Lenzanger - Hocharn (via Hoher Sonnblick)

Access to the starting point:
Drive through the Karavanke Tunnel into Austria, then continue along the Turkish Autobahn. We continue through the Katschberg Tunnel and later the Thuringian Tunnel / Tauerntunnel, and follow the motorway to Salzburg (aka Solnograd) only as far as the exit for Bischofshofen, from where we continue on the four-lane road to the aforementioned town. From Bischofshofen, follow the signs for Zell am See through the valley along the Salzach river. At the end of Taxenbach, turn towards Rauris. Continue along the Raurisertal valley through Rauris and Wörth. Follow the ascending road until you reach the large parking lot of Lenzanger. In the last part of the road there is a toll (9€ - August 2013).

Path description:
From the parking lot, follow the signs "Naturfreundehaus" along the road, which is closed to traffic. The road, which becomes gravel just after the barrier, initially leads through the woods and leads to a crossroads. To the right, the road leads slightly downhill towards the mountain pasture Grießwiesalm, and we continue slightly left along the road towards the Naturfreundehaus hut.
The road then soon leads us out of the forest and along the Scheidbach stream with fine views towards the Hoher Sonnblick summit. Here you soon reach a crossroads where footpath 123 branches off to the right over a bridge towards the Goldzechscharte and the Hocharn summit.
We continue along the road and soon we are at the crossroads again. The road to the left leads to the Ammerhof hut, and we continue to the right and soon reach the Naturfreundehaus hut along a sloping road.
At the hut, follow the signs "Hoher Sonnblick, Schutzhaus Neubau". The path leads us into the forest through which we climb southwards for some time. The trail continues past the Barbarafall waterfall and the views of the nearby peaks and the Raurisertal valley start to open up.
We then emerge from the forest onto grassy slopes where cattle graze in the summer months. Here, signs point to the right and the road heads west. When you get near the stream, the path turns left again and then climbs up the mostly grassy slopes for some time.
Shortly before the hut, you reach a crossroads where the path to Niedersachsenhaus hut branches off to the left. At the crossroads we continue to the right and there is only a short climb to the Neubau hut, which we can already see in front of us.
From the hut, continue westwards following the signs "Hoher Sonnblick". The Tauerngold-Rundwanderweg circular route then branches off to the right, along which you can see the sights associated with the gold mines in the area. The trail then soon crosses a stream and leads to a marked crossroads. The Tauerngold-Rundwanderweg trail continues to the left towards the glacier, and we continue slightly to the right towards the Rojacherhütte hut and the Hoher Sonnblick summit.
From the crossroads, the trail then climbs for some time on the slopes on the eastern side of Hoher Sonnblick. Higher up, the trail turns slightly left to the south and soon there is a view of the Goldbergkees glacier. Here the path then branches off to the left towards the Niedere Scharte, and we continue slightly to the right, followed by a few more climbs up the rocky slope to the Rojacher Hütte hut. At the hut, continue north-west following the "Hoher Sonnblick" signs. The path leads us along a rocky slope and leads us to an initially still wide ridge. From the left we are then joined by a slightly less visible path over the glacier, the ridge then becomes narrower and quite steep, in some places it is also slightly exposed so some caution is needed. When climbing the ridge, we are occasionally helped by a rope and a few crampons and pegs. In the last part towards the summit of Hoher Sonnblick, the route along the ridge becomes a little more difficult, but there is a chance to go around the steep ridge on the glacier. In case of ice or hard snow, you will need a snowshoe and snowshoes. The ridge trail does, however, climb steeply for a short time with the help of a few crampons and pegs. The ridge then soon becomes less steep and there is an easy climb up a very scenic path to the top.
From the summit, descend to the glacier and continue north-westwards following the signs "Alter Pocher, Heiligenblut". Continue gently down the glacier in a north-westerly direction, and you will need a ice axe and crampons to walk on the glacier. It is also advisable to walk in a pack, especially when the path is not well trodden.
When you pass the Pilatusscharte, leave the trail towards the Alter Pocher hut and turn slightly right to start the traverse below the slopes of the Goldzechkopf. The glacier then becomes a little steeper and there is a climb up to the rocky slope on the south side of Goldzechkopf.
The glacier ends here and there is a very steep climb with the help of a rope and a few crampons. For the less experienced, belaying is highly recommended. When you reach the ridge, continue left and there are a few more climbs along the rope. Later the ridge becomes less difficult and there is only a short climb along the lookout ridge to the top of Goldzechkopf.
From the top, continue north-west and start descending along the ridge. In a few places, we are also helped by a cable car. The trail continues along the left (west) side of the ridge and starts climbing again from the Südliche Goldzechscharte notch. The path then leads us past the Nördliche Goldzechscharte notch and along the ridge to the crossroads. At the crossroads where a shorter path from the Raurisertal valley joins from the right, continue straight along the ridge.
From the crossroads, we continue to climb mostly along the ridge by the Hocharnkees glacier. At a short part, when the ridge becomes a bit steeper, the path leaves the ridge to the right (east) side. Then climb back up to the ridge, from which the views get better and better. When you reach the summit (3203m), the ridge turns slightly to the right. Continue along the ridge and soon reach the summit on a slightly steeper slope.
Descend by a slightly easier and shorter route towards the Raurisertal valley (route 123), which passes under the eastern slopes of the Hocharn summit.

On the way: Naturfreundehaus Kolm Saigurn (1598m), Schutzhaus Neubau (2175m), Rojacher Hütte (2718m), Hoher Sonnblick (3106m), Goldzechkopf (3042m), Südliche Goldzechscharte (2859m), Nördliche Goldzechscharte (1900m)

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