Preintalerhütte - Schwarzensee | Schladminger Tauern Trail: Stage 05

Shortly after the Preintalerhütte and Waldhornalm you cross the Sonntagskarbach and climb the Höfertsteig at a medium incline. After a short while you reach a trail fork, where you turn right onto path #702. The path winds in short serpentines towards Trattenkar cirque, where you then hike along the eastern flank of the Schneider and below the "Himmelreich" past the Trattensee lake. Soon you will reach the highest point of this tour at the Wildlochscharte (2,486 m). To the north, a high alpine path leads to the Hochwildstelle - the highest mountain within Styria at an altitude of 2 747 m. Mountain enthusiasts who are free from giddiness, sure-footed and experienced in alpine climbing can take a "side trip" to the summit. It will take you about 1.5 hours there and back.

At the Wildlochscharte crossroads you continue east to the Trattenscharte at 2,408 m. You reach it after just a few minutes. A little further downhill you reach the small lakes of the “Goldlacken”. At the crossroads there, you continue hiking to the southeast on the right - along the flanks of the Schareck and above the Stummer Almen - until you reach "Karlkirchen", a small dome of the rock. It's all downhill from here on out. First to the Lassachalm and from there either along the hiking trail or following the forest road through a high forest until you reach the Breitlahnhütte.

Depending on your tour planning, you have the following options:

• Overnight stay at the Breitlahnhütte and afternoon trip to Schwarzensee (approx. 1.5 hours there and back)
• Continue the hike past the Schwarzensee to the Putzentalalm and spend the night there - see further description below
• Trip with the Sölker Tälerbus to Gröbming (please note the timetable validity!)

If you stay overnight at the Putzentalalm, follow path #786 into the valley to the Schwarzensee. You continue past the largest - and one of the most beautiful - mountain lakes in the Schladminger Tauern to the Putzentalalm. If you stay overnight there, you can also choose alternative routes for the stage from the Preintalerhütte to the Putzentalalm:

• the path #784 via the Sonntagskarseen and the Rettingscharte to the Schwarzensee and the Putzentalalm
• the path #777 to the Lämmerkar and to the Waldhorntörl and from Angersee via path #793 over the Kaiserscharte to the Putzentalalm.

Depending on where you stay overnight - Breitlahnhütte or Putzentalalm - there are alternative transition options from the Preintalerhütte to Kleinsölktal.

The starting point at the Preintalerhütte can only be reached by hiking. You can reach the Preintalerhütte in a hike of approx. 2 hours from the Seeleiten car park in Untertal. This can be reached with the valley bus number 974 of the Planai buses: www.planaibus.at

Seeleiten car park at the valley head of Untertal.

There is a parking fee on the public parking spaces in Untertal valley.

Sölker Tälerbus: https://www.soelktaeler.com/taelerbus

Hiking map 1:50,000 Schladming-Dachstein, available from the Schladming-Dachstein Tourism Association and its information offices.