Klafferkessel tour
One of the best hikes in the Schladminger Tauern mountain range
Trail head:
Seeleiten parking, Untertal
Walking time:
8-10 hours
(tour for 1 or 2 days)
The Klafferkessel tour is a hike to a relic of the ice age and leads into high alpine terrain. This hiking tour is listed among the most beautiful hikes in the Schladminger Tauern mountain range. More than 30 lakes of various sizes scatter over the lake plateau on 2,300 m above sea level.
Starting from Seeleiten parking and Almgasthaus Riesachfall the trail takes course through the Steinriesental towards Gollinghütte. From there, the trail winds its way to the Greifenberg mountain saddle. A small lake, with the Hochgolling (2,863 m) in the backdrop, is a first eye-catcher.
A talus forms the ascent to Greifenberg (2,618 m). Opposite of Greifenberg the impressive rock face of Waldhorn (2,702 m) dominates the view over the Klafferkessel and provides a frame for the lakes of all sizes that scatter across the lake plateau. Farther East the pyramid of Hochwildstelle (2,747 m) reaches into the sky with the lush green slopes of "Himmelreich" (kingdom of heaven) below.
From the summit the trail descends in a series of steep switchbacks across rough terrain into Klafferkessel via Obere Klafferscharte. Until well into summer, many of the lakes are still covered by ice. Mosses and lichen, in combination with the lakes and the wild, rugged scenery, awaken impressions of a primordial landscape. In the Klafferkessel, you make your way gently downhill until you reach the striking rock edifice that is the Greifenstein, where you then leave the lake plateau of Klafferkessel.
The hike then continues over a number of ridges, dropping steeply to the Lämmerkar cirques and across a hillside meadow to the Preintalerhütte at 1,657 m above sea level. The descent to Kotalm is at first even steeper still, but then generally flat to Kaltenbachalm at lake Riesachsee and Gfölleralm. The last descent on this long hike leads us along the forest lane down to the Seeleiten car park at Almgasthaus Riesachfall.
Many guests prefer to enjoy this alpine tour in two or three daily stages, spending the night at a hikers' refuge hut along the way (Gollinghütte or Preintalerhütte).
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