Plöckenstein from Oberschwarzenberg via Zollhütte

The following route description starts at the end of the public road. The parking lot there has not been available since autumn 2022. From the last parking option (paid parking lot about 300 m after the end of the village of Oberschwarzenberg) it is about 1 km to the end of the public road. There are also alternative possibilities to hike from Oberschwarzenberg towards the Teufelsschüssel (see comment from 12.10.2022).

We follow the forest road at the end of the public road uphill to the northeast. After about 150 m, a forest road branches off to the right (to the southeast). We take this forest road and follow the signs to the Teufelsschüssel or cycle route 804. This forest road is also marked as a ski route and is therefore usually well tracked by snowshoers, ski tourers, and possibly also hikers.

We always stay on the forest road with the signage of cycle route 804. In doing so, we also ignore a footpath that branches off uphill to the left to the Teufelsschüssel. About 2 km after the start, a marked footpath to the Teufelsschüssel branches off to the left downhill. The short detour (about 300 m each way) to the striking rock formation is definitely worth it. According to legend, devils and witches met here at full moon. Under suitable conditions, you can also climb the rocks up to the cross perched on top.

Back on the forest road, we continue to follow the signage for cycle route 804. The road turns east, the forest becomes lighter, giving views towards Plöckenstein. A marked ski route branches off to the left, but we continue straight on the forest road. On a wide saddle between Plöckenstein and Zwiesel is the Zwieselhütte, a small shelter. To the left, one could walk directly to Plöckenstein along a footpath. However, we continue on the forest road or cycle route 804. It now leads through mostly open forest, steadily slightly downhill. This section is significantly less frequented (and tracked) than up to the Zwieselhütte.

At the forest road junction about 2 km after the Zwieselhütte, we continue on cycle route 804 to the left. The road now rises slightly again, and soon the Zollhütte is reached. It lies directly on the Austrian-Czech border, which is also recognizable by the signposts in Czech. We now leave the marked cycle route 804 and take the footpath, which branches immediately north of the Zollhütte through a narrow forest clearing ("border clearing") directly along the border to the left (northwest).

The path initially only climbs slightly, then leads along a moor over wooden bridges and finally becomes somewhat steeper and more demanding. It follows exactly the border line from boundary stone to boundary stone and short steeper and rockier path sections have to be overcome again and again. With increasing height, the forest thins out, and young forest and tree ruins take the place of tall trees. Bark beetles and storms have destroyed the forest here since the 1990s. The remains of dead trees still stand partly today and form a bizarre backdrop. The view opens up to the Czech Moldau reservoir and the neighboring peaks of the Bohemian Forest.

Once again, a steeper section with large boulders must be overcome. If there is not much snow and no tracks yet, it is a certain challenge to find the best path here. But then the terrain becomes flatter. You meet the footpath coming directly up from the Zwieselhütte. Then you already see the summit cross of Plöckenstein on a typical Mühlviertel granite rock.

It is worth taking a short break here and enjoying the 360-degree panorama – if the often biting wind allows. With good visibility, the view extends far into Bavaria and the Czech Republic, over the Mühlviertel and possibly even to the distant Alpine peaks in the south.

The further path is more frequented again. It leads along the border ridge to the west over a small hill and then downhill to the Dreieckmark. Here Austria, Czech Republic, and Bavaria meet. We now choose the marked footpath that leads directly downhill to the south along the Bavarian border. At a crossroads about 1 km after the Dreieckmark (elevation 1153 m), we continue downhill following the Nordwaldkammweg or the signage to the Oberschwarzenberg parking lot. The footpath later becomes a forest road and soon we reach our starting point again.