Margschierf

Karst nature trail leads through true "moon landscape"

The paths over the Margschierf Ridge and to the Hirzkar Lakes are narrow and lead over rugged rocks - in any case, only walk in safe weather!

To the east of the High Dachstein, the 280 km² large, rugged and impassable karst plateau "Auf dem Stein" expands. Right in the middle of this area is the Heilbronner Cross, which reminds you of the Dachstein tragedy in 1954: Ten students and three teachers from Heilbronn in Württemberg died here in a snowstorm. Today a broadly laid out nature teaching trail on the subject of "Karst" leads over from the Dachstein Krippenstein - between rocks with strange fossils, razor-sharp carts and mysterious "Karst tables" where the dissolution of the limestone by rainwater is particularly evident.

The hiking tour in detail

From Obertraun you conquer approx. 1 600 metres in altitude with the Dachstein Krippenstein cable car. At the mountain station you should first visit the pioneer cross under the Krippenstein summit - the view of Lake Hallstatt is breathtaking 1 500 metres deep!

Walk back to the Lodge at the Krippenstein and down over the ski slope to the lift station. From there the karst nature trail leads to the Krippenstein ice cellar (cave) and to the place where it turns left, while two paths branch off to the right.

Choose the straight path No. 661, which climbs over the rocky Margschierf ridge (view of the Dachstein). The descent leads to the Heilbronner Cross, visible from far away. Shortly before you reach the wide karst nature trail again, which you now follow to the right. It leads past a hut and then steeply down into a hollow - past the entrance of path No. 666 at Loskoppen.

The path continues downhill between mountain pines and rocks. After the turnoff of the path to the three little Hirzkar lakes (a worthwhile detour) there is a short ascent, then hike down in serpentines to the ruined mountain pasture Hirzkaralm. Below the walls of the lower Gjaidstein, the path leads to the cable car station Gjaid (the short detour to the Schilcherhaus on the Gjaid Alm is worthwhile).

Shorter variant: From Margschierf back into the hollow at the Krippenstein ice cellar, there turn left on trail No. 662 to the Hirzkar lakes and down to the Karst nature trail.


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