Prinzensteig (variant grade II) - Mitterkarhütte - Lackenhütte

From Gößl, follow the hiking trail towards Toplitzsee, keeping left twice and crossing a bridge to reach the Gasthaus Fischerhütte past the Gößler Wall. There, pass through the beer garden, go past the kiosk and continue along the lakeshore where a narrow, unmarked path begins, leading diagonally left up a rock ramp above a wooden platform floating in the lake. The path then runs parallel to the shore, partly on narrow rock ledges that are slightly exposed, later diagonally through beech forest (cairns) to a distinctive stream crossing on a secured tree trunk. On the other side of the Vorderbach, head diagonally up to the left—here the path becomes unclear coming from below. The original route of the Prinzensteig leads left and runs parallel to the Vorderbach for a while, then zigzags upwards to the right through rocky terrain, where the route is marked with cairns and red dots.

If you do not find this ascent, you can alternatively traverse to the right along the base of the wall until you reach slabby rock ledges, climb diagonally up these and step over a massive fallen tree trunk, then scramble vertically up a bit to a small cave in the rock. From there, ascend diagonally right over rocky terrain (grade I+) and proceed leftwards along the wall base in sparse forest to a distinctive, very steep gully-like notch usually containing flowing water. Climb up this rocky water channel diagonally to the right (grade II), past plenty of deadwood until the gully widens and flattens out. Then follow a further steep but dry gully upwards on the right, later traverse to the rocky ridge to its right and follow this ridge uphill until reaching a clearly pronounced, horizontal flat zone where cairns mark the path, reconnecting with the Prinzensteig coming from the left here. Follow the cairns through the forest to the right until a transverse ramp (red dot markings), then steeply uphill to the wall base and further up to an overhanging rock face (large cairn). Climb a steep rocky crack to a rocky rib (red dots) and follow this rib upwards along cairns until the terrain levels out. After a short descent to a forest saddle, head diagonally right on a flat path following distinct cairns to the Hinterbach, where you reach the end of an old forest road. At the first right turn, leave the forest track and take a trail across the stream and then uphill to the forest to a T-junction, where you keep left, then at the next T-junction turn right and follow a wide gravel track with two switchbacks to its end.

A few meters before the turning area at the end of the track, an inconspicuous and unmarked path leads sharply left uphill, soon becoming a small hollow path with clear walking traces. Beyond a small saddle with an old ski marking (“Bei den Liagern”), cross sparse larch trees and follow sparse cairns diagonally uphill to a stone wall with a passage and further to a T-junction with an old red arrow marking on the rock. Left leads further towards Elmgrube; right begins the connecting path to the Mitterkarhütte, initially going to a flat saddle and then descending into a karst hollow where the trail vanishes. Here you will definitely need GPS assistance to find the route diagonally left and through a rocky saddle. Then you will see trail signs again leading through wild karst terrain up and down until a distinctive left bend is reached, from where a fairly clear path continues directly to the Mitterkarhütte.

You pass the Mitterkarhütte and its “Häusl” and make a wide right curve to a prominent cairn. From here, GPS is again necessary to navigate straight on a karst ridge and then make a 90-degree left turn, following the ridge until small cairns and path traces appear after around 100 meters. The path soon turns right, then descends through a rocky gorge and over a stone wall, afterwards gently rising again through a flat gully (cairns). The path then runs through dwarf pines and bends left, shortly before a small scree cirque with a deer wallow, descending sharply right diagonally down into a gully and following it on trail signs until you see the “Lacken” and diagonally right reach the upper hut, from which the lower Lackenhütte is not far, where a sunny bench invites you to rest.

Immediately in front of the lower hut, a clear path starts, leading over two small stone bridges to the left and soon slightly uphill, then traversing below a rock face and descending a few meters into a small cirque. Here turn sharply right downhill and follow a clearly visible old alpine path down to the signposts for the “Drei-Seen-Blick” to the right, which is reached within a few minutes.

From the “Drei-Seen-Blick,” follow the signposted return path to Gößl.