Winter Hiking: “Hohe Wand from Dreistätten to Grünbach”

Hohe Wand in winter starting in Dreistetten (east) via the Eselweg towards Grünbach (west) via the Leitergraben

The tour starts at the parking Dreistetten (GPS: 47.855272, 16.099718) and first follows a forest road westwards towards the Einhornhöhle but stays on the forest trail upwards till Zimmermannplatzl. The tour then turns left and follows the trail towards the crossing of Eselweg/Drobilweg and then uses the easy Eselweg up till reaching the Herrgottschnitzerhaus. After a short break, the tour continues southwest following the trail towards Kohlröserlhaus and then following the street towards the main crossing of Hohe Wand. There, the tour turns right and stays on the trail next to the street which then leads towards Almfriedenwiese and further towards the Skywalk viewing platform.
The tour then passes by Gasthof Postl, and follows the trail westwards towards Gasthof Luf & Hochkogelhaus. Stay straight and follow the trail passing by the Neue Welt Blick and then descending into the Leitergraben. At the crossing, turn left and follow the Leitergabenweg downwards, passing by the Wandfußsteig and then following the forest road southwestwards. Follow the forest road crossing several other trails till finally reaching Grünbach.

This tour assumes the availability of two cars whereas one is parked at the Bahnhof Grünbach/Schule (destination) and the other one at the parking in Dreistetten (start).

Tour Description

00:00	Start at the parking in Dreistetten (GPS: 47.855272, 16.099718) and follow the road heading west (along the houses).
00:10	Keep straight ahead and stay on the forest road. At the crossing keep left.
00:25	At the Zimmermannplatzl rest area, turn left and follow the trail southwards.
00:35	At the crossing, turn slightly right and follow the Eselweg towards Herrgottschnitzerhaus (see signposts).
00:45	U-turn at the crossing into the Eselweg and follow it towards Herrgottschnitzerhaus.
01:00	Well deserved break () at the Herrgottschnitzerhaus.
01:10	Follow the road behind the Herrgottschnitzerhaus westwards but stay on the trail on the left hand-side of the road (separated from the road).
01:20	Stay on the trail straight ahead (Waldlehrpfad) towards Kohlröserlhaus.
01:30	Follow the street westwards.
01:35	Pass by the Kohlröserlhaus and continue following the street.
01:40	At the main street crossing, turn right and follow the street westwards. Again, stay on the trail on the left hand-side of the road.
01:50	Turn right and follow the trail towards Almfrieden.
01:55	Enjoy the view from Almfrieden and continue on the trail westwards.
02:05	Follow shortly the street but stay on the trail on the left hand-side after a few meters.
02:10	Enjoy the view from Skywalk and then follow the trail north towards Gasthof Postl.
02:25	Before Gasthof Postl, turn left and follow the forest road westwards. At the next crossing, turn left again.
02:30	At the crossing, turn right and follow the yellow-marked trail upwards.
02:45	At the crossing, turn left and continue following the marked trail.
02:55	Well deserved break ( ) at Gasthof Luf.
03:55	Continue following the street westwards and stay straight ahead turning into the trail at the corner.
03:57	Keep left and follow the lower trail towards Neue Welt Blick.
04:00	Enjoy the view at the Neue Welt Blick.
04:05	Continue on the trail westwards descending to the Leitergraben.
04:15	At the Leitergraben crossing, turn left and follow the trail downwards heading east.
04:30	Cross the wooden bridge and follow the Leitergrabenweg trail (protected via fixed iron cable) downwards.
04:35	At the crossing, turn right and then left and follow the white-green-white marked trail towards the forest street.
04:40	Turn right into the forest road and follow it.
04:45	Keep right and follow the upper forest road. Follow this forest road continuously westwards.
05:05	Spot the famous Gebirgsvereinssteig Via Ferrata (right hand-side) and then continue following the forest road westwards.
05:30	Keep straight ahead (slightly left) and use the lower forest road.
05:45	At the crossing, turn right and follow the trail westwards towards HST Schule (see signpost).
05:55	At the crossing, first keep right and then turn right and follow again the trail westwards towards HST Schule.
06:00	Keep left and use the forest street downwards towards Grünbach / Schule.
06:10	U-turn into the street and follow the Neubaustraße back directly to the train station Grünbach / Schule.
06:20	At the train station Grünbach / Schule, end of the tour.

General Tour Data

Area:		Wiener Alpen, Lower Austria, Austria
Distance:		18km
Ascent:		683m (2h 50min)
Descent:		607m (2h 10min)
Highest Pt:		949m
Lowest Pt:		522m
Duration:		5h 05min (without breaks) 6h 20min (with breaks)
Stop/Rest:		Herrgottschnitzerhaus (826m) Kohlröserlhaus (840m) Alpengasthof Postl (891m) Gasthaus Luf (932m)
Equipment:		(Warm) Hiking shoes Shoe chains (“Grödeln”) in winter Backpack with standard hiking equipment Snacks and water Sun & Weather protection GPS advised Camera