Lynx Trail - Stage 09 Palfau-Lassing, main route

The standard version of today’s trek leads via the Moaralm cabin: Starting out from the Stiegenwirt inn (your accommodation in Palfau), you follow hiking path no. 284, walking along the forest road (which also doubles as a mountain bike touring route) until you reach the Moaralm cabin. Here, the mountain bike track turns off to the right, while you keep going straight along the forest road towards the ‘Naturfreundehütte’. After just 100 metres, you enter trail no. 284 towards the Moarhochalm alpine pasture (situated at an altitude of 1550 m), which is set between the peaks of the Gamsstein and Hasenfuß mountains. From the Moarhochalm alpine pasture, you follow the signs for Niederscheibenberg/Sandgraben/Hollenstein. Your trail (no. 64) takes you downhill to a forest road. Now head towards Sandgraben/Hollenstein, until you reach the Niederscheibenberg alpine pasture. Follow the first sign towards Sandgraben/Hollenstein, after which you keep to the signposts for mountain bikes, marked ‘Große Scheibenbergrunde 76’. After a brief stretch leading steeply uphill, you will spot another mountain-bike signpost on the crest of the forest road. Turn right towards ‘Gamssteintour neu’; at the next signpost, you walk straight on, once again following the sign for ‘Gamssteintour neu’. This stretch, which takes you along the forest road, is long but very pleasant. On hot summer’s days, the woodlands offer plenty of welcome shade. When the forest road joins a paved road, you keep left in order to cross a bridge, and then follow the flow of the stream until you have reached the ‘Erlebniswelt Mendlingtal’ educational trail: the last leg of the journey takes you through the gorge of the Mendling river, with informative displays along the way offering insights into the historical practice of timber logging on the Mendling river. Level of difficulty: medium Hiking time: 7 hrs 30 minDistance: 21.9 kmAscent: 1152 mDescent: 1017 mIf the previous stages of the Luchs Trail have left you with some energy to spare, you might like to complete this last stage on a more demanding, alternative route. This variation runs via the summit of the Gamsstein mountain – adding another hour to your journey, but rewarding you with the most stunning scenery. Starting out from your accommodation in Palfau, you head West through the village until you reach a bridge (situated east of the village church). A narrow, gently ascending road will take you up to the ‘Bergbauer’ farmstead, where you follow the signs for the ‘Naturfreundehütte’ (an infrequently occupied mountain hostel), which you reach after a short while. Now continue through some wild woodlands (even trees that have previously fallen in a storm have not been removed in order to maintain the forests’ natural cycle). Next, you embark on a steep ascent through creeping pines and over grassland pastures, until you have reached the Gamsstein summit (1770 m) – where you can enjoy stunning panoramic views of the Totes Gebirge, Gesäuse, Hochschwabmassiv and Dürrenstein mountain ranges. For your ascent, you follow the signs for Hollenstein, hiking first along the ridge, then in between patches of creeping pine, all the way down to the Moarhochalm alpine pasture (1550 m). The rest of the way – leading to Lassing – is identical to the standard route (see above). 

Top tip:

For more information:

www.luchstrail.at

We recommend that you make contact with the Lynx Trail Info & Booking Centre before making a booking.

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In the Gesäuse you are mobile even without your own car

One call to t: +43 3613 21 000 99 is enough: During operating times, you can take the Gesäuse Sammeltaxi to any destination in the Gesäuse, without any timetable or stops.

Further information & operating times

Timetable inquiry at www.oebb.at or www.busbahnbim.at 

Parking facilities are available at the respective starting points, which are subject to a charge, especially in the Gesäuse National Park area.

Further information

Tip: Please leave a note in your car with your telephone number and the date of your return, together with a note that you are on a hike lasting several days. The mountain rescue service will thank you!

Hints and tips

Lynx Trail Info & Booking Centre

Trail Angels GmbH

Obervellach 15, 9821 Obervellach

Tel.: +43 47 82 93 093

Web: www.bookyourtrail.com

Email: info@bookyourtrail.com

Lower Austria Information Office:

Mostviertel Tourismus GmbH

Töpperschloss Neubruck

Neubruck 2/10, 3283 Scheibbs

Tel.: +43 (0) 7482 204 44

Email: info@mostviertel.at

Upper Austria Information Office:

Tourismusverband Nationalpark Region Ennstal

Eisenstraße 75, 4462 Reichraming

Tel.: +43 (0) 7254 8414

Email: info@nationalparkregion.com

Steiermark Information Office:

Tourismusverband Gesäuse

Hauptstraße 35, 8911 Admont

Tel. +43 (0) 3613 21160 10

Email: info@gesaeuse.at

Wanderkarte Luchs-Trail