Hike from the Gemeindealpe to Lake Erlafsee

From Gemeindealpe to Erlaufsee - a relaxing trip for families

Starting point

We left the car in the parking lot at the bottom station of the cable car in the village of Mitterbach - Seeortte. Then we took the cable car to the top of the Gemeindealpe mountain.
 

Description of the hike

During a family holiday we spent several days looking at the Gemeindealpe from the Erlaufsee. Until we finally decided to take a trip up it. Given the age composition, we chose the easiest option. From the village of Mitterbach - Seeorte we took the cable car to the top.

The weather was great, so we spent quite a lot of time on the summit. In addition, there are attractions for children. After some time we went to the lake. First, we walked around the whole top of the mountain, which opened up beautiful views of Mount Ötscher. Then the actual descent began. We chose the faster option. We descended in serpentines along the trail directly below the cable car. The path was made more pleasant by the lazily grazing cows. We reached the Zum Bäreneck hut, where we had a delicious lunch.

We then continued along the marked trail to Lake Erlaufsee. The trail crosses a wide forest road several times, on which tourists on go-carts are riding. The trail continues through the forest and the descent is quite pleasant, there are no steep sections. Eventually we reached the lake. We bypassed it and started to enjoy swimming in the mountain lake.

However, it soon became apparent that the prediction was not wrong. The promised storm approached very quickly. This slightly crossed our plans, as we wanted to walk from the lake along the trail back to the car at the bottom of the cable car station. So we sent the fastest of us running down the road to get the car and he came to get us. In the end, we were glad that the giant hailstones didn't destroy the hood of our car.
 

Difficulty

Thanks to the use of the cable car, it is a very simple trip, ideal for families with children. The whole route up to the lake leads through pleasant trails, still just descending. Physically, the trip is not at all demanding.
 

Water availability

There are several refreshment options along the route. At the top of the Gemeindealepe is the Terzerhaus hut, in the middle of the mountain is the Zum Bäreneck hut and there are also refreshments at Lake Erlaufsee. Therefore, you only need to bring about 1 litre of water per person.
 

Sleeping options

We stayed in the nearby Mariazell, but there are plenty of accommodation options in the area.
 

Mountain peaks

From the top of the Gemeindealpe 1,626 m above sea level, you can enjoy a beautiful panoramic view of the surrounding mountains - the Ybbstal Alps, the Hochschwab or the Raxalpe.
 

Danger

This is a very simple trip. Technically absolutely without difficulties. That is why the biggest danger is probably riding an open cable car with children. And it is also good to be careful during the descent on wide paths. These are used as routes for downhill go-karting into the valley. And some of the performers go really fast.
 

Food

There are several refreshment options along the route. The first is a hut right on top of the Gemeindealpe mountain. The next is the Zum Bäreneck hut on the mountainside. Here we also had lunch. And the next refreshment is at the Erlaufsee lake. Here there are more options where to fill an empty stomach.