The Sonntagskarseen Lakes - a rewarding tour to a unique landscape amidst the Schaldminger Tauern mountain range.
A tour with medium difficulty to the
Sonntagskarseen Lakes. From the valley head of Untertal at
Almgasthaus Riesachfall you hike up the alpine trail Höll to
Gfölleralm. Passing by
Kaltenbachalm at Riesachsee Lake you continue along the Riesachtal valley and walk past
Berallerhütte at Kotalm alp. Continuing past
Waldhornalm and
Preintalerhütte chalets you eventually reach the Sonntagskarseen Lakes.
Highlights of the tour:
- Riesach waterfalls and alpine trail through "Höll" gorge
- Mountain lakes Riesachsee and Sonntagskarseen Lakes
Please note: The Alpinsteig is NOT suitable for dogs - tip: bypassing on the forest road to Riesachsee
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More information
From Schladming take provincial highway L722 (Rohrmoosstraße road) to Rohrmoos and at the roundabout continue on provincial highway L723 (Tälerstraße road) towards Untertal. Once you reach the village of Untertal keep on going towards Untertal valley and Seeleiten car park at its valley head.
From Seeleiten car park follow trail n° 777 up to Riesach waterfall. From there follow the alpine trail through "Höll" gorge to Gfölleralm chalet. From there walk past Riesachsee Lake and pass by Kaltenbachalm and Berallerhütte chalets on the way to Preintalerhütte and Waldhornalm chalets. From the Preintalerhütte the route leads along the flat valley floor to the steep steps, and then ascends to the lower Sonntagskarsee Lake. Along the lake follow route no. 784; then gently uphill to the upper Sonntagskarsee Lake. The mighty summits of Waldhorn and Kieseck of the Sonntagskar, with its high flanks make certain that even in mid-summer there is a layer of ice on the lakes, giving it an arctic character. Return on the same path.
The tour can be well combined with a multiple day hike along the Schladminger Tauern High Trail.
With the Planai buses from Schladming (Planet-Planai, Lendplatz) or Rohrmoos (Rohrmoos-Zentrum) to Untertal valley - bus stop "Riesachwasserfall" at Seeleiten car park.
Seeleiten car park at the valley head of Untertal.
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Hiking Trail head Seeleiten car park, Untertal | © Tourismusverband Schladming - Herbert Raffalt | Herbert Raffalt
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Lower Riesach waterfall in Untertal | © Tourismusverband Schladming - Plank | Plank
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Upper Riesach waterfall, Untertal | © Tourismusverband Schladming - Andi Küchenmeister | Andi Küchenmeister
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washout in the rock faces at alpine trail "Höll" | © Tourismusverband Schladming - Herbert Raffalt | Herbert Raffalt
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Viewing platforms along the alpine trail "Höll" | © Tourismusverband Schladming - Herbert Raffalt | Herbert Raffalt
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Upper Gfölleralm, Untertal - Schladminger Tauern | © Erlebnisregion Schladming-Dachstein | Gfölleralm
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Riesachsee Lake in spring | © Gerhard Pilz - www.gpic.at | Gerhard Pilz
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Preintalerhütte, Schladminger Tauern | © Erlebnisregion Schladming-Dachstein | Herbert Raffalt
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Along the creek to Upper Sonntagskarsee Lake | © Gerhard Pilz - www.gpic.at | Gerhard Pilz
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Stone pile waypoint with view of Unterer Sonntagskarsee Lake | © Gerhard Pilz | Gerhard Pilz
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View of Upper Sonntagskarsee Lake - in the top left Rettingscharte ridge | © Gerhard Pilz | Gerhard Pilz
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View of Upper and Lower Sonntagskarsee Lake | © Gerhard Pilz - www.gpic.at | Gerhard Pilz
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On the way back heading to Preintalerhütte and Waldhornalm chalets | © Gerhard Pilz - www.gpic.at | Gerhard Pilz
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Waldhornalm chalet - Riesachtal valley, Schladminger Tauern mountain range | © Eliashof-Waldhornalm | Eliashof-Waldhornalm
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Berallerhütte chalet at Kotalm | © Kotalm - Berallerhütte | Kotalm - Berallerhütte
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Riesach Lake in the Untertal valley, Rohrmoos | © Tourismusverband Schladming - Herbert Raffalt | Herbert Raffalt
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Kaltenbachalm Inn at Riesachsee Lake, Untertal valley | © Erlebnisregion Schladming-Dachstein | Kaltenbachalm
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Riesachsee lake in Untertal valley | © Gerhard Pilz - www.gpic.at | Gerhard Pilz
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Peacefully Riesachsee Lake lies amidst the mountains | © Gerhard Pilz - www.gpic.at | Gerhard Pilz
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Almgasthaus Riesachfall Inn, Untertal valley | © Almgasthaus Riesachfall - Familie Unterkofler | Almgasthaus Riesachfall - Familie Unterkofler
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