Take your bike and hike – For me, the Wipptal is the ideal region to enjoy easy to demanding bike tours away from the crowds and to combine them with a hike. Breathtaking views finally reward the previous efforts. Furthermore, Bike & Hike tours offer a great advantage: if your legs are a bit tired on the way home, your bike is already ready for a significant part of the way back.

A Wipptal without borders at a glance
The Padauner Kogel is perhaps still one of the little insider tips, because the mountain hike is not very demanding, the mountain is not overcrowded and the view is impressive. Beginning at the Nordkette, the Wipptal extends beyond the Brenner border to the south. Not only can you marvel at some of the natural side valleys, you can also enjoy views of some peaks in the Stubai and Tux Alps while enjoying a well-deserved snack.
The starting point is easily accessible and can be covered on gravel bikes, racing bikes and mountain bikes due to the asphalt road. Personally, I rode this route with slicks and also with tread tires and would ultimately recommend tires without studs.

Route
Starting from the north (e.g. Matrei or Steinach am Brenner) you first follow the signposted cycle path no. 33 in the direction of Brenner to the beginning of the Padaster valley in the Steinach district of Siegreith. A forest path begins there with slight inclines to St. Jodok/Vals. This is the only non-asphalted part of the route. If you want to avoid this, cycle along the B182 federal road and turn off in the direction of the mountaineering villages of Schmirntal/Valsertal Valertal.
Alternative starting point: a climate-friendly journey by train to St. Jodok/Vals train station.

Now the route leads through St. Jodok and further along the Valserlandesstrasse (approx. 1.5 km with an incline of around 8%), where a fantastic view into the valley rewards the first effort. The journey continues along the Valsertal on the road with little traffic to the Padaun/Berg-Gasthof Steckholer junction. After the junction, serpentines lead to Padaun over a distance of around 2.8 km and with an average incline of 10%.

Once at the top, I recommend staying on the road in a southwesterly direction to the Larcherhof (farm) and parking your bike on the right at the Padaunerkogel sign. Then follow path no. 83 on small switchbacks to the edge of the forest, then continue north over a wide ridge (Padauner Mähder). Up to the summit cross at an altitude of 2,066m, the imposing view of the Olperer (3,476m) accompanies you on the east side.
Once at the top, you are rewarded with a breathtaking 360° panorama. The mountain peaks of the Nordkette, the view of the well-known Serles (2,717m) and the Blaser (2,241m), the view of the Nösslachjoch (2,231m) or the Bendelstein (2,436m) let me already plan the next tour in my head.

Details of the tour starting in Steinach am Brenner
Bike type: MTB, also possible with gravel or racing bike
Level: medium
Total distance: 33.5 km
Altitude gain: 1,230m
Duration: approx. 3:45h

TIP: You can rent an e-bike for the tour from a bike rental shop in Wipptal and enjoy the tour a little more relaxed.