Katschberghöhe: Winter Trails and Family Experiences

If you are looking for accommodation for a winter holiday, Katschberghöhe offers several starting points for planning your trip. The village connects the Austrian provinces of Carinthia and Salzburg. At the same time, the Katschberg-Rennweg family region stretches along the main ridge of the Tauern between Carinthia and Salzburg and lies directly at the gateway to the Carinthian Nockberge and Hohe Tauern national parks. When choosing where to stay, you can therefore consider winter travel, family-friendly routes and documented excursion destinations together.

Winter orientation and local routes

The Almbahn provides an important point of orientation. It is an 8-person gondola lift that travels from Katschberghöhe to the Aineck at 2,220 m. The Aineck offers panoramic views. There is also a choice of easy to moderate hikes and 60 km of mountain bike trails.

For winter days, a 4 km-long winter trail leads into the Gontal through a sheltered forest to the Pritzhütte. The trail is suitable for pushchairs. In winter, ski buses run from St. Margarethen, St. Michael and Rennweg directly to Katschberghöhe. If you are planning to travel by car, you can reach Katschberghöhe directly via the A10 Tauern Motorway. This information helps you include travel arrangements and daily routes in your planning before booking.

Family offers with specific age information

At Katschi’s summer toboggan run, children can ride alone from their 7th birthday; younger children need an accompanying adult. The valley-station staff use the lift to pull the toboggans up to the starting point. If you are travelling with children, you can take this age rule into account when choosing shared activities.

Adventurepark Katschberg has 200 stations at heights between 1 and 20 m, as well as 15 courses through the treetops of the Katschberg forest. Another option is the Katschberg 3D archery course. It runs through gently hilly terrain without extreme inclines or descents. There are three-dimensional animal targets, and the course is suitable for children aged 8 and over.

Katschhausen is a summer family excursion destination with a themed adventure world. Natural phenomena are explained there using figures from the story of the Katschlinge, and visitors can also solve puzzles. Katschhausen can be reached from car park P3 on Katschberghöhe in the direction of the Alpine Horse Centre Katschberg. If you are planning a trip in summer, this destination can be included as a separate item on your itinerary.

Excursions between Gontal and Aineck

For an excursion with a fixed starting point, the Ponyalmexpress carriage ride is a good option. It starts in the centre of Katschberghöhe, travels with 2 hp through the Gontal nature reserve to the Ponyalm near the Pritzhütte and requires registration with the Alpine Horse Centre Katschberg. During a horse-drawn sleigh ride through the Gontal to the Pritzhütte, regional specialities can be sampled at a stopover.

A family hike starts at the Falkensteiner Hotel Cristallo and takes approximately 1–2 hours. You can take the approximate duration into account when planning your day. At the Aineck, there is also a choice of easy to moderate hikes, while the panoramic view there is another focus of the excursion.

Travel arrangements and comparing other destinations

When looking for accommodation in Katschberghöhe, it is worth first deciding on your preferred travel period and planned activities. For winter days, the 4 km-long winter trail, the ski bus connections and direct access via the A10 are important points of orientation. For family trips at another time of year, options include the summer toboggan run, Katschhausen, Adventurepark and the 3D archery course. You should include the respective age information, registration requirements and starting points in your daily planning.

If you would also like to compare other places, you can take a look at Seeboden, Flattach, Steinfeld, Irschen, Döllach, Techendorf, Sankt Oswald and Kremsbrücke.

For the higher-level travel overview: Spittal an der Drau District.