A first-class hike from Werfen to the Matrashaus on the Hochkönig summit, 2,941 m

Early in the morning, head over the “Schafibergl” (Rettenbachriedel) to the Gamskarkögerl, then steeply uphill through the stone quarry to the Floßkogel (trail guide). Here, you’ll enter the rocky, karst-covered, expansive plateau of the Hochkönig. The first sight of the Matrashaus is deceptive; from here, it’s still 4.5 kilometers to the destination at the 2,941-meter-high summit.

Following a prominent rock ridge, the trail—partly marked with wooden posts—leads upward through impressive, ever-changing rock formations. In the upper section, the trail passes remnants of the “Übergossene Alm” plateau glacier before crossing a hollow to reach the summit area. An elegant, well-secured climbing route leads over the final steep meters to the octagonal Matrashaus.

The Hochkönig’s isolated location makes the evening and morning hours at the summit—when the weather is right—colorful, luminous, and atmospheric experiences that blur the line between day and dream.

If you choose Trail 430 down to the Arthurhaus for the descent, it makes for an impressive loop hike. Across the plateau to the southeast, the well-marked trail leads downhill through rocky and gravelly sections, past the magnificent climbing peak Torsäule, into gently rolling green alpine pastures and mountain pine fields. Below the north face of the Mandlwand, the trail goes around the “Gaisnase” to the Mittenfeldalm. It’s worth stopping for a break there before tackling the final half-hour hike to the Arthurhaus.