Hut-hopping on the Raxalpe (Variant 1)

Popis

Hut-hopping means being able to travel in subalpine heights, on alpine meadows and in the dwarf pine zone without having to overcome strenuous climbs. You go up with the Rax cable car, the oldest cable car in Austria, which started operating in 1926. The Ottohaus , which is the first hut reached after the mountain station, features a special 4000 m² alpine garden with about 200 alpine plants typical for the region. The next station, the Seehütte , owes its name to a small lake, which however disappeared shortly after World War I. Then the route goes over the Trinksteinsattel to the Habsburghaus, from where you walk over lush alpine meadows to the Karl Ludwig House. The second last hut on this route is the Waxriegelhaus. The tour itself ends at the Edelweisshütte at Preiner Gscheid.

Výchozí bod trasy

Hirschwang an der Rax, Rax cable car valley station

Cílový bod trasy

Pass height Preiner Gschaid

Popis trasy Hut-hopping on the Raxalpe (Variant 1)

The starting point is the Rax cable car. It takes us in a few minutes to the mountain station at 1547 m above sea level. From the cable car's mountain station, we follow the red marking to the Gatterlkreuz and further to the Ottohaus . To the first hut of this route, we walk about 45 minutes and overcome 100 meters of elevation. Those who want to add a summit can climb the nearby Jakobskogel (1737 m). In just 10 to 15 minutes, following the blue marking, we reach its summit cross. From the Ottohaus, the path leads us through dwarf pine past the Preiner Wand Cross and above the well-known climbing paradise Preiner Wand to the New Seehütte located in a hollow. From there, it goes steeply uphill to the Trinksteinsattel. Following the red marking, we hike along alpine meadows below the Dreimarkstein in 1.5 hours to the Habsburghaus . After a refreshment, the path—initially marked blue—leads past a series of managed alpine huts. Then we follow the red marking on the west side of the Predigtstuhl before a short ascent to the Karl Ludwig House . From the Karl Ludwig House, it goes down in serpentines marked red towards Preiner Gscheid. After crossing the Siebenbrunnerwiese located at 1400 m above sea level, we walk a short distance along a forestry road and turn off to the Waxriegelhaus . From there, go down to the right towards Rettenbachgraben and then continue along the forestry road to Preiner Gscheid. Please do not cross the "old ski slope" or go off-trail. Due to erosion damage, this section must recover. Return to the starting point either by public bus or with the RUFbus Semmering Rax from Preiner Gscheid to the cable car valley station or to the train station.