Förolach: Hiking, Cycling and History

Explore Förolach during your stay through specific hiking and cycling routes. One hike leads into the Rogggraben, while another passes through several named places to reach the narrow Glan Valley; for cycling, the highlights are a gravel bike tour toward Feldkirchen and a cycling tour that takes in three lakes. If you are looking for hotels in Förolach, you can compare the tours according to whether hiking, gravel biking, or linking several lakes best matches your travel interests.

Hiking: Views and Routes

The “Around the Tschwarzen” hiking loop passes through Förolach into the Rogggraben. The section near Förolach offers views across St. Martin toward Ulrichsberg and as far as the Saualpe. The tour thus combines a named route with a specific viewpoint. If you want to assess the hike in terms of its scenery, these views can serve as a guide.

Another hiking route, “Dietrichsteiner See – St. Martin – Mattersdorf,” leads from St. Ruprecht via Dietrichstein and Förolach to Raunach. From Förolach, it continues via Raunach into the narrow Glan Valley, near the St. Martin-Sittich railway station. Unlike the “Around the Tschwarzen” loop, this route focuses on a sequence of named places and the subsequent stretch into the Glan Valley.

The hiking routes therefore differ in their specific features: views reaching the Saualpe on one route, and a sequence of places leading into the Glan Valley on the other. Check trail conditions before setting out.

Cycling between the R5 and the Lakes Route

The gravel bike tour “True Crime, Director’s Cut | Gravel Loop St. Veit – Wimitzer Mountains” uses cycle path R5 on the approach toward Feldkirchen. In Förolach, it leads to a fork at Dietrichsteiner See and then along Dietrichsteinerstraße to St. Ruprecht. The approach to Förolach follows the “Förolach/Raunach” and “Dietrichstein/Förolach” signposts. These signposts add two named directional references to the route.

The “Around Feldkirchen – Discover the Feldkirchen Lakes” cycling tour follows the municipal road from Dietrichsteiner See via Förolach and onward to Raunach. It links Flatschacher See, Dietrichsteiner See, and Maltschacher See. The route can therefore be described by two features: its course via Förolach to Raunach and its connection between the three lakes.

The route details are useful for comparison: R5, the fork at Dietrichsteiner See, and the onward ride to St. Ruprecht are set against the municipal road via Förolach and the lake connection. Road conditions and signposting can change; check them before your ride.

A historical connection to Förolach

The estate at Förolach was a fief of the Bishopric of Bamberg. This is a historical connection in its own right, alongside the hiking and cycling routes, and offers a broader perspective on Förolach beyond its routes.

For an overview of the wider area: Feldkirchen In Carinthia.