Backenstein with ascent via the "Jägersteig"

From the public parking lot in Gaiswinkl, walk a short distance along the lakeshore to the east, then turn left to reach the lake circular path. Here, follow the sign "Gößl" to the right and turn onto a forest road. Where a path joins from the left, continue a short distance to the next right curve and then turn left onto a skid trail that leads uphill into the bright forest. Soon, you cross a track and continue straight uphill along the skid trail. At a fork, keep right and stay on the main path, which makes a slight curve. Later, you cross another forest road and continue uphill opposite a trail until you encounter the first stone cairns and a faint path that curves right onto a ridge and leads to a hunting platform. From here at the latest, you must follow the direction given by the GPS track and navigate off-path through the forest. Leave the hunting platform on the left, follow a gully uphill, and leave it above fallen trees to the right, passing through windthrow by following the path of least resistance. Off-path, proceed below a steep slope in the forest on a terrain ledge, flat to the right and later gently ascending to the left, to enter a cirque. A large dwarf pine field at the lower end of this cirque is difficult to bypass on the right, and you try to rediscover the old pathbed along its right edge between dense alders and dwarf pines based on the GPS track. It leads uphill into the cirque and is still well preserved in its upper section. Finally, you reach a large rubble field and open terrain ahead.

Climb vertically along the left edge of the rubble field past dwarf pines and beyond to reach a very steep gully, which you follow. At its upper end, you reach a crossing point from where you descend briefly right into the "real" cirque behind and cross a scree slope above the dwarf pines following chamois tracks. You reach the foot of the wall and follow it to the left until a rocky scree ramp opens to the upper right, which you can ascend in a very steep line to reach another rubble field. Here, clear path traces lead horizontally left and a stone cairn marks the further way diagonally right into the dwarf pines and uphill again. Along a gap in the dwarf pines and stone cairns over steep meadows dotted with rocks, you now gain height. The lively guessing game of climbing continues up increasingly open karst fields and finally along a distinct dwarf pine corridor to the right onto the edge of a rolling plateau, where you meet a large stone cairn on a horizontally running ledge through the dwarf pines. Here, turn left and reach a marked route through rough karst terrain and along inconspicuous stone arrangements ("pigeons") on a fairly distinct path that leads left up to the summit cross far ahead on the Backenstein.

For the descent, follow the markings back to the junction toward Appelhaus and turn left at the signposted and wide hiking trail into the valley. Far below, you meet a forest road and follow it left downhill over two bends. In the subsequent right curve, a less conspicuous path branches off to the right, which you take. Twice in succession, you cross forest roads and just after the second one, you meet the lake circular path, on which you turn left back to Gaiswinkl and to the starting point.