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Backbone (Rückgrat) / Bad Gleichenberg-St. Anna

Name: Backbone (Rückgrat) / Bad Gleichenberg-St. Anna
Brand: Steiermark
Rating: 4 (4 reviews)

Accessible by public transport

Characteristics

Skill

Fitness

The tour in numbers

Level of difficulty challenging

Route 13,2 km

Time 4:15 h

Uphill 458 hm

Downhill 319 hm

Highest point 545 m

We hike from the Gleichenberger Kogel to the Stradner Kogel and further to St. Anna. On this hike we witness the past - do you see the extinct volcanoes?

In the footsteps of the volcanoes is a network of hiking trails through the entire Styrian Volcanic Land. This route shows us stage 2 of the backbone from Bad Gleichenberg to St. Anna am Aigen. We start our hike in the historic spa town of Bad Gleichenberg, which is surrounded by the Gleichenberger Kogeln. We walk through the spa park towards the south, see mighty trees and hear birds chirping. Then we leave Bad Gleichenberg and reach the country road via a sunny path. We cross it, pass a chapel and follow the path towards Stradner Kogel. The Stradner Kogel is the highest elevation (609 m) in southeastern Styria. This high plateau was formed about 2 million years ago and forms a wonderful environment for hiking. Our next stops are the Waltrafelsen and as a viewpoint the Schemmingkapelle. Here we have our destination, St. Anna am Aigen, already in front of us!

Best season

January

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More information

By car via the A2 Südautobahn - Ilz exit via Riegersburg and Feldbach to Bad Gleichenberg or via the Gleisdorf-Süd exit to Feldbach and Bad Gleichenberg.

By car via A9 direction Graz, further A2 direction Vienna - exit Gleisdorf-Süd to Feldbach and Bad Gleichenberg

Detailed information on how to get to us can be found here.

From Bad Gleichenberg train station it is only a few meters to the historic spa park. The spa park of Bad Gleichenberg was laid out in 1837 by Countess Emma von Wickenburg. As we walk south through the park we are accompanied by chirping birds and squirrels. We leave the spa park at the "old fire station" and hike south. Our hike leads us to the main road, which we cross, reach the chapel and the small road to Steinbach.via Steinbach we hike through the mixed forest to the Stradner Kogel, which is with 609m the highest elevation in southeastern Styria. The Stradner Kogel is a basalt plateau and thus has no "real" summit. We cross the plateau and after a short hike we reach the Waltrafelsen. Here we see the "edge" of the basalt plateau. This place is an ancient cult place, which is also evidenced by findings. Our hike continues through the forest, where we reach a wonderful place with a view. The Schemming Chapel is considered an insider tip! Here a wonderful view of St. Anna am Aigen and the entire region opens up!

After a short break we continued our hike through the beautiful vineyards. Steeply downhill into the Pleschbach valley and steeply uphill again. We pass tennis courts and have one last hurdle to most. Soon we reach the village of St. Anna. Here we can once again look at the Schemming Chapel before we let ourselves be seduced by the Styrian wine in the Gesamtsteirische Vinothek.

Be sure to take a break at the Schemming Chapel and end the hike with a glass of wine or fruit juice at the Vinothek.

Detailed information about arriving by ÖBB (Austrian Federal Railways) can be found at www.oebb.at or on the Verbundlinie Steiermark website www.busbahnbim.at

With Verbundlinie’s BusBahnBim route planner app, planning your journey has never been easier: simply enter towns and/or addresses, stop names or points of interest to check all bus, train and tram connections in Austria. The app is available free of charge for smartphones – on Google Play and in the App Store

Free parking available at Bad Gleichenberg train station

Tourist Office Thermen- & Vulkanland
Hauptstraße 2a
8280 Fürstenfeld
+43 3382 55 100
info@thermen-vulkanland.at
www.thermen-vulkanland.at

Vulkanland-Wanderkarte "Mensch & Natur" 1:500.000 Steirisches Vulkanland Tel. +43 (0)3152/8575-710 www.spuren.at

freytag & berndt WK 412 Südoststeirisches Hügelland, Vulkanland, Bad Gleichenberg, Bad Radkersburg

Kompass Wanderführer "Steirisches Vulkanland - Auf den Spuren der Vulkane"Beschreibungen, Routenkarten und Höhenprofilen ISBN 978-3-85026-096-1 www.kompass.at