Gamsstein Round

We start in the village center of Palfau and head west on the asphalt access road to the church parking lot. We continue along the road to the Bergbauer farmsteads. From there, we climb north, following the markings across moderately steep meadows and mixed forest terrain to the Naturfreundehütte of the TVN Palfau.

We keep heading north, hike through sparse high forest, and follow the marked summer trail over the Hühnerriegel to the tree line. The ridge becomes flatter before it transitions between two large, steep cirques into the summit slope. Between the rock on the left side (west) and the steep slope dropping into the cirque on the right side (east), we climb up to the ridge. There, we traverse about 20 meters west to the summit cross. Along the ridge, we continue roughly 200 meters west to the summit of the Hochkogel at 1,774 meters.

From the summit, we hike northeast along the marked trail 284(64) on the Lower Austria–Styria provincial border over the ridge of the Gamsstein massif and across idyllic high alpine meadows to the junction of trails 64 to Hollenstein/Lower Austria and 284(63) to Palfau/Styria.

We head south on the old alpine path 284(63), pass the remains of a former night shelter for grazing livestock and a hunting cabin on the Moar (upper) alp. We then descend via the moderately steep trail 284(63) – initially slightly rocky, then through high forest – to the Moar (lower) alp.

At the forest road junction on the Moar (lower) alp, we follow forest road 284(63), which here runs together with the Schwärzer circular route R6 down into the valley. Heading southeast, we reach the Mühlbauern Kogel and continue on the marked trail 284(63) to the forest edge. We finally hike back to the Palfau post office or to the inn Stiegenwirt.

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