Buchstein circuit stage 2 (Palfau – Johnsbach)

From the starting point of the stage near the Stiegenwirt, ride past the Stiegenwirt until you reach a large road after a few metres. Ride down this road to the right and then back up again until you turn left onto the forest road behind a house with a distinctive noise barrier (slightly below the highest point). Now begins a long, lonely climb along forest roads: follow the signposted forest road, climbing steadily for about 700 metres to an unnamed saddle below the small Wolfstein peak. Now, on the other side of the saddle, take a forest road past the Köpplalm, descend about 600 metres to a farmstead and shortly afterwards continue to a small asphalt road at the bottom of the Krautgraben valley – please note that the forest road is quite steep in places and consists of loose gravel in between (be careful on the descent).

At the bottom of the valley, you could keep to the left and explore the signposted "Wildalpen" mountain bike trail – but to continue following the Buchstein circuit, keep to the right and take the small asphalt road through the idyllic little valley until you reach a few houses. Now turn right over a bridge and you will soon reach the upper end of the Nothklamm gorge. The footpath branches off to the right into the Nothklamm gorge, but you should take the wider road straight ahead. This leads you on a beautiful route – including through a few short tunnels – along the upper left edge of the gorge down to a small asphalt road and on to the lower (official) entrance to the Nothklamm gorge (please drive slowly, as this road is also heavily used by pedestrians) . A walk through the Nothklamm gorge is highly recommended and well worth the entrance fee – the very moderate length of this stage makes it the perfect place for a stopover! The same applies to a visit to the Kraushöhle, the only show cave in Europe with gypsum crystals, which you pass on your way down through the gorge – however, this is only possible as part of a guided tour, which must be booked in advance.

The Trans National Park route leads from the entrance to the Nothklamm gorge straight ahead through the idyllic valley past pretty houses until you reach the village of Gams and come to a crossroads with an asphalt road. Turn left up the road to the end of the houses, where a small road on the left takes you to the church district of Gams. At the crossroads in front of the Kirchenwirt, a Gesäuse partner establishment with excellent home-brewed Gesäuse beer, take the road to the right, directly past the Kirchenwirt, and you will soon reach the main road again. Follow this uphill to Radstatthöhe and down the other side to Mooslandl.

In Mooslandl, opposite the Hotel Mooswirt, keep to the right (i.e. head south and do not return along yesterday's route) and, at the end of the village, turn left onto a small asphalt road towards Lainbach. The road leads idyllically through a small valley with a few houses and then down to Lainbach, an enchanting little hamlet in the Schwabelbach valley. Here, follow the road to the right over the Enns to the main road. This takes you uphill at first and then slightly downhill again to Hieflau (watch out for traffic on this section).

At the beginning of the village, turn right and cross the Enns river via two wooden bridges. Behind them, turn left onto a small asphalt road until you reach the last houses and the start of the "Hochscheibentour" MTB trail. The road becomes a meadow path, which you follow above the Enns river – partly with short hairpin bends – until you reach a gravel road. Turn right onto the gravel road and follow it for 650 metres of elevation gain to the highest point at the so-called Kühboden. Now continue at the same altitude along the forest road to the (unmanaged) Hochscheibenalm, whose idyllic location and great view of the Gesäuse mountains invite you to take a break.

This is where the long descent to Gstatterboden begins: follow the most obvious forest road to Gstatterboden, keep right before the main road and you will reach the National Park Pavilion. Here you can recharge your batteries and learn interesting facts about the Gesäuse National Park.

Behind the National Park Pavilion, you will reach the main road and follow it for a short distance until you reach a railway crossing. The road leads to the left over the crossing, but you should continue straight ahead on the so-called "Rauchbodenweg". This beautifully laid out gravel path leads along the Enns river to Johnsbach railway station. Here, a wooden bridge takes you to the other side of the Enns and shortly afterwards to the main road between Hieflau and Admont. Turn right and then immediately left onto the road to Johnsbach. This road takes you through the beautiful valley between the rugged Gesäuse mountains, past the Gasthof zum Donner inn and the nearby famous mountaineers' cemetery, to the high valley of Johnsbach and your destination, the Gh Kölbl.

Tourismusverband Gesäuse

Hauptstraße 35, 8911 Admont, Österreich
Tel. +43 (0) 3613 21160 10
Email: info@gesaeuse.at
https://www.steiermark.com/de/Gesaeuse/Region/Am-Berg/Radfahren/Buchsteinrunde

Buchungscenter 

Individuell, einfach und sofort: Plane und buche Deine ganz persönliche Radreise über das Online Portal oder das Trail Info- & Buchungscenter.
Dazu stehen Dir entlang des Trails ausgewählte Partnerbetriebe, ein praktischer Gepäck- und Shuttle Service sowie eine Trail-Hotline zur Verfügung.
Obervellach 15, 9821 Obervellach, AUSTRIA
Eintragungs-NR. Veranstalterverz. des bmwfi: 2016/0005
Tel.: +43 4782 93093
www.bookyourtrail.com

https://www.bookyourtrail.com/trail/trans-nationalpark/packages/die-buchsteinrunde-als-rundtour-entlang-der-trans-nationalpark

carto.at / Wander-, Rad- & Schitourenkarte „Nationalpark Gesäuse“ 

Gesäuseberge – Haller Mauern – Eisenerzer Alpen West, Nr. 801 M 1: 35.000 http://www.carto.at/gesaeuse/

Kompass/ Wander-, Fahrrad- & Schitourenkarte „Nationalpark Gesäuse“, Nr. 206

M 1 : 25.000  http://www.kompass.de/touren-und-regionen/wanderkarte/dest/100148-alpenregion-nationalpark-gesaeuse/

Alpenvereinskarte „Gesäuse und Ennstaler Alpen“, Blatt 16, M 1 : 25.000 http://www.freytagberndt.com/shop/9783928777346-alpenvereinskarte-16-ennstaler-alpen-gesaeuse/