Von Bad Vilbel in die Vulkan-Landschaft – Bad Vilbel entdecken
Von Bad Vilbel in die Vulkan-Landschaft – Bad Vilbel entdecken
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riders
Von Bad Vilbel in die Vulkan-Landschaft – Bad Vilbel entdecken
07:12
120km
860m
Cycling
The Volcano Cycle Route winds largely along the route of the former Oberwaldbahn, an old railway line that ran from Lauterbach over the Vogelsberg mountain range and through the Wetterau region to Frankfurt. After the railway line to Glauburg-Stockheim was closed, the Volcano Cycle Route, paved with fine asphalt, was created through a magnificent open forest and meadow landscape with a barely noticeable gradient from Altenstadt-Höchst in the south to Schlitz in the north of the Vogelsberg volcanic region.
Across the plateaus of the Hoher Vogelsberg Nature Park, the largest volcanic massif in Central Europe, you'll enjoy magnificent views of fields, forests, and meadows, as well as glimpses of idyllic villages and rural cultural heritage.
The actual Volcano Cycle Route begins in Altenstadt-Höchst, accessible via this route or by regional train (Niddertalbahn) from Bad Vilbel station towards Glauburg-Stockheim.
For the return journey, you can take the Vulkan Express bus line VB-90 with bike transport. It runs from Schlitz to Glauburg-Stockheim on Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays from March to October. Year-round rail connections for the return journey from Lauterbach Nord via Frankfurt Central Station or Glauburg-Stockheim directly to Bad Vilbel.
Bad Vilbel is a cycling center with tours of all categories. A variety of connecting routes allow for individually tailored tours: www.viltour.de
Last updated: February 26, 2026
Tips
Includes a segment that goes up or down a series of steps
You may need to carry your bike.
After 8 m for 16 m
Waypoints
Start point
Bus stop
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25.2 km
Vulkanradweg near Altenstadt
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44.2 km
Covered rest area - great view of Lißberg Castle
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61.7 km
View of Gedern
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68.4 km
Tor zum Vogelsberg – Highest Point of the Vulkanradweg
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69.3 km
Lüder Spring
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87.9 km
Herbstein Railway Viaduct
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93.9 km
View of Eisenbach Castle
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96.5 km
Beautiful view of Lauterbach
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105 km
View of Wartenberg Castle Ruins
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108 km
Lautertal Railway Bridge
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119 km
Weir at Hutzdorf
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120 km
End point
Bus stop
Way Types & Surfaces
Way Types
67.2 km
30.9 km
17.3 km
3.26 km
648 m
349 m
311 m
Surfaces
116 km
2.27 km
1.17 km
403 m
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Elevation
Highest point (580 m)
Lowest point (110 m)
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Weather
Powered by Foreca
Wednesday 6 May
13°C
8°C
43 %
Additional weather tips
Max wind speed: 6.0 km/h
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This route was planned by komoot.
Nearby routes
Trail Reviews
The volcano cycle path runs from Altenstadt to Schlitz mainly on bicycle-friendly fine asphalt. The gradients on the former Oberwaldbahn railway line are moderate at a maximum of 2 - 3%, but are constant for around 25 km from Ortenberg to Hartmannshain (highest point at around 600 m above sea level). You are rewarded by the magnificent landscape in the Vogelsberg and enjoyable rolling on the longer downhill stretches. Lauterbach and Schlitz with their medieval flair are also worth seeing. Also not unimportant: when the weather is nice, the volcano is very quiet. 😉
The next great stage. I actually didn't want to ride that much. But a tailwind and excellent fitness easily got me to Schlitz. This bike path was also a dream. Many views with amazing panoramas. Now all that's left is the Fulda...
Today day 2: From Schlitz to Frankfurt. Actually, we had planned for Glauberg or Altenstadt, but the weather was nice, the tailwind helped a lot and then everyone felt like driving through. The swimming stop in the Gederner See was a welcome change, even if it involved a few extra meters of altitude.
From Hanau to Schlitz. After around 70km, there is a beer garden at the highest point of the cycle path :-) Then another 50km, mostly downhill, to Schlitz.
After it rained heavily yesterday evening and this morning and the weather forecast was not so optimistic, we wanted to use the rain-free times to make kilometers. From the end of Hanau, the route continued on the Limes cycle path, which was then replaced by the Hessian railway cycle path and the Vulkanrsdweg. There were great bike paths. We passed medieval towns and castles, relaxed briefly at the Lißberg water treading facility and were able to recharge the batteries for the first time on the entire tour after about 50 km at the Fairytale Land cyclists' meeting point near Federweißem. So we approached the following meters in altitude (300 to 10 km) relaxed. We always left the rain behind, we were faster.🤣 Our destination was Lauterbach, but since we were making quite good progress today, we only made a short stop to eat and booked accommodation 17 km further in slot. We are in the Braustübel in the middle of the historic old town.
You can find my tour description in the "Description" field below the title.
The original plan was: Vulkanradweg in a northerly direction to Lauterbach (I’ve been taking my shoes off since 2020). 15 km before Lauterbach I saw that the Vulkanradweg leads to Schlitz. OK, so just add the 20 km to the plan, no problem, the bio battery has enough capacity. Arrived in Schlitz I saw a sign "Fulda 23 km". Oh well, then keep going to Fulda. Said and done. And so it became a round through the four beautiful Hessian districts of Main-Kinzig, Wetterau, Vogelsberg and Fulda. After a refreshing ice cream in Fulda, we went back to the MKK by train. On the ice, I briefly considered completing the lap by bike, but then gave it up. You still need goals 😀