Trail Name: Fassboden 3
Trail Type: Short distance cycling circuit; well-maintained and on mostly paved surfaces, (with little vehicular traffic along the way). Marking on the trail was good in some areas, albeit with only generic cycling traffic marking, and non-existent in others. (Best to have the free map or the GPX coordinates found at the link below.)
Length:
Total – 23.5 kilometers/14.5 miles
Convenient to: Landau, or Karlsruhe, or Bad Bergzabern, Germany
Marking:
Square signs with a wine barrel and the number 3 inscribed on it. (Colors are green and white; sometimes it is a green background with white design, or otherwise vice versus.)
Trail Description:
Officially beginning in the town of Klingenmuenster (along a short segment of busy road, filled with several popular eateries and a couple of wineries), this short and easy trail passed mostly through countryside, often through vineyards, with mostly gently inclines, offering far-ranging view of the Rhine River Valley, and mountains topped by castles. Designed for families, this route mostly avoided roads, and intersected with several other biking trails or cycling paths making extensions (or shortcuts) possible.
Trailhead:
Klingenmuenster, Old Muenster, B48
Parking:
Klingenmuenster – Steinstr/L493, lot by the play area; along B48, just north the Pfalzklinikum and the pedestrian overpass, a large public unimproved lot.
Goecklingen: Kapellenweg
Public Transportation Options:
Rail: DB regional trains service Landau and Bad Bergzabern
Bus: VRN (Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Neckar) and KVV (Karlsruher Verkehrsverbund) provide bus service to Klingenmuenster from Landau and Bad Bergzabern, and to Landau from Goecklingen and Eschbach
Suggested Stages: Not Applicable
Trail Itinerary-Reference Points: (Clockwise)
Klingenmuenster: B48-L508 (alongside road)-L509; Eschbach: into vineyards, follow along L509, then along K17; Am Pfaffenborn/Kleine Kalmit: An der Ahlmuehle, vineyards; Goecklingen: Goecklingerweg, Steinstr-Schulstr-Munsterweg, vineyards; Heuchelheim: K17/Kaiserbachstr, Hauptstr, L510, vineyards; Appenhofen: Kaiserbachstr, Muehlstr, along L493 to Heuchelheim border: Klingen: Muehlstr-Klingbachstr-Bahnhofstr/L510-Am Pfarrgarten, (alt:Am Muensterweg to cut out some of L493) then along L493, turn north at sports field and follow that road, take first left (west)-Heidenschuhstr-Im Steinacker
Representative Trail Photos:
Restrooms:
Klingenmuenster: Steinstrasse, in the parking lot, a pay facility (50 cent pieces only!)
Attractions on or near Trail:
Korkenziehermuseum in nearby Leinsweiler
Wine (and beer) tavern in the castle “Burg Landeck,” Klingenmuenster
Tasting along the Trail:
Several wineries along the trail, to include Weingut Mathis and Weingut Kuhn, along the main street (and trail) in Klingenmuenster, and the Vinothek an der Winzergenossenschaft, on An der Ahlmuehle in Kleine Kalmit/Ilbesheim bei Landau, part of the same cooperative winery at the Deutsche Weintor, and bottled under that label. Additionally, Goecklingen, Heuchelheim and Appenhofen have a few independent wineries each right along the trail.
Alternative Options:
Hiking: The Deutsche Weinstrasse Wanderweg, 99-kilometers/61.5 miles long, is a long-distance hiking route from Bockenheim to Schweigen-Rechtenbach, at the border with France
Biking: In the Klingenmuenster area, and from the Pfalzklinikum to Eschbach, the Fassboden 3 circuit trail mostly follows the 95-kilometer long Radweg Deutsche Weinstrasse (German Wine Route Cycling Route), a long-distance cycling route from Bockenheim to Schweigen-Rechtenbach, at the border with France.
Car: The Deutsche Weinstrasse (German Wine Route) is a 93-kilometer long car route through this area, extending north and south of Klingenmuenster, beginning at Bockenheim and ending at Schweigen-Rechtenbach, at the border with France.
Additional Information:
Regional: https://www.suedlicheweinstrasse.de/service/kontakt/tourismusbueros-an-der-suedlichen-weinstrasse/
Trail specific: https://www.outdooractive.com/de/route/radtour/pfalz/fassbodentour-3/3202840/
Comments:
A short and easy circuit trail, that was mostly through countryside. Great for getting out in the spring after a long winter of not cycling.
Easily accessible by car for those from the Frankfurt, Stuttgart or Kaiserslautern areas.