Hüttschlag – Nature, Hiking Trails and Alpine Culture

If you are looking for accommodation in Hüttschlag, your choice will mainly depend on which natural and cultural attractions you would like to include in your stay. The village combines the Hohe Tauern Panorama Trail with trails into the Schöder Valley, via ferratas, Hohe Tauern National Park and the Hüttschlag Valley Museum. This allows you to plan your days in different ways: with a route covering several stages, a hike to lakes and waterfalls, or a visit with a cultural focus.

Natural Setting and Orientation

The Hohe Tauern Panorama Trail runs along the northern side of the Salzach Valley to Hüttschlag and is designed as a route with 17 stages. One third of Hüttschlag’s municipal area has belonged to Hohe Tauern National Park, the largest national park in the Alps, since 1991. Since 2008, Hüttschlag has also been one of the “Mountaineering Villages of Austria” selected according to strict criteria. The project of the Austrian Alpine Club is part of the implementation of the Alpine Convention.

This classification can help you plan your accommodation: you can choose Hüttschlag as a destination if you would like to combine trails, nature observation and regional culture. The individual destinations differ considerably in character and level of difficulty.

Schöder Valley, Lake Schödersee and Waterfalls

A hike from the National Park information centre near the Gasthof Talwirt leads into the Schöder Valley and up to the Arlscharte, the crossing into the Maltatal Valley. Along the hike to Lake Schödersee, around 50 information boards provide details about natural and historical features of the Großarl Valley. The hike also includes a roughly 40-metre-long detour to Lake Ötzlsee.

Lake Schödersee is a periodic lake. It fills only after heavy rainfall or the snowmelt and often dries up completely in summer because of underground drainage. For your travel planning, its seasonal nature is therefore more important than expecting a permanently filled lake. From the junction to the Kreealmen, Kreealm Waterfall can be reached in five minutes on foot; it plunges around 80 metres into the depths.

Via Ferratas with Different Levels of Difficulty

Hüttschlag also offers various specific options for active days. The “Kupfergeist” via ferrata in the Hüttschlager Wand leads across 150 metres of vertical rock and has a difficulty rating of C–E. The “Gletschergoaß” practice via ferrata is rated A–C, is 150 metres long and 50 metres high. The different grades provide an objective guide if you need to take different requirements into account within a group.

From Hüttschlag village centre, the “Kupfergeist”, “Gletschergoaß” and “Franzl” via ferratas can be reached in around 25 minutes.

Culture in the Village

The Hüttschlag Valley Museum presents the exhibition “On the Alpine Pasture – Between Heaven and Earth”. It focuses on the cultural landscape, alpine pastures and the forest in the national park. The museum thus complements the natural attractions with an insight into the landscape and its use.

The parish church of Hüttschlag is also part of the village’s history. It was probably built in the 18th century under the influence of the Salzburg Court Building Authority. If you would like to include a cultural highlight alongside hiking and via ferratas, this provides another destination in Hüttschlag.

More Destinations to Compare

For a comparison with other destinations, you can also consider Tenneck, Sonnberg, Altenmarkt Im Pongau, Goldegg, Neuberg, Niedernfritz, Flachau and Wagrain.

FAQ

What is special about Lake Schödersee?

Lake Schödersee is a periodic lake. It fills after heavy rainfall or the snowmelt and often dries up completely in summer because of underground drainage.

How many stages does the Hohe Tauern Panorama Trail have?

The Hohe Tauern Panorama Trail is designed as a route with 17 stages and runs along the northern side of the Salzach Valley to Hüttschlag.

Which via ferratas are there in Hüttschlag?

The “Kupfergeist”, “Gletschergoaß” and “Franzl” via ferratas are mentioned. “Kupfergeist” has a difficulty rating of C–E, while “Gletschergoaß” is rated A–C.

What does the Hüttschlag Valley Museum show?

The exhibition “On the Alpine Pasture – Between Heaven and Earth” explores the cultural landscape, alpine pastures and forest in the national park.

Since when has Hüttschlag been one of the Mountaineering Villages of Austria?

Hüttschlag has been one of the selected “Mountaineering Villages of Austria” since 2008, a project of the Austrian Alpine Club within the framework of the Alpine Convention.

For the higher-level travel overview: District of Sankt Johann im Pongau.