Along the rivers in the Ruhr region and around the reservoirs in the Sauerland region, there is an excellent network of cycle paths that make shorter and longer cycle trips a pleasure.

The most famous cycle route along the Ruhr is the Ruhr Valley Cycle Route, which connects the idyllic villages and unspoilt nature of the Sauerland with the exciting cities of the Ruhr region over a distance of 240 kilometres. The Lenneroute is 142 kilometres long. It crosses the Sauerland from Winterberg to Hagen, where the Lenne flows into the Ruhr. The Möhne cycle path runs for 73 kilometres from the source of the Möhne past Lake Möhne and meets the Ruhr Valley cycle path near Neheim.

There is also a wide variety of cycle tours on offer around the dams and reservoirs. For traffic safety reasons, however, cycling on the weirs of the reservoirs and on the dams or walls of the reservoirs is prohibited. In addition, a dense network of services has now developed that is specially tailored to cycle tourists.