Autumn trek to Großer Grießstein in the Seckauer Alps

Ascent of Großer Grießstein in the Seckauer Tauern

Starting point

Forest parking at the end of the forest path behind the Franzlbauerhütte. The turn-off to this road is from the road leading south from Hohentauren.
 

Description of the hike

After arriving at the parking lot in the evening, we spent the night in the car. Although it was freezing at night, but we were well prepared for that. In the morning we brewed some tea to warm up and headed into the mountains.

At first the path led along a wide forest road, later we started to climb along a forest trail. The ascent was gradual and pretty soon we left the forest zone and climbed up the mountain meadow to the Triebener Törl saddle. Just below the saddle, we were treated to a curious chamois enjoying the first rays of the sun as we did. The Triebener Törl saddle was only a short distance away and we soon had views of the surrounding mountains.

From the saddle we crouched on the path between the slash and burn. The trail does not climb at first, but goes around the Großer Grießstein mountain. After a while, the trail turns and starts to climb very steeply towards the summit. At the same time, the terrain changed and we climbed in a rocky environment. Sometimes we helped ourselves with our hands, but it was rather a pleasant diversification of the climb. Moreover, the views were opening up more and more, with the Julian Alps on the horizon. The end of the climb was not so steep and we could soon enjoy the unobstructed views in all directions from the top of Großer Grießstein.

After a longer rest we headed back. From the summit we had to descend very steeply to the saddle between the Großer Grießstein and Kleiner Grießstein. Here we decided to leave the marked paths and started descending into the valley between the slash and burn on a very lightly trodden path. Occasionally we came across stone men, occasionally we came across some old markings. The descent was steep in places, especially in the forest part. Eventually, we joined the path we had used to climb up the mountain in the morning. We followed it back to the parking lot.
 

Difficulty

Classic alpine trek on forest trails, alpine meadows, but also in rocky terrain. The ascent is facilitated by a high forest parking lot. The steepest part of the ascent is the last 300 metres to the summit. The route follows a trail that climbs steeply between the rocks. Sometimes it is necessary to use hands, but it is not difficult. We shortened our descent off the marked paths. We were still following a very faint trail, but it was challenging to get our bearings.
 

Water availability

There was quite a lot of water along the way. Almost the entire ascent to the Triebener Törl saddle is along the stream. The next stream was also free terrain during the descent. We had our own water supply, about 1.5 litres per person.
 

Sleeping options

We spent the night in the car. The Franzlbauerhütte near the car park is no longer open to the public. There are many accommodation options in the village of Hohentauren.
 

Mountain peaks

From the top of Großer Grießstein 2,337 m above sea level, there are great views of all sides of the world. In good visibility, you can see the Julian Alps, Dachstein, the Enntal Alps, the Low Tatras and more.
 

Danger

Most of the trail is perfectly safe, it is a mountain trail. Part of the ascent to the summit is in rocky terrain, but there is a clear trail here as well. The descent from the summit to the saddle is also steep. There is also a small rock face to negotiate, so your hands will be in action again.
 

Food

There is no mountain hut on the route, so it is necessary to have your own food, snacks, etc.