Explore the amazing mountains around Salzburg!
Put on your hiking shoes and move out to explore the amazing natural beauties around Salzburg. The mountains, waterfalls and lakes nearby serve as a refreshing retreat from the busy, stressful weekdays. Who desires to get some fresh air but still stay in the county of Salzburg, could find picturesque trails and hiking routes nearby at Fuschl or Wolfgangsee Lakes. If, you just want to have fun and relax with your friends, grill outside and enjoy the amazing panorama, you can visit Lofer or chill at the waterfall in Gfalls. In the following article, you can find useful information before going on a trip and some of the best trails around Salzburg.
Hiking Tipps & Tricks:
- The difficulty of the various trails signed by colors and recommended to check before you set off. The blue color means an easy path, the red a medium difficult with rocky and sometimes steep parts, and the black is recommended for trained hikers. (The black one is also possible for non-experts, however, you should be prepared for steep, sometimes dangerous routes.)
- Good sport or hiking shoes are recommended.
- Always follow the sign of red-white-red stripes in the woods.
- Take some pocket money and enjoy the local food and fresh bier in one of the Hüttes on the top.
- Water and some snacks.
- Check the weather conditions before, especially trails which located over than 1000-1200 m, there might be still snow.
Hiking and outdoor websites to search for trails:
Gfalls and the sound of nature:
Gfalls located in Elsbethen, pretty close to Salzburg and easily accessible by bus or car. The trail goes along a stream and passing by many waterfalls. It is an easy, maximum 5 hours round trip, with various fauna. The highlight of the tour is a nice, traditional meal in the Gasthof Fageralm, where you can find the best Schnitzel in Austria.
Detailed tour description: Glasenbachklamm über Gfalls
A little paradise around the Wolfgangsee:
The Wolfgangsee is located 30 km from Salzburg, which easily reachable by public transportation as well. From the nearest town, St. Gilgen, many trails depart either in the nearest mountains or around the lake. You can also take the “Seilbahn” up to to the Zwölferhorn or there are some nice trails which lead you to the top.
Bleckwand
This thematical tour follows the story line of Little Red Riding Hood and leads to the most beautiful panorama to the Wolfgagnsee. The hike took us around 4-5 hours (with loads of photo breaks), however, the trail is not so steep and easily accessible (even in snow).
The starting point is at Vitz am Berg (652 m), what you can reach by car (5 EUR road toll). You can park your car and follow the signs through the rocky woods. First, you reach a nice small Hütte, where you can enjoy the panorama from the sunny terrace. Then the trail leads up to the top where this beautiful view awaits for you:
The detailed tour could be find here: Bleckwand
Der Weg der Wallfahrer
This tour could be definitely recommended when you just want to have an easy walk but not so much hiking. The route leads along the lake and in some points you can take a steeper route to enjoy the overview of the Wolfgangsee and the mountains.
The tour starts from St Gilgen (city center or any point of the city) and heads towards to the town of St Wolfgang through the mountains. Walking down the trail, you passing by the house of Karl von Frisch, who researched the Waggle dance, which is a term used in beekeeping and ethology for a particular figure-eight dance of the honey bee. Additionally, it is recommended to visit the Dichtlkapelle, which is small chapell built in the surrended rocky wall, where is a small cave inside. The myth tells, that pilgrims who whished something in the cave and then pulled the bells three-times, their wish came true. Directly, after the church, there is a rocky trail on the right side through the wood. You should follow the sign: “Scheffelblick” to reach the highest point of the tour and enjoy the view. (If you plan to bring some snacks with you, you should definitely eat it here.) Spend some time there and let yourself be inspired by the nature.
Detailed description and maps: Der Weg der Wallfahrer
Zwölferhorn
The trail starts at Illinger Alm, which is a small farm-house on the mountain. A narrow road leads up to the starting point, which easily accessible by car. You can park the car and you can take a 3-4 hours round-tour to the Zwölferhorn. If you do not have car, the same hiking route is available from St Gilgen by the cable car. Unfortunately, there were still snow when we were visiting the trail, but after all we explored other routes which located lower than the snowy top. You can find the detailed route here: Illinger Alm – Runde.
Grill & Chill in Lofer:
Being active does not mean, that you cannot spend gourmet time in the nature. There are many spots in and around Salzburg, where you can grill or have a picnic with your friends. Especially, the Vorderkaserklamm in St. Martin, Lofer, where beside the outdoor activities, there is also opportunity to prepare some food “on fire”. In addition, you can have a refreshing bath in the river Saalach or the small natural pounds there. Definitely, a perfect day…!
