BergeSeen Trail 15: Gosau-Hintertal - Hallstatt

Description:
During this stage, you will experience one natural wonder after another as well as several historical features – such as the most important high moor in the region, but also the grinding stone quarries that are still used and preserved by idealists today, and of course the famous salt mine of Hallstatt. However, the most interesting area would not be recognised at first glance: a centre of prehistoric mining used to lie beneath the rocky cliffs of the Plassen Mountain.Directions:
From Gasthof Gosauschmied in Gosau-Hintertal, follow Gosauseestraße out of the valley for approximately 500 metres. Before the bridge and a curve to the left, take a sharp right at the Gamsjäger bus stop into Madlgasse. After about 300 metres, take trail no. 644, marked “Plankensteinalm, Schleifsteinbrüche, Löckernmoos”, which begins to the right and ascends through steep forest slopes. It crosses two forest roads, forks to the right and then arrives at the grinding stone quarries below the Ressenberg Mountain. This area consists of fine-grained sandstone, which was deposited 80 million years ago in the sea – for the last 400 years, it has been quarried to manufacture grinding stones and whetstones. From the visitor-friendly Badstubn Hut, a newly-laid, marked trail ascends through a rustic forest into the Löckernmoos Moor (1410 m). This strictly protected high moor, located on the crest of a flat mountain, is covered with “Löckern” or mountain pines and even has a small lake with dark moor water. From a viewing area, you can enjoy many peaks in the surrounding region – from the Hochkalmberg to the Gosaukamm and the Hochkönig. 2:00 h

 

From the Löckernmoos lake, the trail leads south down to the Hintere Grubenalm (1336 m). Following the forest road, you arrive at a nearby junction, where going left will bring you to the Triamer Hut on the Vordere Grubenalm (1348 m), which serves food and drinks in the summer. Several metres below, a small stream disappears into the legendary Wildfrauenloch (wild women’s hole). From the meadow, the route continues along the road for approximately 20 minutes to the Rastbankanger, until the sign “Plankenstien-Alm” indicates the turnoff for trail no. 644. On this route, you ascend to the right through romantic forest terrain to the wide, forest-enclosed alpine meadow of the Plankensteinalm (1530 m). This is the largest contiguous meadow area of the inner Salzkammergut – and possibly the most beautiful. To the south, you can see the grey limestone of the Dachstein foothills around the lonely Ochsenkögel and the mighty Hohe Kreuz Mountain (2837 m). In the northern section of the meadow, the 200-year-old Leutgebhütte Hut encourages visitors to take a break and enjoy some refreshments.

 

Now you cross the gently rolling meadow area to the east. At the beginning of the sparse treeline, a sometimes poorly visible path turns slightly to the left – look carefully here for the red-white-red markings on stones and tree trunks! Further ahead, the track becomes more well-trodden again. It leads underneath the Hohe Scheibe (1659 m) through small hollows and clearings to the “Durchgang”(passage) some 800 metres away. This small saddle (gate) is the connection to the Durchgang Meadow (1378 m), to which you steeply descend alongside rocky outcroppings. The rugged Plassen Mountain (1953 m) rises above the forest and meadow basin. Fresh rockslide remnants and tremendous debris piles indicate that this is a geologically unstable area. Briefly follow the forest road and then continue left along trail no. 644. After a descent through the forest, a forest track joins from the right. The route then continues somewhat uphill to the Dammwiese Meadow (1350). This saddle between the Plassen and the Solingerkogel (1406 m) was the location of salt mining during the early Iron Age. Starting around 2000 BC, a centre of the Latène culture developed here, which existed until the early years of the 1st century AD.

 

Hiking through a “grass jungle” along wooden paths, you descend into the Salzberg Valley, where you arrive at a road. Below and to the right is the present-day salt mine; the wide but steep path passes several tunnel entrances. Passing the entrance building to the exhibition mine (Salzwelten Hallstatt) and a “walk-in grave”, commemorating the burial ground discovered here which contained the remains of over 2000 people from the 1st century BC, you arrive at Rudolf’s Tower 04 (855 m). Below this medieval guard tower, which houses a restaurant today, the viewing platform “World Heritage View” offers a fantastic view of the village of Hallstatt and Lake Hallstatt in the valley some 300 metres below. 2:00 h

 

From Rudolf’s Tower, you finally hike downhill along the Salzbergweg Trail to Hallstatt. While the wide path is not high alpine, as indicated in a warning sign, it does zigzag down through steep, rocky forest slopes into the valley. Along the way, you pass the Franz-Joseph-Tunnel and further down there is a worthwhile detour on the left to the waterfall in the Mühlbach Gorge. Below at a lookout point, you reach a forest road, which you take to the left. Soon the Gaiswandweg turns to the right between the avalanche barriers and leads to the cemetery of the Catholic church in Hallstatt 04 (511 m). Take the Kirchenstiege (stairs) to arrive at Gosaumühlstraße, which leads right to the boat dock in front of the Protestant church and then continues to the picturesque market square. 1:00 h

Tip:
Note: The salt mine funicular can be taken from Rudolf’s Tower down to the neighbourhood of Lahn. From there, it’s a 20-minute walk next to the lake into the centre of the village.Safety guidelines:

• In alpine terrain, be aware of the danger of falling rocks.


• Through early summer, you may encounter steep snowfields or firn gullies – especially during icy conditions, there is an acute risk of falling and thus fatal injury!


• Due to storm damage, forestry work or construction work, individual trail sections may be difficult or impassable at times.


• Cows in the alpine meadows are often curious. Because they are nursing mothers, they develop a strong tendency to protect their calves. Therefore, move through cow pastures quietly, keep at least 20 metres of distance to the animals and never pet calves! In the case of threatening behaviour (pawing, stamping) slowly back away (do not turn your back). Keep dogs on a leash. They must not bark at or chase cows. In the case of an attack, the dog must be released from the leash.

Equipment:

For all stages, you will need hiking or mountain boots with treaded rubber soles as well as wind- and rainproof clothing. A change of clothes and a small first-aid kit should also be included in your backpack. The amount of provisions you should pack depends on the number of available rest stops. In any case, you should always take along plenty to drink. Telescopic poles are helpful, especially when walking downhill.

Additional information:

Text kindly provided by the publisher KOMPASS-Verlag and Wolfgang Heitzmann.

Further information at trail.salzkammergut.at