Trek in the Raxalpe mountains with a short ferrata

Ascent in the Raxalpe mountains on a short protected path

Starting point

Parking lot in the road saddle Preiner Gscheid Pass. Parking costs 4 Euros per day.
 

Description of the hike

The aim of this trek was to climb the highest mountain of the Raxalpe mountain range - Heukuppe. Unfortunately, this time the weather forecast was totally wrong and instead of a sunny day we had low clouds early in the morning, which made the climb difficult. That's why we abandoned the climb to the summit.

Early in the morning we set out from the parking lot in the road saddle following the green hiking trail towards the mountains. The trail through the woods climbed pleasantly, it was nothing steep. We continued on the yellow trail for a while, but soon turned onto the green hiking trail. By this time we had left the forest and started to climb more steeply through the meadow. Soon we were surrounded by sagebrush. By this time the weather had started to deteriorate significantly and it was clear that there would be no views today.

We followed the trail to the beginning of the rocks. The marker leads for a while in rocky terrain. Eventually the trail forks. It is possible to follow the classic trail to the Raxalpe plateau, or follow the sheltered path. The latter has the lowest difficulty level A. We opted for this option and it was a good decision. The path in the rocks is not difficult. Of course you have to use your hands to advance, but it is not difficult. Eventually we reached the Raxalpe plateau.

The visibility was about 20 meters, so we turned around and passed the chapel to reach the mountain hut. It was still closed. From the hut we started our descent on a beautiful mountain path. By then we had already started to meet the first hikers who had started up this trail into the mountains. We descended the trail to a beautiful meadow. By then we were already under the clouds so we could at least see a little bit around us. Then it was a descent through the forest back to the car in the parking lot.
 

Difficulty

A sport trek in the Raxalpe mountains. Mostly on forest or mountain paths and trails. The most interesting passage is an easy rock climb to the Raxalpe plateau. This is a belayed section - klettersteig.

No belaying is necessary for skilled mountaineers, however, a ferrata set is suitable for the less experienced. The rock section is not long, it is rather a diversion during the climb. In places there is also a steeper climb, so good fitness is definitely useful. However, even small children can manage the route. A dog would have a lot of problems in the rock passage.
 

Water availability

We came across one spring in the forest part of the climb. The Karl - Ludwig Haus is open in the season. Otherwise, 1.5 litres per person was enough for us.
 

Sleeping options

After arriving in the evening, we spent the night in the car in a parking lot in the road saddle.

Sleeping in the wild is very limited in Austria and varies from state to state. But in general we can say that sleeping outdoors in the forest zone is forbidden - you can of course make arrangements with the owner of the meadow, for example. You can find detailed rules about sleeping in the wild in Austria in our article Rules for bivouacking in Austria.
 

Mountain peaks

We didn't climb to the top of Heukuppe this time as the weather was not ideal. In good visibility you can see the eastern Austrian Alps beautifully.
 

Danger

Except for a short klettersteig, the route is easily passable. Even the klettersteig itself can be avoided by an alternative route on the green hiking trail. The rock climbing itself is easy, even trained children can do it. However, for the less experienced, ferrata equipment and a helmet are necessary.
 

Food

In the summer season, refreshments are available at the Karl-Ludwig-Haus mountain hut. It was still closed in May, so we had our own snacks and bars.