Steinernes Tor
Achensee (1955m) is an especially beautiful area despite not being as high as others in the Tyrol. The hikes are not so hard and the terrain is easier, that together with the possibility of bathing and doing a lot of activities on the lake (even a cruise ship), make this area quite busy in summer.
Elevation gain
1049m
Time
6H 10min
Distance
18,6km
Dificulty
Easy
Access
It can be reached by car following the road 181 towards Achensee or Pertisau, both from Germany and Austria. The starting point is the parking area next to the “Achensee Abenteuerpark”.
Others
Circular route
Access by public transport
Lake
Waterfall
Report
21-05-2018
The hike is a bit far away from the most crowded areas, at least in the ascent. The ascent is longer and quieter, in the area of Kotalm. The walls of the Klobenjoch, which separate us from Achensee, are surprising. When we reach the highest point, we change the direction and the lake appears at our feet, as well as the Karwendel and Zillertal mountains. When we get down we walk along the shore of Achensee to return to the car (7km), this road is nice but a bit long and tough, if you prefer you can take a bus that goes around the lake from Buchau.
00:00 Start. We take the forest road direction E, it starts next to the adventure park where we see an area of high wire garden. The road is quite wide and climbs through the forest.
00:45 Clearing in the woods. A clearing appears in the forest with a couple of shepherds’ houses. Instead of following the road, we take a path directly in front of the houses that goes direction E. This path crosses the forest road, and we alternate both.
01:20 Kotalm. We leave the forest and find more houses and a very large meadow. We follow the path towards Steinernes Tor (direction W). The path climbs towards the bottom of a couloir by a meadow. As we go up the couloir, the walls on the right are more spectacular.
02:20 Change of direction. We turn right (direction S) to get to Steinernes Tor and cross through the big breach, which we already see very close.
02:30 Steinernes Tor. We cross the breach, that is the highest point of the hike, and the views change completely. The descent trail is easier and clear from Steinernes Tor, we go down first through a stony area that immediately becomes a meadow.
03:20 Dalfazalm. We go through an Alm with very nice views of Achensee. The path continues in the SW direction, while in the E direction there is a forest road that goes to the nearby ski resort, which we can´t see from our position.
04:10 Dalfazer Wasserfall. A few meters after getting into the woods, we go through the viewpoint of the Dalfazer waterfall, where it is worth to stop to have a look and with a bit of luck to see people going up the via ferrata that ascends on the right of the waterfall. The path continues through the forest towards Buchau.
04:30 Buchau. We arrive at the village on the shore of Achensee, cross the road and along the promenade that borders the lake (Achenseestrasse), we head towards NW. We continue along this road for almost 7km to the parking area where we have left the car, the path is nice but a bit long.
06:10 End.
