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Hiking tour Starting from Hirschwang an der Rax, valley station Rax cable car
Hike from the Raxalm Mountain Hut via Ottohaus and Neue Seehütte, continuing along the Göbl-Kühn Trail to the Waxriegelhaus. ***** Note: Renaturation work is underway on the trail between Preiner Gscheid and the Waxriegelhaus. Please use the forest road! ****
Hike from the Raxalm Mountain Hut via Ottohaus and Neue Seehütte, continuing along the Göbl-Kühn Trail to the Waxriegelhaus. ***** Note: Renaturation work is underway on the trail between Preiner Gscheid and the Waxriegelhaus. Please use the forest road! ****
"Hut hopping" means hiking at subalpine elevations, through alpine meadows and the mountain pine zone, without having to tackle strenuous climbs.
The ascent is via the Rax Cable Car, Austria’s oldest passenger suspension cable car, which began operating as early as 1926. After getting off at the Raxalm-Berggasthof summit station, you’ll reach the Ottohaus, which features a 4,000 m² alpine garden with about 200 alpine plants typical of the region. The next stop, the Neue Seehütte, owes its name to a small lake that, however, dried up shortly after World War I. The second-to-last hut on this tour is the Waxriegelhaus. The tour ends at the Edelweißhütte on the Preiner Gscheid.
Without having to overcome any major difficulties, you can “hop” from hut to hut on the Rax.
Your hikes in the Vienna Alps should be a pleasant and safe experience altogether. Please note the following:
Make sure when choosing the route whether it matches your mountain experience and fitness. Inform yourself in advance about the weather forecast. The weather can change surprisingly fast in the mountains. Therefore, always start equipped accordingly (e.g. rain protection).
Check if the huts and refreshment stops you want to visit along the way are open. Inform someone about your chosen route and planned return before you set off.
In fog and strong wind, tours on the high plateau are not recommended!
Always take suitable maps with you. Wear sturdy shoes adapted to the route, bring sun and rain protection, as well as water and a small snack. Take your mobile phone and save the mountain rescue emergency number: 140
The starting point is the Rax cable car. It takes us in a few minutes to the mountain station at 1547 m above sea level. From the cable car mountain station, we follow the red marking to the Gatterlkreuz and further to the Ottohaus. It takes about 45 minutes to reach the first hut on this route, overcoming 100 meters of elevation. Those who want to add a summit can climb the nearby Jakobskogel (1737 m). Following the blue marking, we reach its summit cross in just 10 to 15 minutes. From the Ottohaus, the path leads us through dwarf pine past the Preiner Wand Kreuz and above the well-known climbing paradise Preiner Wand to the Neue Seehütte, located in a hollow. The third variant of the Rax hut route branches off directly at the Neue Seehütte to the south. Via the Göbl-Kühn path, we hike through the Langermanngraben to the Waxriegelhaus. From there, it goes down to the left to the Preiner Gscheid, where our destination is located. Please do not cross the "old ski slope" or go off-trail. Due to erosion damage, this section must recover.
Parking is available at the valley station of the Rax cable car.
A2 to Seebenstein junction - S6 to Gloggnitz - B27 to Hirschwang an der Rax, valley station Rax cable car (at the end of Hirschwang village)
Arrival:
Take the Southern Railway (Südbahn) to Payerbach-Reichenau. Between the Payerbach-Reichenau station and the valley station of the Rax cable car, buses or the RUFbus Semmering-Rax run at regular intervals to the starting point.
Stop: 12 Rax cable car
Departure:
Take Regional Bus 342 back to Payerbach-Reichenau station or the RUFbus Semmering-Rax.
Stop: 132 Preiner Gscheid
More information and timetables can be found at fahrplan.oebb.at and anachb.vor.at.
Collect feelings of happiness – collect hiking badges: Collect the "Hut Hopping Hiking Badges" during your hike from hut to hut.
Morehikeable variants:
Hut hopping on the Raxalpe - Variant 1
Hut hopping on the Raxalpe - Variant 1b
Hut hopping on the Raxalpe - Variant 2
Hut hopping on the Raxalpe - Variant 3
Support points:
Rax cable car mountain guesthouse, +43/2666/52450
Ottohaus, +43/2666/52402
Neue Seehütte, +43/676/7488719
Vienna Alps in Lower Austria, www.wieneralpen.at, +43 / 2622 / 78960
Tourism office Reichenau, www.reichenau.at, +43 / 2666 / 52865
Raxalpe, www.raxalpe.com, +43 / 2666 / 52497
Letzte Änderung: 19 Jun 2026