Mountain pasture hike on which you get to enjoy plenty …of views. This route leads along easy to moderately difficult climbs and forest trails, with moderate ascents and only a little steeper short sections. With around 1,200 metres elevation gain in total, you need some stamina. Along the route, you will pass countless mountain pastures. With a bit of luck, you will meet the ‘Alpine pasture author’, Sepp Kahn on the Untere Lärchenbergalm. He records the life of an Alpine dairy farmer in his diaries.
The highest point of the tour, the Lodron, is one of the most spectacular mountains in the Kitzbüheler Alpen – it has a 360° view of the Hohe Tauern, dotted with glaciers, all the way to the Wilder Kaiser. This stage starts at the Raiffeisenbank in the centre of Kelchsau. You then follow the sign for Lodron, 3 ½ hours, path number 79. A short section takes you via an asphalt road down to the Kelchsauer Ache.
Then cross the bridge and continue up, reaching around 1,090 metres altitude in three turns, where the asphalt access road leads to three pasture huts. Follow a steep path left here; this leads into the forest.
The road now runs uphill along a ridge (keep to the red and white striped ground markings and the signs for Lodron). The route uphill continues for a short while through a clearing, at the upper end of which you reach a forest path (1,275 m). Go right here along the forest path again (Lodron, path number 79), going past Vorder- and Hinterölbankalm, until you reach the Untere Lodronalm (1,486 m) after around three kilometres. A short section of forest route with two hairpin bends on a forest trail branches off to the left to Lodron and Ramkarkopf. Walk through forested terrain to the open mountain pastures, and head directly to the Lodronalm (approx. 1,700 m). Just before a mountain pasture, head right on an uphill path to Lodronjoch (1,914 m). On this section you need to pay a great deal of attention to the markings on the ground (sometimes painted on stones or wooden blocks with red and white paint). A lot of the terrain here is trodden by cattle, so it is often difficult to make out the route.
From Lodronjoch, a short section follows to a peak with the same name (1,925 m), which has an impressive cross. Return along the same route to Joch and follow the signs to Westendorf, going up a short section on the crest of the mountain. The path now branches off to the left (Lärchenbergalm), with a section heading down along a pasture fence, then proceeding right at an almost constant altitude back into the open pasture terrain. Look out for ground markings again here.
After a short time, you will reach the Oberkaralm (approx. 1,700 m). At this point, head left through a small ditch (Steinberghaus, 79) and continue at the same altitude on the path to the next sign to Lärchenbergalm and Gasthaus Steinberg. Now head continually downwards through the mountain pastures to Untere Lärchenbergalm (approx. 1,480 m). Passing through the pasture buildings, continue on the path to the left, which will soon lead into the forest.
Once you reach the forest trail, follow it down in two hairpin bends – you will soon reach Wallernalm (1,160 m) where you will take another path on the left (Gasthaus Steinberg). Continue following this route down, partially through the forest, with the last 500 metres or so leading along a forest route directly to Gasthaus Steinberg.
