Natural monument arolla pine forest

Adventure trail Obergurgl Swiss pine forest. Right through the natural monument.

The closed Swiss pine forest south of Obergurgl is a real rarity. Trees up to 300 years old line the theme trail, which brings the "queen of the tree line" closer with display boards and interactive stations. Various access options from Obergurgl and cozy refreshment stops make the excursion into the pine forest perfect for young and old.
 
Rarely beautiful: the Obergurgl stone pine forest. Swiss stone pines often brave wind and weather all by themselves in the high mountains. A 20-hectare closed Swiss stone pine forest, as it extends near Obergurgl from 1,950 m to 2,100 m on the northern slopes of the Schönwieskopf, is therefore something very special. Since 1963 it has been designated and protected as a natural monument in the UNESCO biosphere park "Gurgler Kamm". On the theme trail, interested visitors learn all kinds of interesting facts about theZirbe, the forest inhabitants (e.g. the pine jay), the fauna and anecdotes about local people. Using interactive features such as a telescope, the curious can explore the surroundings and, for example, keep an eye out for bears, cats and monkeys - that's what male, female and young marmots are called in hunter's lingo.

Take a shortcut by train - or do it all on foot. A possible - and particularly beautiful - entry to the theme trail is at the Zirben Alm at the foot of the trail. Alternatively, there is an entrance halfway up the Zirbenwald, just a few steps from the middle station of the Hohe Mut cable car (2,065 m). If you don't want to use the mountain railroad (free with Summer Card), you can hike up from Obergurgl via a forest path. Along the adventure trail with its 15 stations, charming places invite you to rest again and again. If you choose the variant from the middle station, the route is child-friendly and mostly downhill and ends near the Zirben Alm (1,960 m), which scores with dedicated cuisine and great views. If you do everything on foot, you should plan around 3 hours for the easy hike. Alternatively, you can hike from the Zirbenwald past the Rotmoos waterfall to the Schönwieshütte and stop there for a bite to eat.

Tip: The brochure "Von Blicken und Perspektiven - Zirbenweg Obergurgl" is available free of charge at the information desk of Ötztal Tourismus.