The Talking Rock, Widderkar, and the Stone Staircase

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At the Zimitzalm, keep to the far left and, at the upper end of the meadow, take an unmarked trail that leads into the forest and joins a forest road further up. Follow this road past a left-hand hairpin turn and a subsequent right-hand curve until, at the next right-hand turn, a footpath branches off to the left and uphill (cairn). Head diagonally left up a slope, then ascend in switchbacks along a scree-strewn slope to the base of the wall and follow it to the right and upward to a crossing with an old stone wall. Beyond that, you cross a rocky cirque on level ground, over which the mighty face of the Siniwelers towers. To the left, the Salzgraben opens up, while the trail leads out of the cirque to the right. First, the trail ascends to a small grassy plateau; beyond it, it climbs gently through sparse vegetation between rocks to a gully, where the trail briefly turns left before following the gully toward the valley floor above the mountain pines. After that, a long slope leads up across a grassy scree field to the next pass with a rocky passage, the Widderkartörl, which is reached after about 3 hours of hiking.

Behind a small outcrop, the trail veers to the right and descends into the karstic Widderkar, crossing the cirque on its left side. Hike through the grass past the start of the “Lange Wand” on your left until you reach a flat meadow where the trail forks. Here, continue straight ahead; to the left of a scree field, you’ll reach the Lange Wand again (cairns) and climb up to a flat saddle (use GPS and the track; do not turn right!). Soon, a faint trail leads directly along the Lange Wand and exits the Widderkar to the left. The route ascends a grassy steep slope in faint switchbacks and, at the top, runs very close to the base of the wall again. Follow this uphill; the terrain becomes increasingly karstic as you reach the “Steinerne Stiege” (Stone Stairs), which you will soon climb in steps. Beyond that, the terrain flattens out, and cairns guide you to a crossing into a grassy karst gully that runs level toward the west. Beyond a small meadow saddle, the trail descends gently into another gully, and you follow the numerous cairns through a karst landscape lined with mountain pines to the so-called “Himmelkaren,” though you must first watch out for two sharp left turns, beyond which the trail bends back to the right each time (cairns; use GPS and track if necessary!). Cross a meadow hollow along the right edge, then follow a karst gully gently uphill to a rocky pass, where the trail first heads left between scattered old pine trees before making a right turn that leads downhill along a path flanked by rock faces into the so-called “Langer Gang,” which descends into the pastureland of the Breitwiesenalm. There, you take a wide left turn on level ground and reach the start of a marshy area, which you pass along its right edge, ascending slightly into the slope and crossing the meadow without a trail. At the lower edge of a dwarf pine zone, you’ll come across a faint trail that leads into a path between the dwarf pines (cairns) and then continues diagonally uphill, becoming less distinct as it goes (use GPS and the track!). At the upper edge of a meadow, a clearer clearing in the mountain pines is visible, and cairns mark the way. Soon the path follows a karst gully uphill between the mountain pines and reaches open terrain beyond it, as well as a pass; beyond this, you continue climbing along the left edge of a rugged karst area at the edge of the mountain pines, following the cairns to a pass through the mountain pines. Afterward, the route continues to the right past a large sinkhole, then undulates through a mountain pine alley and out onto a ridge with a beautiful view. Here you’ll come across a marked trail that leads up to the right toward the summit of the Redender Stein. Over rugged rocks and through mountain pines, you’ll soon reach the summit cross (total ascent time: 5:30 h).

For the return trip, follow the trail markers to the Appel-Haus, where a marked hiking trail begins toward Grundlsee, passing junctions leading to the Loser, the Tressensattel, and the Backenstein, and then becoming the Almbergweg, which winds downhill in switchbacks to the start of a forest road further down. Follow the forest road downhill for a few small curves until, just past a sharp right-hand curve, a large cairn on the left indicates an unmarked trail that leads down into the forest. The path winds diagonally through the forest, crossing a tractor track and continuing downhill on the other side past a cairn, then turning left and descending through dense underbrush. The trail crosses a forest road and continues downhill through a clearing along a small stream; later, it moves to the left side of the stream and follows it downhill, crossing another forest road and continuing slightly to the left through the woods, now following trail markers. You cross a forest road again and, just below it, come to the Seerundweg trail (which is not signposted here); follow it to the left toward Gaiswinkl and thus back to the starting point.