Austrian Alps: Nationalpark Hohe Tauern & Bad Gastein, 3 Days
I rented a car in Innsbruck and drove to Hohe Tauern
In this blog:
Krimml Waterfalls (Day 1)
Bad Gastein (Day 2)
Grossglockner - the highest peak in Austria (Day 3)
Krimml Waterfalls
The above photo is a view from an overlook of the wateralls. You can see the different levels. The trail ascends up the valley to the top of the falls and then follows the path of the river.
Trail: Krimml Waterfall & Hölzlahneralm
This ended up being a 9.2-mile trail run for me as I kept going a little farther on the road at the upper falls. It felt so peaceful up there! I ran into a couple of groups of hikers coming the other direction, a van full of people, and a tractor. There was a schoolhouse, a couple of homes, and a restaurant, but other than that, it was just river and mountains. I felt so grateful for the peace, quiet, and gorgeous nature.
See my activity on Strava here. Feel free to follow me on Strava!
Bad Gastein
A 2019 Vogue article describes Bad Gastein as “This Austrian Spa and Ski Town Is Straight Out of a Wes Anderson Film,” and I have to admit, I’m not entirely sure what that means. Whimsical? Charming? Quirky?
“Bad Gastein rose in prominence first as a gold rush town in the 16th-century, and next as a spa town with healing powers that beckoned emperors and empresses in the 19th-century. Empress Elisabeth (among other royals) journeyed here for curative baths, restorative hikes and time to fill her diary with poetry.”
I stayed at Euro Youth Hotel Krone. Since it was off-season, not yet cold and snowy enough for skiing but after the swarms of summer tourists, the hotel was nearly empty and was €35 a night for a solo room with a double bed, desk, and bathroom. It included breakfast. The hotel location was convenient, and the mountain view out of my window, cozy.
I spent Day 2 exploring the town and doing a 6-mile hike.
My Austrian friend Kerstin says that all Austrian mountain towns are as cute as Bad Gastein! It was so cute that I never wanted to leave. And I want to explore more of them if this legend is true. She recommended Hallstatt, a town so cute that China made an exact replica of it.
Bad Gastein has a multi-tiered waterfall running through the center of town.
Poserhöhe Trail
I chose a trail on All Trails that started in Bad Gastein and went into a little valley, partially up a mountain with a great view of all the villages, and then back down through town with a spectacular trail running along lower falls. It was just perfect and I would recommend it to any visitor to this town.
I’m surprised it’s rated only 4.4 because IMO, it’s a perfect hike! The beginning was a very cute trail that follows the based of a mountain along the perimeter of town, then into an adorable valley, through a spooky abandoned hotel property, Grüner Baum, then hike up a mountain with just the right amount of climb, then down through another gorgeous river walk. I walked 7.6 miles in total. See my Stava hike here.
Bad Gastein at Nightfall
Perchten
While walking through the town of Badbruck, on the final section of the hike, I saw this painting on the eve of a building that looked like a party hall. There’s a masked monster on one side, and people with large, flowered headdresses on the other. It reminded me of the horror film Midsommar about the Swedish folk summer solstice celebration, in which American tourists come to check it out, but things go horribly wrong.
I messaged a German friend and asked him if he knew what it was about, and he sent me the Wikipedia page for “Perchten,” which indeed sounded like the wintertime counterpart of a Midsommar festival.
“Perchtenlaufen is a folk custom found in the Tyrol region of Central Europe. Occurring on set occasions, the ceremony involves two groups of locals fighting against one another, using wooden canes and sticks. Both groups are masked, one as 'beautiful' and the other as 'ugly' Perchte.” Read more here.
The next day, I visited a folksy restaurant called Schafflinger Alm, and they had the Perchten mask hanging on the wall. The red eyes terrified me, but I think in the US, we could really do with confronting our demons.
Grossglockner
Day 3, I drove the scenic highway (€45 entrance fee) to Austria’s highest peak, Grossglockner. I accidentally didn’t read enough in the guide blogs so I knew I was choosing this scenic drive, but I didn’t realize the destination was these epically high mountains. Whoops! Nice surprise.
The road was indeed very scenic with many places to pull out and take photos. (The convertible pictured was, regrettably, not my rental car).
This is the map they give out at the entrance. The red path is the €45 parkway.
Fuscher Törl
I stopped at the top of this pass (#5 on the map) and parked in a big parking lot. There was a restroom for €1. I didn’t bring my purse in with me so I said I’d bring payment back after using the toilet. I thought about not walking back up to give the €1 but karma follows us wherever we go and our own integrity watches us. I went back and paid.
Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Höhe
I took the road all the way to the very end to Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Höhe (#11 on the map). There was a giant parking garage, and at 11:30 am, I was one of the first to arrive, which was surprising. Parking was free.
I ate a piece of chocolate cake and drank an espresso at the restaurant and contemplated doing the hike around the glacial lakes there. It was bitterly cold…and windy. I looked at other possible hikes or trail runs I could do in the park and couldn’t find anything that seemed more interesting, so I went for it, braving the fierce, icy gusts. I’m so glad I did! The landscape was stunning! I passed a few other hikes, but not many.
Grossglockner, 3,798 m, 12,461’
Margaritzen Reservoir and Pasterze Glacier from Glocknerhau
I did this Margaritzen Reservoir and Pasterze Glacier from Glocknerhau trail on All Trails, but took off the glacier leg so it was only 5 miles. See my run on Strava.
It was so cold! 38-40F/3-4C. I didn’t pack gloves so I used extra socks for my hands.
