On the Mugel in winter - High above Leoben
Many paths lead to the 1630 m high local mountain of Leoben and Niklasdorf, and this tip is perfect for hiking in winter - with or without snowshoes.
The Mugel enjoys corresponding popularity, this also because on the summit the cozy Mugel shelter invites you to stop for a break - summer and winter. The first refuge was built here in 1904, making it one of the oldest alpine refuge locations in Styria. In 2010, a modern new building was built, which is ideally suited for festivities and seminars. By the way, the precious water for the hut is pumped up from the Wappleralm spring, which is 120 meters lower and about 1000 meters away. But not only the equipment, but also the view from the refuge is impressive: from the Hochschwab, the Eisenerzer Alps to the Seckauer Tauern with the valleys of the Mur and Mürz lying deep below, the view extends. A popular photo motif is the modern summit cross, which was designed by an artist from Niklasdorf. All in all: a worthwhile winter hiking destination high above Leoben.
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S36 exit Niklasdorf / On B115 through the village, following the signs "Mugel" over the railroad and further into the Niklasdorfgraben.
With the car to snowshoe hiking - a few things to look out for!
- Good winter tires are an absolute MUST!
- Ice scraper, snow broom, de-icer for the door locks and a small shovel belong to the basic equipment.
- Put snow chains and a tow rope in the car, even if you are not good with them yourself. Helping and knowledgeable hikers are always available on the mountain!
- Clear the car completely of snow and ice, especially sweep off the roof of the car completely.
- When parking, make sure you leave room for other motorists.
- Always park so that the rest of the roadway remains clear for cars, logging trucks, and snow removal vehicles.
- Find out about the snow situation on the access road or parking facilities before setting off. (hut host, webcams)
We start at the spacious winter parking lot (1), 722 m, in the Niklasdorfgraben and orient ourselves by the yellow signposts in the direction of Ochsenstall/Mugel. We go straight uphill along the forest road, past the summer parking lot to the Hüttenanger/Rosseck junction. At this junction we keep straight on and pass a hunting lodge (2), 964m. Shortly after the hunting lodge, the hiking trail leads to the right, where we always see tracks in winter. If you are on snowshoes, you can take the shortcut here. For winter hikers it is recommended to follow the road and continue along the Silberbrunngraben, then turn right uphill and soon leave the forest. From now on, we continue hiking with a view and can already see the radio station, which is our next stage destination, in front of us. The road leads comfortably uphill along the alpine landscape around the Ochsenstall (3), 1202m. We continue again along a wooded area until we pass the transmission tower (4), 1429 m, in succession. In front of us is a large meadow area, where we keep slightly to the left and follow the usual ascent tracks. At the end of the meadow we hike a short distance along a forest road and then branch off to the right onto the hiking trail. A short and somewhat steeper ascent to the summit through the forest follows. On the last meters of altitude we can already see the Mugel shelter in front of us. Passing the shelter we reach the summit cross on the Mugel (5), 1630 m, which is only a few meters away. After a leisurely break, we leave the summit area and choose the way back along the ascent route, whereby there are numerous shortcut options for snowshoe hikers.
The starting point of the hike is not accessible by public transport.
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Winterstimmung im Wald | © Weges OG | Weges OG
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Am Weg | © Weges OG | Weges OG
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Bei der Jagdhütte wandern wir vorbei | © Weges OG | Weges OG
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Blick auf Bruck und rechts im Bild das Rennfeld | © Weges OG | Weges OG
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Gemütlich wandern wir auf der ausgeschobenen Straße dahin | © Weges OG | Weges OG
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Blick auf den Sender | © Weges OG | Weges OG
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Der Weg führt uns beim Ochsenstall vorbei | © Weges OG | Weges OG
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Wir genießen den Ausblick | © Weges OG | Weges OG
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Beim Sender wandern wir vorbei | © Weges OG | Weges OG
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Kurz vor dem Gipfel | © Weges OG | Weges OG
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Wir erreichen das Hans-Prosl-Haus | © Weges OG | Weges OG
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Stimmung am Gipfel | © Weges OG | Weges OG
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Am Gipfel - im Hintergrund das Mugel Schutzhaus | © Weges OG | Weges OG
What the weather will be like
Leoben (542m)
Light snowfall ending in the morning, then slowly becoming sunny during the day.
Morning snow showers, then fairly sunny during the day.
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