recommended route
Eisenwurzen Trail 08 through Styria
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Erlebniszentrum WeidendomPhoto: Tourismusverband Gesäuse, TV Gesäuse
This long-distance hiking trail represents the connection from the northernmost to the southernmost point of Austria. The section through Styria takes us from the Eisenwurzen natural park to the Gesäuse natural park Centre in Gstatterboden and over the Niedere Tauern into the Murtal with the historic town of Judenburg along the way. Over the Zirbitzkogel, one of the most beautiful panoramic mountains in Austria, we reach the heart of the oldest natural park in Styria.
We start in Altenmarkt near St. Gallen on the border to Upper Austria and hike via the Ennstaler Hütte to the Gstatterboden natural park Centre. It impresses every visitor with its fantastic range of attractions - from the willow dome to the ecological footprint and the geology exhibition. Via the mountaineering village of Johnsbach, where we also meet the hiking route "From the Glacier to the Wine", we then head towards the Niedere Tauern, which are crossed at Kettentörl. Via the Ingeringtal with the beautifully situated lake of the same name, we reach the small town of Judenburg, which enchants with its historical development reflected in its architecture. Then we climb the Zirbitzkogel, a beautiful panoramic mountain in the middle of the Seetal Alps. Shortly before the summit, the Lukas Max via ferrata attracts all alpinists. Here at the panoramic summit we now have the option of continuing south-east to Klippitztörl on the 08 trail or descending to Neumarkt in the Zirbitzkogel-Grebenzen natural park.
Track types
Show elevation profileRest stops
Ennstalerhütte , 1.543mNationalpark Pavillon
Mödlinger Hütte, 1.523 m
Klinkehütte, 1.486 m
Sportalm Kaiserau
Gasthaus Brodjäger
Gasthof Braun
Gasthof Braun
Triebental-Hütte
Bergerhube
Jausenstation Reicherhube
Fohnsdorfer Hütte/Gaaler Höh
Mostschänke Stoxreiter
Aqualux Therme
Winterleitenhütte
Safety information
Emergency call mountain rescue: 140
Tips when reporting an emergency – Answer these six WH questions: What happened? How many people are injured? Where did the accident happen (are there GPS coordinates)? Who is reporting the incident (callback number)? When did the accident happen? What is the weather like at the site of the incident?
Tips and hints
Steiermark Tourismus
Tel. +43 316 4003
info@steiermark.com
If you would like to hire a tour operator, simply book with Steiermark Touristik, the official travel agency of Steiermark Tourismus:
Tel. +43 316 4003 450,
The Steiermark Touren app, available free of charge on Google Play and the App Store (Android, iOS), offers detailed first-hand information: brief facts (length, duration, difficulty, ascent and descent/elevation gain, ratings), map, route descriptions, altimeter, compass, peak finder, navigation along the tour. You can also create your own personal lists of favourite tours and sites, store tours and destinations offline, use social media channels, and much more.
Start
Destination
Turn-by-turn directions
We start our north-south crossing of Styria on the Eisenwurzen Trail 08 in the romantically situated village of Weißenbach an der Enns in the natural park Eisenwurzen. First, the tour takes us to the Ennstaler cabin in the heart of the Gesäuse. Via the mountaineering village of Johnsbach with its touching mountaineering cemetery, we continue through the Gesäuse mountains to Trieben. After that, the crossing of the Niedere Tauern lies ahead. After the historic town of Judenburg, we head to the Winterleitenhütte, idyllically situated on the Kleiner Winterleitensse.
The last day brings us to one of the most beautiful panoramic mountains in the Eastern Alps, the Zirbitzkogel with its refuge of the same name. The view stretches from the Tauern to the Karawanken and can also be seen as a reward for the last few days. Afterwards, we descend via the Kulmerhütte to Neumarkt in the natural park Zirbitzkogel-Grebenzen.
Details of the Eisenwurzen Trail 08 can be found (in German) on the site of the Austrian Alpine Club.
Note
Public transport
Public-transport-friendly
Accessible by train and bus.
Detailed information about arriving by ÖBB (Austrian Federal Railways) can be found at www.oebb.at or on the Verbundlinie Steiermark website www.busbahnbim.at
With Verbundlinie’s BusBahnBim route planner app, planning your journey has never been easier: simply enter towns and/or addresses, stop names or points of interest to check all bus, train and tram connections in Austria. The app is available free of charge for smartphones – on Google Play and in the App Store
Getting there
Detaillierte Informationen zur Anreise finden Sie hier.
Parking
In Altenmarkt bei St. Gallen stehen zahlreiche Parkplätze zur Verfügung.Coordinates
Book recommendation by the author
Fritz und Erika Käfer: Österreichischer Weitwanderweg 08 - Vom nördlichsten zum südlichsten Punkt Österreichs, Sektion Weitwanderer des OEAV, www.alpenverein.at/weitwanderer, weitwanderer@sektion.alpenverein.at
Book recommendations for this region:
Recommended maps for this region:
Equipment
Proper backpack packing makes many things easier: Pack heavy things first. The water bottle should always be within reach in a side pocket. All the things that are often needed, such as sunglasses, camera or hiking map, belong on top. An emergency kit, including blister plasters, belongs in every rucksack and it is always advisable to dress in layers.
Statistics
- 27 Waypoints
- 27 Waypoints
Questions and answers
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Rating
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