Ennstalerhütte normal route - Gesäuse National Park

The Gesäuse is a mountain group in the Northern Limestone Alps. With rugged limestone peaks and the valley of the Enns, it forms the northeastern part of the Ennstal Alps in Austria. In 2002, a large part of the Gesaeuse was declared a Gesaeuse National Park. On the last day a tour to "expand". From the Gstatterboden car park, past the chapel on forest paths and forest roads, first gently, then a little steeper and steadily uphill. At the Butterbründl steep uphill to the Landlereck and on to the rEnnstaler hut. It is the oldest hut in the Gesäuse and stands on a ridge between the Tieflimauer (Devil's Wall) and the Tamischbach Tower - your local mountain. After proper refreshment, the descent over the Kroisenalm back to the parking lot. Here is also the National Park Pavilion, which combines a lot of wonderful things in a small space: good cuisine, a playful museum about the geology of the region and all kinds of (e) bikes to borrow.

In the Xeis there are only walks along the Enns. And so the round from the Gstatterboden car park (6€) on the technically easy and marked path up to the Ennstalerhütte with its great views is also a worthwhile hiking tour. The ascent to the Tamischbachturm currently still leads through a few snowfields, so the Giofel is still on the to-do list. The way down is also marked to the Hochscheibenalm and from there on the forest road cycle path to the Kroisalm, where the ring soon closes. Then the rest on the way there. Conclusion: There is still a lot to do in the area!!

Today it rained until 9:30 a.m., so we had to re-plan. We climbed up to the Ennstalerhütte. The 950 meters of elevation gain had to be tackled in one go to the hut. The descent initially involved a steep descent along a rock face to the Hochscheibelalm, then the forest road led us further down. At the Kroisenalm, we had a beer from the water trough. Unfortunately, the descent continued along the forest road for a very long time.

Beautiful tour .... with refreshments in the Ennstaler Hütte. Absolutely to recommend. Weather was perfect...not too warm, not too cold...and nice, light summer rain in between. On the whole tour I only met two other hikers once. It was a wonderful day.

This is a truly beautiful hike, with no climbing or frills. Just a leisurely three-hour climb, followed by a good three-hour descent from the Ennstaler Hut via the Kroiser Alm. These are two wonderful places that you can still enjoy on your own now, before they open. It's also nice.

200 meters of elevation must be deducted. The last bump didn't really exist.

Third tour of the hiking week in Gesäuse National Park. What wouldn't you do for a summit and a great view? The Tamischbachturm is considered one of the top viewing mountains in the Gesäuse, with a fantastic 360-degree panorama. And rightly so! But the pleasure has to be fought for, with over 1,400 meters of ascent and descent. This is a truly strenuous tour; you'll feel your legs hurt and be quite tired by the end. Technically, the trail isn't too difficult, but the descent from the summit on a fairly scree-covered path requires a lot of concentration. It's a good place to take a break at the Ennstaler Hütte, the oldest hut in the national park; it was quite busy today thanks to the perfect hiking weather. Another great day in the mountains!

"Nothing touches us like the untouched" is the motto of the Austrian national parks. And we were able to see this for ourselves on the third day of the Komoot "Hike & Learn" in the Gesäuse National Park. The first part of the descent from the Ennstaler Hütte back to the Ennstal takes us along a so-called natural path. This is a special category of path in the Austrian national parks, which means that human intervention is greatly reduced, allowing untouched nature to be discovered in all its facets. This particularly applies to the dead wood factor: the forest and the paths are not "cleared up" more than is absolutely necessary, because dead wood has extremely many advantages. For example, it provides habitat and food for countless species - from mushrooms to birds - and serves as a very efficient water reservoir. At the same time, dead trees that are not removed or at least trimmed naturally pose a certain increased risk for hikers, etc. The national park therefore appeals to visitors' personal responsibility, of course coupled with appropriate information and signage. It is particularly important to pay attention to the following things: 🌿 the treetop area 🌿 branches or trunk parts that are at risk of falling 🌿 old, dying trees, recognizable by hollows, woodpecker holes or tree fungi 🌿 branches and trees lying on the path 🌿 noises coming from trees (so it's better to avoid headphones and loud conversations!) 🌿 do not linger under trees with a high proportion of dead wood 🌿 in the event of strong wind or snow pressure: leave forests immediately or do not enter them 🌿 do not hike in the dark, then dangers cannot be seen (... by the way, this is generally a good idea in every forest. 😊) After this excursion into the jungle, we then head back to the valley, mostly on the forest road, but not without a final stop at the rustic Kroisenalm. Thanks to Komoot, National Parks Austria and the Gesäuse National Park for the equally insightful and beautiful hut tour and especially to Ranger Heimo for sharing his almost inexhaustible knowledge of nature with us! 🦅🤓🪲 You can find out more about the Gesäuse National Park here: https://nationalpark-gesaeuse.at There you will also find all the information about events in the national park and you can, among other things, book guided tours with rangers on site - something that I can really recommend to you. 💚 P.S. Here is the first part of the tour with information about how Komoot works with national parks and other nature reserves to guide hikers, cyclists, etc. in the most environmentally friendly way possible when planning tours 👉 https://www.komoot.com/de-de/tour/1705589081