Ardning Alm Normalweg

Characteristics

Skill

Fitness

The tour in numbers

Level of difficulty easy

Route 7,3 km

Time 2:30 h

Uphill 400 hm

Downhill 400 hm

Highest point 1052 m

A leisurely loop from the village center of Ardning to the Ardning Alm, where you can enjoy a delightful break. Gentle paths make this tour perfect for families, and the central starting point in the village allows for convenient public access by bus or train.

From the village square in Ardning, we walk for about 1.5 hours along the forest road to the Ardning Alm Hut. It’s a leisurely family-friendly hike with a spot to stop for refreshments and enjoy a magnificent mountain panorama.

Best season

January

February

March

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June

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October

November

December

More information

By car: Take the A9 Pyhrn Autobahn, exit Ardning/Admont — then 4 km to the village square of Ardning.
From the east: From Admont, it’s about 8 km to Ardning.
Ardning Dorfplatz

We hike through the village of Ardning — a grocery store along the way still offers provisions and drinks — passing the charming village church. For about 1 km, we continue on a paved road, then switch to a forest road after the last mountain farms.

Shortly on the left, we make a brief detour to the Brandl Chapel. It was part of the Windischgarsten pilgrimage route, and from here, pilgrims saw their destination, the Frauenberg Pilgrimage Church, for the first time. Even today, the pilgrimage takes place annually on the Sunday after Ascension Day, though nowadays only a few still cross the mountain on foot, while most arrive by train or car.

The forest road mostly winds through wooded areas until we reach Hochreith, where the trees suddenly open up to reveal the Haller Mauern, forming a breathtaking semicircular mountain panorama. One more curve and our destination, the Ardning Alm Hut, comes into view.

The hut is open year-round, with Thursday as a rest day. Currently, overnight stays are not available. It is widely known for its oven-roasted specialties and Styrian cheese dumplings (Steirerkas-Nockn).

Sturdy hiking boots or good trekking shoes
Hiking backpack
Water bottle
First aid kit including blister plasters
Hiking map and smartphone
Snacks
Sunglasses
Sunscreen

You should also be well prepared for changeable weather.

Packing your backpack correctly makes things much easier:
Pack heavy items first. Your water bottle should always be easily accessible in a side pocket. Everything you need frequently, such as sunglasses, your smartphone, or hiking map, should be packed on top.

On Saturdays and Sundays from May to October, the Alpine Museum at Ardningalm is open. It can be reached from the Ardning Alm Hut in about half an hour on a forest road. Here, you can see a smoke kitchen and numerous tools that the alpine dairyman’s wife (Sennerin) once used for making butter and cheese on the mountain.

Take Postbus line 910. Timetable available at www.busbahnbim.at.

Gesäuse Tourist Association
Hauptstraße 35, 8911 Admont, Austria
t: +43 3613 2116010
Email: info@gesaeuse.at
www.gesaeuse.at