Hintersteiner See - Steiner Hochalm - Walleralm

Leaving from the shores of the Hintersteiner See lake near Scheffau in the Wilder Kaiser Mountains, this circular hike leads past several huts serving food and drink. Most of the hiking is on wide forest tracks and narrow trails through the protected area of outstanding natural beauty of the Kaiser Mountains. Hikers exploring this route in autumn can look forward to fabulous colours and fine views of the surrounding mountains, including the nearby Hohe Salve. In wet conditions the trails can be slippery and therefore require concentration and sure-footedness.
The hike begins at the Bärnstattkapelle car park in Hinterstein. Follow the signs for "Steiner Hochalm". The forest trail leads in a north-easterly direction up to the Beinstingalm hut. After around half an hour you will reach a narrower trail leading up to the Steiner Hochalm hut at 1,260 metres above sea level. It is here that things get a little more tricky, with a section along a narrow and difficult trail heading in a westerly direction. The route leads up and down over the southern slopes of the Scheffauer mountain. After around three kilometres of rolling pastureland you will reach the Walleralm hut and the Stöfflhütte hut as well as the Kafma-Alm hut. The route back to the Hintersteiner See leads along a forest trail. From the car park on the eastern shore of the lake there are around 850 metres of walking along the main road back to the starting point in Bärnstatt.