Kulinarische Radtour 3: Altmünster - Hochsteinalm

Altmünster municipal office - Altmünster railway station - Lagerhaus - Mitterndorf - Waldcampus Österreich - Traunkirchen railway station - Mühlbachberg - Hochstein Alm
14 km (total distance: 28 km, outward journey 14km, return journey 14km)

Elevation gain: 575 m

From Altmünster town hall, we cycle up Marktstraße and turn left and then immediately right again towards Altmünster railway station. Continue straight on to Hasenau, a district of Altmünster. At the warehouse, we turn left into Pichlhofstraße and follow the road to the former Höllerwirt inn. There we keep right, pass the kindergarten and the school and always stay on the main road. After passing the Eben/Nachdemsee fire station, we cycle half-left in the direction of Traunkirchen. We soon reach Traunkirchen railway station via Mitterndorf and the Waldcampus Österreich. Shortly afterwards, we turn right before the subway into Mühlbachberg. Unfortunately, the signs for the Hochsteinalm are only visible once we have rounded the bend. Now a 7km climb awaits us, the last 3km of which are on a gravel track. It is no longer possible to take a wrong turn. We follow the road uphill and first come to the lower Hochstein Alm car park, then past the Attwenger farm until we finally reach the upper Hochstein Alm car park after 4km. Now we take a sharp left turn onto a forest path, which we follow for the last 3 kilometres. But don't forget to enjoy the beautiful views on offer. You can stop and enjoy the panorama at several places where the forest allows an unobstructed view.

The view of Lake Traunsee and the majestic Traunstein is simply spectacular. It's not far now and we cover the last few metres in altitude on the easy forest path to the Hochstein Alm. The hut has been in existence for more than 150 years and is situated at 907 metres above Lake Traunsee, offering visitors a fantastic view of the Höllengebirge mountains from the terrace as well as rustic rooms. A useful service for cyclists is also a charging station for pedelecs and e-bikes in case the battery runs flat.

The high plateau of the Alm is ideal for the many animals that can be found here. In addition to horses and donkeys, there are llamas, guinea pigs, rabbits, sheep and goats. Animals are the hobby of hut landlord Josef Ammering and one of the reasons why his regular guests include kindergarten groups and school classes.

After taking a look at the Grünalmkogel and the Brunnkogel, we take the same route back down into the valley. But then we ride through the railway subway in Winkl to the B145, which we follow to the left on the cycle path to Altmünster.
If you feel like stopping for a bite to eat, you can do so at the Spitzvilla or at the Bräuwiese (bathing area with a nice kiosk and restaurant).

The cycle path next to the B145 takes you directly back to Altmünster. Shortly after entering the town, you come to the Trawöger-Dorfner fish fry, which also invites you to take a well-earned rest after a long tour.

Then it is best to continue to the beginning of the Esplanade in Altmünster and cycle through the subway to Altmünster. This is the safest way to cross over or under the often congested main road. After a short uphill stretch, we reach our starting point again at Altmünster town hall.