Jump directly to:
Hike to the Schuhflicker, Schuhflickersee lake and Austuhl
Hike to Filzmooshörndl, Loosbühel and Weißalm
Enjoyment in the Grossarl Valley
In spring 2022, I visited South Tyrol for the first time and fell instantly and irrevocably in love with it. I thought this wonderful Italian province had ruined the Austrian mountains for me once and for all. I have since spent four full holidays there (for example, on my 5-day hut hike on the Dolorama in the Dolomites), and each time I find it difficult and reluctant to leave, and immediately start planning my next trip there. I am particularly fond of the Dolomites, and yes – I consider them more beautiful than the Alps.
I was looking for a destination for a weekend getaway in September to go mountain hiking. Of course, the Dolomites immediately came to mind, but it was just too stressful for me. I would have had to take holiday, travel a long way and then work remotely for a day once I got there – no, not this time. So I looked through my now quite impressive collection of Rother hiking guides and got stuck on the Gastein Valley edition. I opened it up and browsed through it, and what was the first thing that caught my eye? The hikes in the Grossarl Valley, which also featured in the guide and looked brilliant.
The Großarltal valley in Pongau, parallel to the eastern side of Gastein. Often heard of, never visited. So why not? I had been paragliding in the Gastein Valley countless times, but the Großarltal valley was new to me. And a two-hour drive from Upper Austria is just a stone's throw away.
Accommodation check: a wide selection of hotels and apartments at very attractive prices. To enjoy a weekend without having to worry about anything, I booked a hotel room with half board. Originally planned as a solo weekend, a friend spontaneously decided to join me. Friday to Sunday – let's go!
As the Großarltal valley has really inspired me to take up hiking, I definitely want to return there in spring 2026 and go on more hikes. I will then update and continue this blog post.
Hikes in the Austrian Grossarl valley
Hike to Schuhflicker, Schuhflickersee lake and Austuhl
Duration: 3:45 hours | Distance: 10.5 km | Ascent: 900 m
Difficulty: easy to moderate, only the last few metres to the Schuhflicker summit are difficult (black)
Refreshment stop: Aualm
To my hike on Komoot
Drive to the starting point
There are several ways to start this hike:
Sporty types can take their mountain bikes along the forest road directly to the Aualm, covering around 8 kilometres and 870 metres of elevation gain.
You can park your car in a free car parking space right next to the toll gate. From here, walk to the Aualm and then continue on to the Schuhflicker (approx. 2.6 km and 380 metres of elevation gain). The route takes you along a forest road and an easy hiking trail. From here, we set off to complete the 900 metres of elevation gain as described above.
If you want to save yourself the walk, you can pay €5 at the toll gate and drive to the Parkplatz Aualm . There is a car park right next to the hut and another one below it.
Hike description
It is just under an hour's walk from the car park at the toll gate to the beautiful Aualm. The route takes you along a forest road and an easy trail through the woods and across meadows.
This is where the ‘real’ hike begins. The trail leads steadily but pleasantly uphill towards the Schuhflicker (2,214 m). The path is rocky in places but easy to walk on and leads across a beautiful large alpine plateau, which welcomed us in September with its autumn colours thanks to the already discoloured blueberry leaves.
Once you reach the top of the pass, the first thing you have to do is enjoy the incredible view. An almost 360-degree panorama lays the entire splendour of the Austrian high mountains at your feet. Großglockner, Schareck, Hochkönig, Dachstein – on a clear day, you can see the who's who of the mountain world.
From here, turn right (north) and walk past the foot of the striking Arlspitze (2,185 m, with climbing routes leading up to it) to the start of the rope-secured climb to the top of the Schuhflicker. It's only about 40 metres in altitude, but if you suffer from vertigo like me, you'll definitely find it a bit of a challenge. In principle, it is easy to walk, but it is the drops on the left and right that made my eyes water with fear. There is little space at the summit cross, so it can get quite crowded on a nice weekend day, which was also the case during my ascent. For this reason, I paid little attention to the truly breathtaking 360-degree panorama and quickly made my way back down (on my butt).
From here, the route descends between Schuhflicker and Arlspitze on a steep but easy path to the beautiful Schuhflickersee lake, located in a hollow. Those who are not sensitive to the cold can refresh themselves with a dip in the icy water or use the shore as a great place to take a break.
The path climbs steeply back up to the last signposts. Here, you can make a short detour over the ridge (sure-footedness required) to the Austuhl (2,151 m), which is nothing special in itself, but scores again with a first-class panorama.
From here, head back to the signposts and turn left for a steep but easy descent. Once you reach the alpine meadow again, you will have circumnavigated the Schuhflicker and Arlspitze peaks and can return to the Aualm and the car park via the familiar route.
A stop at the beautiful Aualm is definitely recommended. Here you can sit on the terrace with the best view and enjoy the great (and very reasonably priced) food, all of which is produced on site or sourced from the region and, depending on availability, can also be purchased to take away. We were lucky – our visit was accompanied by music from a group of alphorn players!
Hike to Filzmooshörndl with return via Loosbühel and Weissalm
Duration: 4:20 hours | Distance: 14 km | Ascent: 1,070 m
Requirement: easy to moderate in terms of the trails, but the duration makes it strenuous.
