Stage 05 Buchsteinhaus - Haindlkarhütte, Gesäuse hut loop

From the Ennstalerhütte you walk a few meters to the northwest down to the crossroads "Landlereck". Here you choose left (to the southwest) the way no. 646/608 down over the "Butterbründl" and the Hörantalm up to the way junction "Krois`n". Now follow path no. 646/608 down to Gstatterboden. Here it is worth visiting the National Park Pavilion - a visitor center of the Gesäuse National Park with information center, café and exhibition.From the National Park Pavillon Gstatterboden you first hike a few hundred meters on a path next to the main road until you reach the entrance to the Rauchbodenweg. You follow this path with wonderful views of the Enns and the opposite Hochtorgruppe about 3km to the west where you will also pass some theme stations - finally crossing the Enns on a footbridge - to the Weidendom. At the Weidendom you should definitely allow yourself time for a break: it is a living building, just like the walkable ecological footprint, a labyrinth of hedges. Islands of tranquillity invite you to linger and the Lettmair Au you will cross by an eventful footbridge.Just before you reach the main road, turn left into a path that takes you parallel to the main road - crossing it once - and along the river Enns to the parking lot of the Haindlkarhütte in about 30 minutes. From here you follow the marked path to the Haindlkarhütte to the south. At first the wide path leads quite flat into the valley - but soon it gets lost and turns into a narrow hiking path. You cross gravelly brook beds again and again and the path becomes somewhat steeper in the meantime. The landscape becomes rougher and more primeval the closer you get to the breathtakingly steep rock faces of the Hochtorgruppe. Further coarse areas, which are only thinly interspersed with plants, take you first to the old Haindlkar hut and then in a few minutes to today's Haindlkar hut.This hut is perhaps the most rustic hut in the Gesäuse. Lovely is something else - she is crouching on the last green spots before the gigantic north walls of the Hochtorgruppe shoot up right above. You feel very small in the sight of these giants. Here climbing history was written, here every climber who is known in the eastern part of Austria stayed overnight to repeat routes which climbing legends like Raimund Schinko, Gustav Jahn, Franz Zimmer, Heinrich Pfannl, Hubert Peterka, Angelo Dibona and Klaus Hoi had established. As mentioned: The University of Climbing - amazing that this corner is so easy to reach. And if you are lucky enough to experience a sunset that bathes the walls in red gold light, then your mouth is guaranteed to stay open. A Bet?

Mountain rescue emergency call: 140

From a technical point of view, the Gesäuse hut circuit has moderate difficulties, which are no problem for the sure-footed and experienced mountain hiker. All the stages run on mountain paths with red dots, which means that they are classified as moderately difficult hiking trails according to the classification of the Austrian Alpine Club. However, you should have a certain amount of mountain experience for the Gesäuse Hüttenrunde, as you will be hiking in mountains with altitudes up to 1,850 m.

On a short section of this stage (Zigeunertunnel to Haindlkar parking lot), you will be walking on so-called "natural paths". These trails, which only exist in national parks and comparable areas where the tasks of process protection and making the experience accessible come together, are specially marked and only maintained to a limited extent by the trail keepers. As a result, these paths require increased precautionary measures, such as not walking in strong winds, observing the trees, not standing under dead trees and not hiking with headphones in order to hear acoustic warning signals in good time. In return, they enable a special experience of nature that only national parks can offer. Only less frequented paths are designated as "natural"; every refuge can also be reached via "normal" paths.

For the Gesäuse hut tour, "normal" equipment for alpine hikes on unpaved paths is completely sufficient. In any case, we recommend sturdy shoes and telescopic walking sticks to take the strain off the knees on the sometimes longer descents. For all refuges along the trail you should also bring a sleeping bag and a towel.  Since the huts where you will be staying overnight on your trail trip are very remote and high up in the mountains and cannot be reached by the luggage shuttle, we cannot offer any luggage transport for the Gesäuse Hut Tour. We therefore recommend that you pack your rucksack sparingly and only take what is really necessary with you to the Gesäuse Hüttenrunde. It can be quite liberating to be on the way without luxury!

It is recommended to contact the Trail Info & Booking Centre before booking.

When planning your tour, please note the opening hours of the mountain huts!

In the Gesäuse you are mobile even without your own carOne call to t: +43 3613 21 000 99 is enough: During operating times, you can take the Gesäuse Sammeltaxi to any destination in the Gesäuse, without any timetable or stops.

Further information & operating times

Timetable inquiry at www.oebb.at or www.busbahnbim.at