Kalkalpen Trail Stage 3

Description:
The trail leads flat from Anlaufalm along a tractor path over the pasture area. After a slight curve, you can enjoy beautiful panoramic views of the national park again. After a few minutes of walking, the path turns left off the tractor path toward a small brook. Even from afar, a hiking trail marker can be seen in the middle of the pasture. At this junction, you turn left over the Hochschlacht (variant – see description) to Schleier Waterfall and via the Trifftsteig through the Große Schlucht to Annerlsteg – this variant is particularly scenic and leads through a unique natural landscape, but is only recommended for experienced hikers because the descent over the Hochschlacht is very steep.

To the right, the path enters the forest after a few steps and initially remains flat. After a few minutes of walking in the forest, the path descends steeply in a zigzag over a short stretch to an old forestry road. This old forestry road forms the border of the national park and runs flat for several minutes. Eventually, the path branches right off the road in a right curve into the forest. If you were to continue straight on the forestry road, you would reach the turnoff that leads back right towards Brunnbach.

At the turnoff, the path goes steeply downhill into the forest after a few steps. To the left, the slope descends very steeply. The path continues steeply downhill and finally crosses a small stream that only carries water when it rains. You follow the course of the stream downstream until the path finally joins an old forestry road again by a wooden ladder.

You continue following the old forestry road to the right, relatively flat, until the next intersection. To the right, the forestry road would go again towards Brunnbach. To the left, right at the junction, you take the path via the Keixen to the Große Bach. On an old tractor path, you leisurely walk downhill until you reach a meadow with the dilapidated hut "Keixen" (former hunting lodge). Passing the hut to the right, the path leads back into the forest on an old forestry road down to the Große Bach.

Along the Große Bach, you walk comfortably on the Hintergebirgs cycle path downstream for about 20 minutes to the Große Klaushütte (488 m). The Große Klaushütte was once the quarters of the woodcutters in the Hintergebirge and is now a popular place to stop.

After refreshment at the Große Klaushütte, you reach a tunnel after a few minutes walking. Left before the tunnel is the “Kleine Klaushütte,” from where you can also get a view of the former Große Klause. Upon entering the tunnel, the lighting switches on automatically after a few steps. Right after the tunnel, a few steps lead down to the former Große Klause.

Since the Middle Ages, the Reichraminger Hintergebirge has been used for timber harvesting. To transport the wood out of the Hintergebirge, the rivers were used for timber rafting. At various points, wood dams (stauwerke) were built, and in spring, with the meltwater, the wood was floated down to Reichraming. The Große Klause was the largest of its kind and also the last one before Reichraming. From here, all wood was floated to Reichraming using a dam release (“Klausenschlag”). Due to a bark beetle catastrophe, a forest railway was eventually built into the Hintergebirge, replacing timber rafting. It ran for the last time in 1971. Today, nature lovers again have the opportunity to experience the national park by bike on the former railway route along the Hintergebirgs cycle path.



Through the second tunnel, the path continues very flat on the Hintergebirgs cycle path downstream to the first turnoff, which goes left over the Große Bach at the “Rabenbachbrücke” bridge. Here begins the Begsteigersteig trail to Ebenforstalm.

Immediately after the bridge, the path leads right, flat along a forestry road, alongside the Große Bach through a beech forest. The forestry road gradually climbs gently and you hike further and further above the Große Bach. Eventually, you reach a left curve, from which the forestry road leads away from the Große Bach valley into Kohlersgraben. Here also joins the 2nd ascent of the Begsteigersteig from Wasserboden into the path. You follow the forestry road until shortly after the next hairpin turn, where the path at a junction turns right into an old abandoned forestry road. From here, it goes a bit steeper up to the end of the old forestry road to an old turning area. At the end of this turning area, the hiking trail continues up a beautiful forest path towards Ebenforstalm. This old haulage path, if followed further, would connect via Klaushof to Ebenforstalm. Halfway along, the Begsteigersteig turns right though, marked by piles of stones (Stoamandln).

From here, a narrow path runs partly downhill along the slope down to the brook. The brook only carries some water when it rains, so you can cross it without any problems. After crossing the brook, take a moment to gather strength. The next 150 to 200 meters run zigzag very steeply uphill through the forest. Rope protections help on the somewhat strenuous ascent. After this short effort, you come again to a flatter section along the slope below a rock wall and onto a nice forest path above the ravine. Some caution is advised here because the slope falls away very steeply to the left. Along the path, you will repeatedly find interesting dead trees covered with fungi. Finally, the path turns right and, across the forest floor and past an old stone wall, leads to a forestry road.

From here, it is not far to Ebenforstalm. You follow the forestry road left for a few minutes flat to a junction, where you take the forestry road branching right. After a few minutes walking, you reach another fork where you go straight ahead.

After a few steps, you reach the starting point of the themed trail “Cotton Grass, Alp, and Water Sinkholes.” Rich alpine meadows, cotton grass, formed moors, and deep green spruce forests hide many secrets. A lively bubbling spring brook suddenly disappears into the forest, inconspicuous peat tells the story of 8,000 years, and the rocky ledges of Trämpel and Alpstein reveal that the entire geology has been overturned. This themed trail shows the diversity of the mountain world at Ebenforst. A wooden boardwalk leads just above the forest and alpine ground through this fascinating area. In late spring, the alpine ground blooms with globe flowers, peat mosses, two species of cotton grass, sundew, and various orchids like broad-leaved marsh orchid, fly orchis, and fox orchid.

From the alpine ground, you can already see somewhat above the Ebenforstalm, today's stage destination.