Refreshment stop: Filzmoosalm, Loosbühelalm, Weißalm
To my hike on Komoot (Unfortunately, I didn't activate my sports watch until 20 minutes into the ride, so the first part of the tour is missing.)
Drive to the starting point
Drive to the large car park at Grundlehen in the Ellmautal valley, approx. 15 minutes from Großarl.
There is also a hiking bus that runs from Großarl to the Grundlehen car park (bus 541).
Hike description
Easy to moderately difficult trails, gentle inclines, unique hut experiences and alpine pasture landscapes that I last saw in such beauty in South Tyrol's Ulten Valley. This hike ticks all the boxes for everything you could possibly wish for in the mountains!
The hike starts at the Grundlehen car park and follows easy but steadily uphill paths through the forest, partly also along forest roads. In about 40 minutes, you reach the first stage of the hike: the Filzmoosalm. I was immediately won over by the totally trusting, heavily pregnant cow named Sommer, who was comfortably awaiting the birth of her calf and enjoyed being petted by animal-loving hikers like me. The young couple who run the place were just as friendly, and although we had only just started, we took a break there and enjoyed a glass of fresh buttermilk from their own farm (fresh and unfiltered with little pieces of butter – it gives you strength 🤣).
After what was for me a difficult separation from cow Sommer, freshly peeled by Kuhzunge, we made our way across an impressively beautiful and expansive alpine landscape up to the rather unexciting Filzmooshörndl (2,189 m), a hilltop with a summit cross placed on a pile of rocks (total walking time without breaks to this point: a good two hours). But what makes this mountain a top destination is the absolutely fantastic panorama that you can't get enough of. Fortunately, it will stay with you throughout the entire tour, treating you to one dream view after another.
From there, the trail leads back a short distance and then continues straight on to the Filzmosssattel saddle, and then on towards the impressively towering Draugstein (2,358 m). Motivated walkers can climb this mountain along the way (black hiking trail).
Here, follow the signpost downhill for a short distance towards Filzmoosalm. If you want to shorten the route, take the return path at the next signpost. However, I had decided to do a complete circular route, so we headed towards Loosbühel. Had I known at this point that it would end up taking a total of 6 hours, I probably wouldn't have done it, or I would have taken the shorter route at the next signpost (where you have your last chance to head towards Filzmoosalm). 😅
The hiking trails are easy throughout, but below the Draugstein cliff you need to be sure-footed in the rocky terrain.
The route continues steadily up and down to Loosbühel (2,049 m), another essentially insignificant grassy hill that once again boasts magnificent panoramic views, which really tested my stamina and put my mood to the test. Because just when you thought you were on the last climb, another one would appear behind it.
Finally, the trail descends steeply towards Loosbühelalm, which is not an alpine hut but a full-fledged mountain inn, which my two able-bodied companions rejected. So instead of descending to the car park, we set off from there towards the Weißalm, which is half an hour's walk from the Loosbühelalm. The path there leads partly along forest roads, partly along paths (caution: sure-footedness required in some places!) and, of course, how could it be otherwise, over another small counter-ascent. But this extra lap is more than worth it!
The Weißalm is a historic alpine hut, perched like a balcony. Here you can enjoy delicious homemade dishes with the finest views, most of the ingredients sourced from their own production, at prices reminiscent of pre-corona times. After my tour, I treated myself to an excellent bacon dumpling soup and then a hearty snack board, and it was wonderful. The cheese dumpling soup I was able to try was also excellent.
From the Weißalm, the route descends steeply along forest paths, which are in excellent condition and therefore easy to walk on, back down the mountain to the Grundlehen car park.
This tour is a must-do for me in the Grossarl Valley. The beauty of the alpine pastures and mountain world is overwhelming throughout, and the huts speak for themselves. Thanks to the many possible detours, you can also adapt the length of the hike perfectly to your own needs – from a leisurely alpine pasture excursion to a full-day tour with a black-marked ascent to the Draugstein, everything is possible.
Culinary enjoyment should not be neglected either
First and foremost are the many alpine huts zu nennen, die Almwirtschaft betreiben und deshalb beste Hausmannskosten anbieten und ihre hausgemachten Produkte auch meist verkaufen. Hätten an dem Tag, an dem ich auf der Aualm that operate alpine farming and therefore offer the best home cooking and usually sell their homemade products. If it hadn't been almost 30 degrees on the day I was at the Aualm, I would have left with half a kilo of alpine butter and a piece of bacon.
Regional specialities, their own butcher's shop and a restaurant: the Großarler Genuss offers all kinds of culinary delights. Unfortunately, we didn't get around to eating here, which is now on my to-do list for my next visit to the Großarl Valley (I'm talking about stuffed meat pasta with sauerkraut every Saturday 🤤).
The prices are quite high, but you get everything your heart desires and more. Pure reason forced me to leave with only a glass of chocolate-orange pumpkin seeds...
Ice cream lovers should definitely visit Café DORFKIND in the centre of Großarl. Here you can sit on the small terrace in cosy, fur-lined armchairs. The ice cream comes from a world champion ice cream maker and is truly excellent. The size and quality of the ice cream sundaes justify the rather steep price, and both the hot love and the iced coffee were a dream come true. Next time, I'll come in the evening when DORFKIND turns into a bar to work my way through the extensive drinks menu.
