with the construction and maintenance of the trails in terms of personnel.

In the meantime, as much as 2.7 million euros are to be invested in an official trail network. The core of the implementation is to bundle the lines, avoid sensitive areas and return larger contiguous areas to nature. Lines will therefore also be closed. And in such a way that there is no conflict with other user groups, explains a representative of the Mountainbike München association, which is also involved in the project, in the Münchner Merkur. 

Bea Draese, the project manager of the Munich DAV section, explains in an interview with Ride that the funding still has to be approved. The decision is made by the government of Upper Bavaria. Environmental impact assessments are currently underway, which must show whether the Isar trails, as proposed by the trail construction specialists, are feasible in the partially unstable terrain and can be approved under environmental protection law.

There is also resistance

The proposals for turning the existing informal trail network into the official Isar trails come from the German branch of the Swiss company Bikeplan. According to Draese, it has not yet been decided which company will build the Isar trails. First, the government must accept the proposals and approve the funds for implementation.

The approval is more than a formality. When asked, Bea Draese affirms that there are also groups that are still trying to prevent the Isartrails. "There are still hurdles, especially when it comes to the route, whether we need to change or reduce it," she describes. Although the government is positive about the project, "there is still potential for it not to be approved".

The project plan envisages that the decision will be made in early summer and the DAV will then be able to formulate the specific contract for potential trail construction companies. Construction is only permitted in winter. This is because of the breeding and conservation season in the protected area (more precisely: in the area subject to the Habitats Directive). At least two construction phases are planned, the first in winter 2026-27. The Isartrails are due to go into operation in 2028. But perhaps it will take a little longer once again. Until then, mountain bikers will be riding the trails they have been riding for decades.