Stage 07 From Glacier to Wine South Route Preintalerhütte - Putzentalalm

Characteristics

Skill

Fitness

The tour in numbers

Level of difficulty challenging

Route 9,2 km

Time 5:00 h

Uphill 833 hm

Downhill 1132 hm

Highest point 2298 m

A beautiful high-alpine tour that leads into the Sölktäler Nature Park in the heart of the Niedere Tauern. The stage begins with several alpine ascents that require sure-footedness before descending to the Putzentalalm in the second half of this stage of the Hiking Trail From Glacier to Wine.

The Putzentalalm is one of the most beautiful places in the Sölktäler Nature Park and offers overnight accommodation with eight beds and ten camp spaces. Many of the park's 25 alpine pastures, which provide both accommodation and refreshments, are still traditionally managed today.

Cows, sheep, and goats graze freely on flowering alpine meadows, a fact reflected in the quality and flavour of the regional products. At the Putzentalalm, guests can enjoy a range of homemade alpine specialities, including butter, milk, buttermilk, cheese, bacon, freshly baked bread, and traditional pastries.

A special tip: a family-friendly hiking trail, suitable even for prams and pushchairs, leads directly from the nearby Schwarzensee to the alpine pasture. The lake also serves as the starting point for numerous other hiking routes in the area.

Best season

January

February

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More information

Detailed information on how to get to can be found here.

From the Preintalerhütte (Tel. +43 664 1448881), we initially retrace a short section of the previous stage of the Hiking Trail From Glacier to Wine. After ascending through the Äußere Lämmerkar, we reach a trail junction. The route to the right leads back towards the Klafferkessel, while our path continues left towards the Kapuzinersee on the border with Salzburg.

We cross the provincial border at the Waldhorntörl at 2,283 metres above sea level before descending to the Zwerfenbergsee, beautifully situated in a mountain hollow in the heart of the Tauern. From there, the trail climbs once more to the Kaiserscharte at 2,298 metres above sea level, the highest point of the stage, before returning to Steiermark.

The remainder of the route leads through increasingly wooded terrain to the idyllically situated Putzentalalm (Tel. +43 664 9262200), our destination for the day.

Important: Please reserve accommodation in advance, as only a limited number of beds and camp spaces are available.

If time and energy permit, a detour to the nearby Schwarzensee is highly recommended. Considered one of the most romantic spots and one of the most popular photo locations in the Sölktäler Nature Park, the lake is well worth the additional walk.

Back at the Putzentalalm, hikers can enjoy regional specialities while preparing for the next stage, which leads to the mountaineering village of Krakau on the southern slopes of the Schladminger Tauern.

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

The Preintalerhütte is not directly accessible by car or public transport, for more information please contact the Preintalerhütte directly.

Steiermark Tourismus, Tel. +43 316 4003
www.steiermark.com

Kompass WK293 Dachsteingruppe, Schladminger Tauern www.kompass.at

Freytag & Berndt WK 201 Schladminger Tauern · Radstadt · Dachstein www.freytagberndt.at