Hiking Tour: “Nord-Süd-Weitwanderweg 05 Stage 10: From St. Sebastian/Mariazell to Niederalpl”

The North-South-Long-Distance trail (Nord-Süd-Weitwanderweg, also known as the “05”) starts in the north of Austria at Nebelstein and ends in the south of Austria at Eibiswald. The trail is ~500km long, ~18 000m in ascent and the same amount in descent. The trail was initiated by Carl Hermann and officially established on the 25th September 1970. The trail is separated into 3 parts: the northern part from Nebelstein to Plankenstein via the Mühl- & Waldviertel and the Wachau, the middle part from Plankenstein to Trofaiach via the Ötscher, Hochschwab and Eisenerzer Reichenstein, and the southern part from Trofaiach to Eibiswald via the Pack and Koralpe. It normally takes 3 weeks to complete the entire trail.

	Nord-Süd-Weitwanderweg 05 – Checkpoints
	Mariazell: Kiosk/Bar Jagasaftl (Erlaufseestraße 17) or tourism office (Hauptplatz 13). Mooshuben: Mooshubenwirt (Mooshuben 18), when closed the stamp is in front of the main entrance. Niederalpl: Berggasthof Plodererhof / Almgasthaus Gamswirt (Passhöhe Niederalpl).

Personal impressions:
Transportation:
I’ve planned to accomplish this stage as a single day-trip. I drove with my car and parked it at the destination in Niederalpl (at the big parking) and then used the bus from there to get to the start point in St. Sebastian/Mariazell. To have the car parked at the destination allows for breaks and enjoy the trip without needing to rush.
After parking the car at the saddle in Niederalpl, I used the following means of transport:

1. Bus 189 from Niederalpl Passhöhe (08:19) Mariazell Bahnhof (08:53)

Please note that there are NO bus connections from Niederalpl in the afternoon!
 
The hike:
I’ve started the hike on a weekday morning (Thursday, 09:00) although I had to catch the bus at Niederalpl. Doing the hike during the week allows to get a stamp in Mariazell at the tourism office .
From the homepage of Mooshubenwirt (Checkpoint), it was unclear when and if the restaurant is open but it claimed to be open till the 31st October. Unfortunately, it became obvious that there will be no service at Niederalpl as the only remaining restaurant announced at their homepage that they closed due to personnel issues.
Anyway, I’ve started the tour in the morning at the train station in St. Sebastian where I ended my previous stage. Due to the unclear situation of Mooshubenwirt, I stopped by at the local grocery store Billa to get supplies for the day and finally head off, first into the center of Mariazell. Right, after the main square, I collected my additional stamp at the tourism office and then followed the trail through Mariazell.
When leaving Mariazell, the trail uses the main street (winded road) which is a bit unfortunate. After a few meters the trail however turns into a smaller road towards Mooshuben and now becomes nice and easy to hike.
I found the Mooshubenwirt closed but they do have a vending machine for cold drinks there. In addition, I found the checkpoint stamp at the terrace in front of the main entrance. So while having my beer, I was also able to check-in .
The trail then continues following a paved road heading towards Schöneben. On several occasions (rest areas) I found a little stamp that could qualify as checkpoint stamp as well. It is part of the 7 Punkte Weg and there is a stage for Mooshubenwirt.
The trail towards Schöneben is not exciting but easy to hike. At Schöneben, the trail then leaves the gravel road and becomes more and more exciting. Especially the view when reaching Herrenboden is amazing.
As I know the area from previous hikes and I had time, I decided for a highly recommended detour: Turn right and follow the trail up to Tonion. The extra meters in ascent and kilometers in distance are forgotten once you stay at the summit. My personal opinion is that the Tonion has one of the most rewarding scenic views in this area. From its summit you can see back to Mariazell, the Gemeindealpe and Ötscher but also you see what is coming next: the Hohe Veitsch. Thus, from here you can really grasp an idea of the previous and next stage.
As I knew about the situation of closed restaurants, I had a proper lunch in my backpack and used the opportunity to enjoy this meal at the summit. Again, a unique experience!
After having my lunch and one or two self-brought beers, I returned to Herrenboden and continued my way following again the official trail to Niederalpl.
The trail itself is very scenic, always allows views towards the Hohe Veitsch and the very impressive Wildkamm (also a very recommended tour!), but also leads through beautiful mountain pastures.
On a few occasions I found myself confronted with the results of the snowstorm a few weeks ago, resulting in trees blocking the trail. However, most of them were already sort of handled and unlike my tour towards Lackenhof, I never got into a dangerous situation.
When I arrived at Niederalpl, I tried to see if someone is around at the Plodererhof. Unfortunately, it seemed that I missed the owner for a few minutes, just saw her driving away with her car. But as it will turn out on my next stage, I was still able to get my stamp .
As my car was parking at the saddle, I just called it a day and drove home.

Summary:
I personally liked this stage very much. I accept the fact that at the beginning – from Mariazell to Schöneben – it is a bit boring. But starting from there the trail just becomes more and more exciting. And doing the highly recommended detour up to Tonion was making my day. The weather turned out to be very nice, the autumn colors amplified the experience, and so did the self-cooked meal.
The way back to Niederalpl from Herrenboden also excites with amazing views on the surrounding area.