Gföll

In Gföll, trail descriptions and local cultural history are at the heart of helping you plan your stay. The hiking trails differ in their landscape features and stated walking times: they pass a gorge and a timber-trift dam, cross boggy valley floors, or lead to named inns. The picture is rounded out by the history of the Gföller Musi and the former Gföll forester’s lodge.

Routes and walking times

The “Gföller Mahder 1” hiking route leads from the Hintergföll inn via the Schwarzberg Gorge and the Muckklause to the Gföller Mahder meadows. The route description lists several landmarks: the starting point, the gorge, the dam and the destination area. If you compare trail descriptions by their waypoints, this route includes both a natural feature and a structure along the way.

The Mäanderweg passes through a different landscape. It runs between Moosrem and the “Alpengasthof Heutal” across a boggy valley floor. The two descriptions therefore differ clearly: the “Gföller Mahder 1” route highlights the gorge and Muckklause as waypoints, while the Mäanderweg crosses moorland between its named endpoints. The trails thus offer different points of reference if you are interested in a particular landscape.

Another hiking trail begins near the disused marble quarry at Hintergföll. It leads to the “Moarlack” and the “Gasthaus Hintergföll”, which lies a little lower down. From the “Moarlack”, the trail leads to the “Alpenwirtschaft Heutal” and back to the car along the level Mäanderweg through the high moorland. Parking is permitted at the “Talbruck”; the hike takes about two hours without a stop at an inn. This time estimate therefore applies to the hike without a break at an inn.

Another route is listed as 30 minutes and 1.5 kilometres; it leads to the “Gasthaus Wildschütz” in the Gföll district. By comparison, the hike via “Moarlack”, “Alpenwirtschaft Heutal” and the Mäanderweg takes about two hours without a stop at an inn. These time estimates give you a concrete way to compare the listed walking options by duration.

Music, timber rafting and local history

The Muckklause is an imposing structure made of stone and wood on the Unken timber rafting route; it was renovated in 1975. As a waypoint on the “Gföller Mahder 1” route, it connects the trail description with a specific structure associated with timber rafting. This gives the route a cultural and historical connection in addition to the gorge.

The “Gföller Musi” was officially founded in 1924. Traditionally, its musicians learned by ear and played every piece from memory. The founding year and musical practice offer two different insights into local cultural history: one places the named musical group in time, while the other describes how its musicians learned and played their pieces.

Another historical landmark is the former Gföll forester’s lodge, previously known as Rauschgütl. In the mid-19th century, Nikolaus Rainer sold the building, together with 6 Joch and 980 square Klafters of land measured according to Austrian standards, to the Royal Bavarian Saltworks Administration. Today, the building is a private residence. Its former name, sale and present-day status belong to different periods of its history.

Discover more destinations: Embach, Grubing, Hintermoos, Taxenbach, Saalfelden am Steinernen Meer, Niederland, Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Leogang

Back to the regional travel overview: Zell am See District (Pinzgau).