Hiking from hut to hut in the Vienna Alps
From sporty and ambitious to relaxed and informal: If you like to immerse yourself in nature, hut hopping on the Rax is the perfect balance between taking a break and stopping for a bite to eat. Additional motivation: the SummitLynx hiking pin app
Hut hopping involves hiking from hut to hut on the Rax at an altitude of between 1500 and 2000 metres above sea level in leisurely ups and downs between mountain pine fields - either as a day hike or with an overnight stay. Some routes form a loop back to the starting point. But if you prefer, you can also walk from A to B. The excellent connections to the Rax by bus, train and Austria's oldest passenger cable car make this possible. Important: Check the opening times of the Habsburghaus, Ottohaus, Seehütte, Karl-Ludwig-Haus and Waxriegelhaus before setting off on your hike!
When I walked across the plateau, that was the only time I could meditate.
The two of us have only just set off from the Raxalm mountain inn. We are already surrounded by a group of honourable older gentlemen in the mountain pine thicket. The eccentric in the flowing leg dress must be the botanist Charles de l'Écluse, the first person to climb the Rax in 1575. The one with the long dark beard is the doctor and playwright Arthur Schnitzler, who wrote "Lieutenant Gustl" up here. And the one with the round black glasses is probably Sigmund Freud. He wrote his "Studies in Hysteria" in the Ottohaus - based on the tenant's niece, by the way.
Well, maybe we just let our imaginations run away with us while chatting. But it is true that every path from hut to hut follows in the footsteps of great thinkers. As we approach the Neue Seehütte after an hour and a half's walk, the aroma of delicious pastries and roast meat wafts towards us. Should we order the hearty roast pork or the sumptuous curd cheese strudel? We feast on both.
Only those who set themselves the impossible as their goal can achieve the just possible
The Rax is considered the cradle of alpinism in the Eastern Alps and served as a place of recreation and inspiration for many intellectuals, especially at the beginning of the 20th century.
Fast-paced in one day or relaxed with an overnight stay in two days: the five most beautiful tours from hut to hut.
The route covers 18 kilometers from the Rax cable car mountain station or the Raxalm Berggasthof, passing all the huts on the Rax: the Ottohaus, the Seehütte, the Habsburghaus, the Karl-Ludwig-Haus, and the Waxriegelhaus, ending at the Edelweißhütte on the Preiner Gscheid.
This route also requires good physical condition. By skipping the Habsburghaus, you only save a few meters of elevation, but almost four kilometers of distance.
The third route branches off southward after the Seehütte to the Waxriegelhaus, saving another 400 meters of elevation gain.
From the Raxalm Berggasthof, the trail leads via the Ottohaus to the Seehütte and back to the mountain station.
The route via Preiner Gscheid, Karl-Ludwig-Haus, Habsburghaus, and Seehütte covers over 18 kilometers and more than 1,000 meters of elevation gain.
The Raxalm Berggasthof is located directly at the summit station of the Rax Areal Ropeway at 1,547 metres. On the sunny panoramic terrace you can enjoy the view over the Schwarzatal valley and the surrounding peaks. Those wishing to stay longer will find the comfortable rooms and camps an ideal base for hut hopping.
Built in 1893, the 1666-metre-high Ottohaus is just a 40-minute hike from the summit station of the Rax Areal Ropeway. It was a favourite excursion destination of psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud, who carried out his first psychoanalysis here. The hut has beds and storage space, and the alpine garden contains 200 alpine plants.
Hut hoppers and climbers meet to catch their breath at the Seehütte, located at an altitude of 1643 metres west of the Preiner Wand. The famous psychiatrist Viktor Frankl was also a frequent guest here.
The rustic Habsburghaus, situated at 1785 metres above sea level, offers more than just a fantastic view. The 36 beds in two- to four-bed rooms and the 68 mattress dormitory beds are also great for a good night's sleep.
The historic building at the foot of the Heukuppe was completely renovated in 2011. However, you can still spend the night in the historic rooms just as the eponymous archduke did in 1903.
The ascent or descent to the Waxriegelhaus at 1364 metres above sea level is not only worthwhile because of its idyllic location in the Siebenbrunnenkessel. But also because of the in-house specialities Waxriegel beer and Waxriegel dumplings - and of course the wonderfully restful Waxriegel deep sleep in a 2-, 3- or 4-bed room or in the mattress dormitory.
With the SummitLynx app, you can now collect hiking pins while hut hopping. If you sign in at all the huts on the hike from the mountain inn via the Ottohaus, the Seehütte and the Göbl-Kühn-Steig to the Waxriegelhaus, you will earn the Hut hopping Rax pin. The app can be easily downloaded to your own smartphone on Google Play or in the App Store and is transmitted on the go via GPS; mobile phone reception is not necessary. Incidentally, the Semmering railway hiking trail also has another digital hiking pin. More fun with analogue things? The physical hiking pin is of course still available for 3.60 euros at the valley station, in the mountain inn or in the Waxriegelhaus.
