BergeSeen Trail S1: Bad Ischl - Ischler Hut

Anyone who wants to explore the western part of the Toten Gebirge should follow this alpine variant of the Salzkammergut BergeSeen Trail. You hike from the "imperial spa town" into a long valley, where you find enough leisure to observe the wonders of nature on the edge of the forest road. At the "halfway point" you cross the pastures of the Rettenbachalm, from which you can already see the Schönberg, the westernmost "two-thousander" of the Toten Gebirge, as well as the rock walls around the nearby Loser. The second part of the route then leads steeper uphill – but at the end, a cozy mountain hut awaits you.

In Bad Ischl you cross the Traun on the Kreuzersteg and walk downstream along the riverbank. You finally pass under the railway line up to Kochstraße. From there uphill to Dr.-Sterz-Straße and onto the moraine hill, where the natural monument "Tree Group at Sterzen's Evening Seat" is located. Descending – always going straight ahead – you reach Rosenkranzgasse (bus stop). Keeping left, you briefly follow the right, wider street to a large board with numerous signposts. There you turn right and follow the access road. You leave it before the first houses, turning left and enter a forest after a large meadow – staying straight ahead. After a few meters, the path leads left down into the Rettenbachklamm (483 m). A footbridge crosses the gorge; below, the Rettenbach roars through the rock gorge. Going uphill again, you reach the road to Rettenbachalm, which you follow to the right. The flat gravel road leads into the densely wooded Rettenbach valley. After about 7 km you reach the Rettenbachalm (636 m). 2:30 h Continue hiking upstream to the old salt parlor at the eastern end of the pasture. There you turn left – following marking no. 211 – and march briefly into the wooded Karbach valley. Then turn right onto the marked path, which climbs over a steep forest ridge to a meadow behind the Ahornkogel. Over the Beerensattel, you reach the large pasture of the Schwarzenbergalm, where the well-run Ischler Hut (1,368 m) of the Alpine Club stands. 2:30 h

• In alpine terrain, beware of danger from falling rocks.


• Until early summer, you may encounter steep snowfields or firn corridors – especially during icing, there is a serious risk of falling and thus danger to life!


• Due to storm damage, forestry work or construction measures, some sections of the path may be temporarily difficult or impossible to pass.


• Cows on the alpine pastures are often curious. Because of the cow-calf husbandry, they develop a strong instinct to protect their calves. So move calmly on cow pastures, keep at least 20 m distance from the animals and do not pet calves! In case of threatening gestures (scratching, stamping), move slowly backwards (do not turn your back). Dogs must be on a leash; they are not allowed to bark at or chase cows. In case of an attack, you must definitely let go of the leash.

For all stages, you need hiking or mountain boots with profile rubber soles as well as wind- and rainproof clothing.

Spare clothing for changing and a small first aid kit should also be in your backpack. How much provisions you pack depends on the number of places to stop for food. In any case, you should take enough to drink. Telescopic poles are especially helpful when going downhill.

Kindly provided by the KOMPASS publishing house and Wolfgang Heitzmann.

More info at trail.salzkammergut.at