Salzalpensteig II Hiking Tour

From Salzburger Land to Lake Hallstatt
The Salzalpensteig is a 250-kilometer cross-border hike that leads from Chiemgau across Berchtesgadener Land into the enchanting World Heritage region of Hallstatt. An entire landscape is specifically linked to salt - the Salzkammergut in Austria, which is also part of this fascinating hiking tour. Magnificent mountain worlds, lush forests, sparkling lakes and mystical moorland landscapes - breathtaking natural backdrops lead like a red thread through old, historic areas of salt history. This tour takes you from Hallein to Hallstatt.

Accommodation: Accommodation is in comfortable rooms with shower/WC, TV and some. Internet/WLAN in 3* hotels or inns as well as when staying overnight in the hut in beds or in a mattress camp. You have to bring your own sleeping bag. Due to their location, not all huts can offer running water, hot water or showers. Some toilets don't flush. Public parking on site (for a fee). Payable locally: local tax.

Price per person:
17.5.–30.6. & 1.9.–10.10.2024: EUR 809,–
1.7.–31.8.2024: EUR 825,–
Surcharges: Half board EUR 239,- ppp

Code: SAHASA1 DS B

Your hiking tour

Day 1:
Individual arrival to Hallein, the district capital in the beautiful Tennengau located between the city of Salzburg and the Dachstein massif. It's worth visiting the salt factory, the only show saltworks in Austria, where you can look over the shoulder of a pan master at work. The Celtic Museum is also worth seeing, because it was the Celts who first started mining salt here in the Iron Age. Handover of travel documents and overnight stay in Hallein.
Day 2:
Panoramic Truckenthannalm and romantic Schleierfall, approx. 5 hours, 14 kilometers, elevation gain/descent: 500 / 700 m.
Bus trip from Hallein to Bad Dürrnberg. From Bad Dürrnberg to Golling you immerse yourself in an area that is attractive in terms of landscape, natural history and geology. On this stage you hike in the tongue basin of the former Salzach glacier through the wonderful floodplain of the Salzach. First the path goes uphill to the highest point of the hike, the beautifully situated, rustic Truckenthannalm. With a bit of luck you can even buy a small snack there. But you should also take a break on the mountain pasture, which was first mentioned almost 900 years ago. Along lush meadows you pass the Maximilianquelle beneath the impressive rock faces of the Hoher Goll. After a short climb you reach the Schleierfall with a rest area. Finally, you reach Golling through the lush vegetation of the idyllic riparian forests of the Salzach. Overnight stay in Golling.
Day 3:
Through gorges, past waterfalls and along crystal-clear mountain lakes, 5-6 hours, approx. 14 km, elevation gain/descent: 559 / 339 m.
We recommend the bus from Golling to Unterscheffau (payable locally). The hiking trail now follows upstream through a forest and meadow landscape, again and again along the Lammer, to Oberscheffau. The 41 kilometer long river Salzach has its source in the southern Tennengebirge. After reaching Oberscheffau, you reach the Schwarzenbach and you first go through a cultural landscape and continue along the so-called Mühlenweg. The Klausgraben is rich in water. A stone pillar from the 16th century points to border disputes between Scheffau and Abtenau. The last stage leads to the Tricklfall and the no less impressive Dachserfall to Abtenau. Overnight stay in Abtenau.
Day 4:
Between rugged rocks and shady meadows in the Tennengebirge nature reserve, 4-5 hours, approx. 9 km, elevation gain/descent: 645 / 993 m.
A fun ride with the Karkogel cable car takes you to the Karkogelhütte in just a few minutes. From here it is only a few minutes' walk to the small plateau with a magnificent panorama of the peaks of the Tennengebirge and the Salzkammergut mountains. On the way through flower-filled alpine meadows with a wonderful view of the small Traunstein you reach the cultivated Gsengalm. At the foot of the 1,810m high Schober you follow the path through an area of meadows and mountain pine trees. We pass the dilapidated Quehenbergalm downhill towards the picturesque town of Annaberg in Lammertal. Overnight stay in Annaberg.
Day 5:
Via the Gosaukamm to the Gablonzer Hütte, 7 hours, approx. 11 km, elevation gain/descent: 1269 / 514 m.
Well fortified, you start in Annaberg and follow the legendary hiking trail through dense, blueberry-covered coniferous forest up to the highest point of the Kopfberg. Now begins a steep climb to the welcome Stuhlalm where you can take a break. The hut offers you a fantastic view of the northern escarpment of the Bischofsmütze, and the Tennengebirge, Großglockner and the Hohe Tauern are also visible when the weather is good. As the route continues, you hike on a high-altitude path, initially over rough roots and later over the coarse scree of the mountain flanks, to a high-mountain beech forest. It is now only a short distance to the Gablonzer Hütter. You will be rewarded here with the impressive panorama of the Gosausee, the Hoher Dachstein and the Donnerkogel. Overnight stay at the Gablonzerhütte. Luggage transport from Annaberg to Bad Goisern, where you will spend the night the following day. (You must bring your own luggage and sleeping bag for the night at the Gablonzerhütte!)
Day 6:
In the interior of the Salzkammergut, 7-8 hours, approx. 16.5 km, elevation gain/descent: 958 / 1838 m
With the Gosaukammbahn you can quickly overcome the difference in altitude into the Gosautal, which is said to have been even more remote than Hallstatt (payable locally). But if you would like to descend into the valley on foot, you can look forward to a varied hike over wooden footbridges and bridges, with small alpine huts coming into view again and again. From the cable car valley station, you take the public bus past old farmhouses to Gosau-Ramsau. Here you enter the Bible Trail and reach the Goiserer Hut at 1,592 meters via the Iglmoosalm. The descent takes place via the Trockentannalm to Bad Goisern, located on the northern shore of Lake Hallstatt. Overnight stay in Bad Goisern
Day 7:
Hallstatt and its lake, approx. 5 hours, 19 km, elevation gain/descent: 127 / 102 m.
On the way to Lake Hallstatt you cross the Traun several times. It is the lifeline of the Salzkammergut and rises in the Totes Gebirge in Styria. The following section on the eastern shore of Lake Hallstatt is unobstructed, the view of the Dachstein Mountains is fantastic and the route is spectacular. We continue to Obertraun and spend the night in Hallstatt. The almost perfect ensemble of narrow streets, historic houses, lake panorama and the cultural heritage from the Hallstatt period make this place world famous. If you want to take a shortcut, you can take the ferry from Hallstatt train station to Hallstatt Markt and save yourself an eight-kilometer walk (ferry payable on site). In the afternoon we will visit the oldest salt mine in the world. Valuable exhibits from the Bronze Age, a walk through historic tunnels and a game on the 64 meter long miner's slide bring the life of the miners to life. Overnight stay in Hallstatt.
Day 8:
Individual departure or extra nights.

General information
During the tour on the Salzalpensteig you will always find yourself in alpine terrain. Appropriate mountain equipment and endurance are therefore required. The necessary equipment includes: mountain boots, functional clothing, backpack, water and food, rain and sun protection, cell phone, and possibly hiking poles.