Hikes in Itter

Short and easy circular route to a great viewpoint mountain with a high starting point, in the ski area "Wilder Kaiser - Brixental". Suitable for children if skipping the Kleine Salve (off-trail).

The Hacha route leads beyond the romantic Hopfgarten market into the open nature of the Sonnenplateau Itter. In the cold winter months, you are especially close to the warming sun rays here. 24.02.2022

Start summit Hohe Salve, via Itter to the middle station Söll.

Today we hike this beautiful circular trail from the middle station of the "Hohe Salve" up to the "Hohe Salve". We start at the valley station of the "Hohe Salve" cable car. To reach the starting point of the hike, we use two mountain railways. This makes the required ascents moderate and the descent quite manageable. Along the way, we have several opportunities to stop for refreshments. We also repeatedly encounter beautiful viewpoints with views into the valley.

The "Rigi of Tyrol", a Bound MountainAn object found on the Hohe Salve from the Bronze Age suggests that our ancestors already celebrated sun festivals here. On the scenic summit, which once earned the mountain the honorary title "Rigi of Tyrol," there has been a little church struck by lightning repeatedly for over 400 years. Beside it, the Salvehaus was built later, and recently a large summit restaurant with a rotating panorama terrace was added. The mountain is now heavily equipped with lifts on all sides, seemingly bound with steel cables as if to prevent any attempt to escape. A depressing sight for every nature lover! The middle station in Hochsöll is surrounded by an amusement park with over 60 stations. On the hike presented here from Söll to the Hohe Salve, one can optionally use a gondola lift fully or partially; in any case, there is great flexibility in planning.

The Hohe Salve isn’t just renowned as a ski destination; it also stands out for its location in the southeastern part of the Kaiser Mountains as a first-class scenic overlook. With the Hexenwasser Adventure Park, the playground and adventure area at Filzalmsee, and the Sundial Trail around the summit, it has also added a range of family- and child-friendly destinations to its repertoire, so you’ll usually find plenty of company on this tour on nice days.> After the gondola ride from the valley station to the Hexenwasser01 midstation, we begin our hike at the large panoramic sign and follow the signposted Bergwelt-Panoramaweg trail—just above the sign—toward Silleralm/Filzalmsee/Hohe Salve. The trail is paved for a short stretch at first; at the Gründlalm, we keep to the left and continue on Trail No. 99 toward Filzalmsee. Here, the direct ascent to the Hohe Salve (Trail No. 50) branches off to the right. From here on, the trail is no longer paved and leads relatively flat through the forest. The wide forest trail climbs gently along the slope, offering a beautiful view to the left toward the Kaiser.We ignore a turnoff to the left toward Söll, pass a beautiful alpine hut on the right, cross a gentle hilltop, and descend to a fork (with a panoramic sign), where we turn left to take the slightly longer route via the Silleralm. The trail continues downhill in switchbacks, and soon we find ourselves in front of the old, rustic Silleralm02. Climbing slightly again, we continue along the wide forest road, pass a ski lift station below on the left, and circle the mountain in a gentle ascent through a large right-hand switchback. Along the way, we come across various interactive stations (e.g., a giant comb that you can use to make sounds…), pass the turnoff to the visible Frankalm (place to stop for refreshments, 10 min.), and now hike on almost level toward Filzalmsee03, which we reach shortly thereafter. A gigantic playground and adventure area for children has been created here (with restroom facilities). At the end of the lake, we turn right, hike along the flat shore to the Filzalm—which offers food and drink—and from there ascend the slope to the left in switchbacks. After the Filzalm, the trail becomes rougher, but you’ll enjoy a beautiful view down toward Brixen. A little later, the wide trail turns into a narrow meadow path; we climb up the ski slope, which gets steeper, directly beneath the ski lift cables. At the edge of the forest at the top, you can already see the Jordankapelle04; we reach it via a few wooden steps (through wet meadows) and, after passing through a gate, climb the final few steep meters. According to popular belief, the water from the chapel is said to have healing properties for the eyes; those without eye problems, on the other hand, can enjoy a wonderful view down to Lake Filzalm and across to the Kaiser and the Kitzbüheler Horn.We leave the chapel via a beautiful forest trail that leads us out of the woods and across open alpine pastureland. The mountain station is clearly visible to the right above (even from Lake Filzalm). At Kälbersalvenalm05, we follow the “Hohe Salve” trail marker, return to a wide gravel path, and soon reach the highest point of a plateau, right next to Salvensee06. From here, the trail winding its way up to the summit is clearly visible; it takes us—in a very sunny and sweaty hike—up to the Hohe Salve07 in a good half hour, where we find the mountain station, the summit church, and the summit restaurant (with a rotating terrace).For the descent, we choose the signposted Gipfelpanorama-Weg/Sonnenuhrenweg; at the junction with the ascent trail, we go straight ahead and thus circle around the summit. We pass under a gondola and, just before the second gondola, we turn sharply right and follow the wide, winding path down the ski slope. We hike downhill alongside a chairlift, pass under it, and head toward the Rigi08 mountain station. Passing the Alpengasthof, we continue downhill on the wide gravel path, again passing under a ski lift. Passing the Kälberalm09 (on the left, a place to stop for refreshments), we keep to the right and descend to a fork where the Hohe Salve High-Altitude Loop Trail branches off to the right. We follow the switchbacks down to the left, along a gravel path, to the Kraftalm inn10. There’s a beautiful view across to the Pölven and to the right toward the Kaiser. From the Kraftalm, the trail is paved again. Passing a beautiful chapel and a cross, we soon come to a gondola station, go under the gondola, and hike downhill on a narrow, winding paved road. The Hexenwasser mid-station is already visible down to the right. We stay on the road until we see a sign for Hexenwasser/Hochsöll on the right; there, we leave the paved road and follow a wide vehicle path first to a building, then continue left in front of it toward Gasthof Stöcklalm11.Just before the first houses, where the barefoot trail branches off to the right, a gravel path leads down to a ski lift station and the Stöcklalm Inn. We cross a small stream and follow the paved road for a few minutes on a gentle incline up to the Hexenwasser01 midway station.

Eine schöne Wanderung mit vielen Aussichten von der Gipfelstation zur Mittelstation am Hexenwasser.

Vom Tennerwirt geht es links herum auf dem Weg 71 bergauf durch den Wald. Nach einer Weile durchquert man auf einem Pfad den Wald und vor einem öffnet sich die Kraftalm mit der wunderschönen Kapelle etwas unterhalb. Nach dem Abstieg über Wirtschaftswege gelangt man zu dem quirligen und lauten "Kinderfreizeitpark" Hexenwasser. Kommerzialisierung at it's best.

Traumtour mit Weitblick

Route von „Stampfanger 21a, 6306 Söll“ nach „Salvenberg 23, 6306 Söll“ via „6363 Westendorf, 6363 Westendorf“, „ 6305“, „12° 11' 12" Ost, 47° 28' 52" Nord“