Rest area Cruising Harz

Between dense forests and remote lakes in the Harz Mountains, men meet at rest areas off the A36 motorway - spontaneously, anonymously, respectfully. A travelogue about nature, desire and quiet community.

Author: Dawid Grabowski
Published on: 20.04.2026
Home page > Community > Rest area Cruising Harz
Estimated reading time 3 minutes

Table of contents

„Ziegenberg“ - My favourite car park on the A36

I hang my helmet on the handlebars and take off my gloves. As usual, I park my motorbike in the last bay at the front. „Ziegenberg“ is my favourite car park here on the A36. Between dense forests and remote lakes, there are places here in the Harz Mountains where men meet - with a tension that only nature can conjure up. While the metropolises beckon with bars, saunas and clubs, something special draws me here, even in the cold season: furtive glances, a promise and the tingling feeling of not knowing who I'll meet next out here.


Between traffic noise and forest greenery: an atmosphere of expectation

People with very different stories: Tradesmen, commuters, younger people in sports gear, older people with curious looks on their faces. They all stop here. Spontaneously or because a familiar car is back in the car park. There is a hint of expectation in the cool air between the noise of the traffic and the shielded greenery of the small wooded area. I can almost feel someone getting out of a car that has been steamed up from the inside. A wandering gaze that lingers longer. Tension as if to cut. Contact is made, wordlessly. Some stay briefly, others linger. The minutes pass. Then a moment that feels right ...

Two men standing closely embraced in the forest - a symbolic image for gay cruising, encounters away from Grindr and dating apps.
Symbolic image for gay cruising in the forest: encounter between two men

Summer at Zankwieser Teich: when nature and eroticism merge

I think back to last summer: further up in the mountains, at Zankwieser Teich, nudists are drawn to the sun, lake and contact in the bushes. The path through the undergrowth makes me full of expectation. Rays of sunshine in the branches, footsteps as if muffled. Towels on the shore, bodies in the warm light, the occasional glance, longer than by chance. As if nature and eroticism were merging: a gentle breeze on my skin, the silence of the forest, a smile, a passing touch. Rules that everyone here seems to know. Also respect, leaving space. Until a nod calls for closeness.


Encounters at the rest area: rules, respect and responsibility

Nothing guaranteed. Encounters are open until they happen. Countless used condoms on the forest floor: dealing with risk is part of the game here. The remoteness demands attention: Always have your mobile phone with you, keep an eye on your surroundings. Knowing what I'm looking for and what I'm not. If something feels strange, I walk away. The encounters are driven by lust, embedded in responsibility. Heat knew no tomorrow.


Cruising in winter: Clear air, direct views, quiet community

Now in winter, everything draws together. The air is clearer, the views more direct. And yet: car parks like warm islands in a frosty land. That also has its charm. A cracked arse in the beam of the car headlights. The biting cold of the fresh air. The quiet but intense crunching under my boots. - This is also a silent community: men who have known each other for years, recognise each other, mostly without names, without speaking. In the shade of the fir trees, I touch strangers full of desire. Unknown and yet familiar. Wild and yet full of respect. Fulfilled, I stroll back to the motorbike. I jump over the frozen puddles through the shadows of the night. Light as a feather and yet completely grounded and with myself. Nothing is loud or glaring. I feel a depth in a quiet way that only the land knows. For me, this is only possible here.


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