Blogger report Dachstein Circular Path

My expectations of the trekking holiday in Austria

If someone had asked me before this tour what I expected from the circumnavigation of Mount Dachstein, then I would have responded with pictures of rocky paths and wide panoramic views. I would have remembered my Eurohike tour from Garmisch to Innsbruck from a year ago and pictured vast views all around the Innsbruck Nordkette. But this tour through three Austrian states was completely different! Of course one deals with a route in advance, when choosing the tour and also in direct preparation. And although as always I was able to prepare myself very well for the trip thanks to the detailed Eurohike travel documents, I still had a completely different idea of the tour.

Grafenbergsee Dachstein high altitude circular path

First impression: spectacular mountain scenery all to ourselves

But this idea of lonely vastness was to be surpassed in the course of the tour. Already after the first day we had to learn that the track and the views would change after almost every bend.

There were two of us and we had decided to do the 5-day circumnavigation. The first two days were characterised by huge alpine pastures that seemed to stretch out into infinity in the mystical autumnal misty mood. Then Days 3 and 4 followed. Vast forests, proverbial solitude and wonderful ascents. Day 5 ultimately offered us exactly the experiences that I had personally expected on all hiking days. Mountain lakes, deep and extensive views and lots of rock!

Cloudy mountain panorama at Hofpürglhütte

All in all, the tour is like a uniquely arranged piece of music. A piece that the composer introduces slowly in order to systematically increase the tempo as the piece progresses. Until it approaches the climax and the finale with drums and trumpets.

Lake Ahornsee between forest and mountains

Adventurous hikes meet comfort

And the weather has also adapted to this crescendo on our tour. Mountain peaks shrouded in fog, light and sometimes heavy autumn rain on the high-altitude trails below Mount Dachstein. Then the first rays of sunshine which caused steam to rise up from the woods. And finally a bright blue sky which put the summit panorama above Ramsau and also the numerous mountain lakes in the right light on the final stage.

Precisely this change of weather conditions has brought one of the great advantages of our Eurohike tour into focus. In addition to the perfect planning, the easy-to-understand route description and the excellently selected accommodations, the luggage transport turned out to be a wonderful bliss- and feel-good factor. That way we were able to start each day with dry equipment and even had spare shoes with us which we would otherwise never have carried with us. And yet we travelled light during the day.

Our conclusion on the Mount Dachstein circumnavigation

In our view we can only recommend the tour around Mount Dachstein to everyone who loves the mountains. Of course, the tour is physically demanding. However, it is technically demanding in only a few places. But it offers everything you would expect from a multi-day tour: overnight stays in huts, glistening mountain lakes, vast alpine pastures, rustic huts and beautiful paths on which every step is a real pleasure. Speaking of enjoyment: Austrian cuisine and hospitality are of course not neglected either!

All our experiences and the many pictures and impressions we gathered on our tour of Mount Dachstein can be found in our tour description Part 1 and Part 2. There we have also described our very personal highlight for each tour day. And when I think about the pictures again, I really want to start and experience it all over again!