WAB - Stage 14: Knofeleben - Edelweißhütte

Description

From the Naturfreundehaus, you cross over the Krummbachstein and traverse to the opposite slope at Schneeberg to the Elisabethkirche viewpoint, which impresses with its architecture and a magnificent view. Past the Hochschneeberg station, we climb past the Waxriegel to the Damböckhaus and ascend the summit of Schneeberg to be rewarded with a breathtaking view of the Wiener Alpenbogen. The Klosterwappen on Hochschneeberg is the highest viewpoint in the Wiener Alps and the highlight of the Paradise of Views. Further beautiful scenic and panoramic views can be had from the viewpoint near the Fischerhütte at Kaiserstein and from the Schauerstein, which you pass when descending to the Edelweißhütte.

Starting point of the tour

Naturfreundehaus Knofeleben

Destination point of the tour

Edelweißhütte

Route description WAB - Stage 14: Knofeleben - Edelweißhütte

The path to the Krummbachstein leads along the Wiener Alpenbogen to the left past the hut towards the Elisabethkirche viewpoint. A few minutes later, we turn right off the comfortable forest path onto a hiking trail and follow the green marker steadily uphill. On a small hill with a rest bench, we look out towards the Schneeberg and the summit of the Krummbachstein. We descend briefly to a saddle and climb the rocky ascent path, partly using our hands, to the 1,602-meter-high summit of the Krummbachstein. The ascent is definitely worth it because of the fantastic view. We leave our mark in the summit book and descend eastwards from the summit towards Elisabethkirche. At a meadow, we walk past the self-catering Alpenfreundehütte and stroll through mountain pines to a clearing. Here we look left at the Elisabethkirche at Schneeberg, which perches below the Waxriegel on the mountain edge. A signpost clearly points to the viewpoint at Schneeberg. However, between Krummbachstein and Elisabethkirche lies the descent on the green-marked hiking trail to the Krummbachsattel at 1,333 m for us.

We cross the meadow and ascend a forest path again. At a fenced pasture, we turn right onto the track towards the Baumgartner bus stop. Near the cog railway, just before the Buchtel station (open during the Schneeberg railway season), we turn left onto the gravel path. We climb gently uphill, cross the cog railway, and ascend a few meters. On the yellow-marked hiking trail, partly very rocky and slippery, we head towards the station at Hochschneeberg. It only becomes a bit flatter about an hour later, when we almost reach the little Elisabethkirche. The viewpoint is located halfway between the church and the Hochschneeberg station. On a walk through the kaleidoscope, we learn all sorts of interesting facts about the history of the Schneeberg railway.

We cross a playground and follow the gravel path gently uphill towards Klosterwappen and Fischerhütte. We circumvent the summit of Waxriegel counterclockwise and arrive 15 minutes later at the Damböckhaus. From here, we continue along the gravel road towards Klosterwappen. Accompanied by the ringing of cowbells, we turn left at a fork at Ochsenboden onto the yellow-marked hiking trail lined with wooden posts. Alternatively, you can ascend directly to the Fischerhütte straight ahead here.

Initially only slightly ascending, the incline gradually increases as we approach the summit of Schneeberg. To the right behind the transmitter is the summit cross at Klosterwappen, the highest point in Lower Austria and the geographical high point of the Wiener Alpenbogen. Here we look westward for the first time. From the Türnitzer Alps over the Ötscher, from the Rax over the Hochschwab, and on beautiful days as far as the Dachstein. Only a few minutes separate us now from the Fischerhütte (open from April to October).

We quietly say farewell to the roof of Lower Austria and go from the hut left in a northwest direction past the Kaiserstein. After a few meters, however, we turn left at the Wiener Alpenbogen trail towards Edelweißhütte via the Schauerstein. The green-marked hiking trail initially leads slightly downhill across a scenic meadow slope to the edge of Schauerstein. Further on, we descend a rocky mountain pine path to a crossroads where the Fleischer memorial stone is visible to the left. Here we turn right towards Edelweißhütte via the Fadenweg. A wonderfully laid-out hiking trail leads us through a wild forest to a forest road. We turn right and follow the gravel road gently downhill. Shortly after the Hoyos memorial, on clear days at a right-hand bend, you can even see the high-rise buildings of Vienna.

After half an hour on the forest road, we turn right onto the yellow-marked Fadenweg and stroll with barely noticeable incline to the Edelweißhütte. We end the evening on the newly built terrace of the Edelweißhütte.