The 3 most casual summit hikes for families Tour suggestions for big and small summiteers
Reaching the top of a mountain with your own muscle power is not just a special experience for adults. Children are also happy to have made it to the top without any help. In this story, I present three family-friendly summit hikes that I have tested myself.
Hiking is all the rage. Families in particular are increasingly drawn to the mountains to discover the many "little things" that you can experience together as a family while hiking. Even some parents, who have less fond memories of the odd hike from their own childhood, are now enthusiastically hiking over hill and dale with their children and trying to introduce them to the benefits of this wonderful activity.
Three peaks, two lakes and lots of animals on the Schattberg
The first tour takes us to the western section of the Schattberg. We take the Westgipfelbahn cable car up to 2,096 m above sea level and are greeted by the bleating of sheep grazing next to the summit. Our first destination - the Stemmerkogel - is already in sight and, according to the signs, a good hour's walk away.
After a short downhill section, two paths lead parallel (but very different) across beautiful alpine meadows and a ditch, first slightly and then moderately ascending to the summit of the Stemmerkogel. After a short rest at the summit, we descend in the direction of Seetörl. The descent is steep and requires some surefootedness. Hiking poles are recommended.
A short time later, you can take the easy path to Seetörl at a fork or - like us - climb the Saalbachkogel. A rewarding summit with - as everywhere on this tour - great panoramic views over grass-covered, steep mountain slopes. The descent to Seetörl is partly over loose scree, so good shoes and hiking poles are worth their weight in gold here too.
In addition to the two peaks, the Hacklberg lakes are the highlight of this hike. The idyllic lakes invite you to refresh yourself and the benches invite you to linger. We hike downhill towards Hacklberg Alm and, after a little refreshment, take the panoramic trail towards the Westgipfel mountain station. This leads through lush green bushes and alpine meadows for about 400 meters back to the mountain station of the Westgipfelbahn.
Alternatively, you can continue from the Hacklberg Alm towards the middle station. However, the more rewarding option in this case is the ascent to the mountain station.
Walking time: approx. 4.5 hours
Panorama galore on the Zwölferkogel
The second tour takes us up Hinterglemm's local mountain. The new 12-seater KOGEL cable car takes you comfortably up to almost 2000 m above sea level. As you leave the mountain station, your gaze inevitably falls on the first summit: the Hohe Penhab.
After about 10 minutes on the forest road, the trail to the Hohe Penhab branches off to the right. The path is quite steep and requires some stamina. However, as the summit is always in sight (and the path is not too long), it is easy to keep up the childlike motivation. The glorious weather helps, of course.
From the summit, you have a fantastic panoramic view of the nearby and more distant mountain ranges of the Leoganger and Loferer Steinberge, the Steinernes Meer and the Hohe Tauern. The subsequent panoramic trail in the direction of Seekar is hard to beat in terms of attractiveness. The path - mostly a wide ridge - nestles into the landscape in an almost kitschy way and rewards you with impressive panoramas step by step.
Halfway down, there is still a patch of old snow from last winter in a ditch. A welcome opportunity for the kids to cool off by sliding down.
We particularly enjoyed the view of the Seekarsee lake, in the direction of which the hike continues. Around the lake - in winter this area is a real insider tip in the Skicircus - cows and horses graze. An idyllic scene. At times you feel like you're in the Scottish Highlands - the landscape is sometimes confusingly similar.
We hike on above the Seekar lake towards the Zwölferkogel mountain station and then take the panorama trail, which bears its name for a reason. This branches off to the left of the tractor path about 20 minutes after the Seekarsee lake and joins the path we already know from the start of the hike. If you prefer to go downhill, you can also hike from the Seekarsee via the Ellmau Alm to the middle station.
Walking time: approx. 3 hours
New path on old paths
Our third tour takes us to a newcomer in the Saalbach Hinterglemm hiking offer: the Hochalm-Steig. The trail was only created by the trail makers in spring 2020 and has since enabled a circular hike with the Hochalmspitze as the summit.
From the Reiterkogelbahn mountain station, we walk along the forest path to the Rosswaldhütte hut and on towards the Rosswaldkapelle chapel, where the new trail branches off to the left halfway along the route - starting with a small bridge. The trail leads through untouched woodland at a moderate gradient to a grassy slope. From here you can almost see the summit.
The very natural Hochalmsteig trail winds its way up the steep slope from the south. Once you reach the plateau, you can already see the summit cross in the middle of the grassy landscape. On the day of our hike, the weather was changeable and the atmosphere at the summit resembles a scene from "Lord of the Rings" - just a little away from civilization and yet so mystical.
As the weather continues to deteriorate, we leave the Reichkendlkopf on the right and descend via beautiful paths and hiking trails in the direction of the Rosswaldhütte and walk back to the Reiterkogelbahn.
Walking time: approx. 3.5 hours
PS: We started each of the three hikes with a lift ride, which saves a good part of the altitude difference. Thanks to the JOKER CARD, use of the cable cars is free for guests of partner businesses. Of course, you can also start all tours from the valley. In this case, however, you should be prepared for resistance from your little companions ;)
Image and text source: www.saalbach.com