Mönichkirchen - Niederwechsel (via Steinerne Stiege)

Access to the starting point:
Exit the A2 motorway Graz / Graz - Vienna / Wien at the Pinggau, Friedberg exit, then take the exit from the nearby roundabout in the direction of the above-mentioned towns, Vienna and Graz. A few kilometres further on, at the junction of the regional roads, follow the signs for Vienna and Mönichkirchen. Continue along Wechsel Straße, leaving the mainly ascending road at the exit for Mönichkirchen. Then drive through the village to a large parking lot above the village, located at the foot of the ski slope.

Path description:
On the right, east side of the parking lot, the asphalt road continues, with a few more car parks alongside, and we follow it up by the ski slope. After a few minutes, we reach a marked crossroads where the path to Mönichkirchner-Schwaig splits into two.
Continue slightly to the left (straight ahead on the road) and continue along the right-hand side of the ski slope (the path across the ski slope leads past the Studentenkreuz cross). Then climb up the path, which leads along the edge of the forest, all the time close to the ski slope. At a higher altitude, cross the dirt road carefully, as during the summer season there are downhill runs with vehicles adapted for the use of the ski slopes on land.
Continue climbing along the edge of the ski slope for a few minutes before returning to the road, where you can turn left and walk to Berggasthof Mönichkirchner-Schwaig.
Continue in the direction of the Hallerhaus and Vorauer Schwaig huts and continue up the right-hand side of the second ski slope, where you will see very few signs. There are a few minutes of steeper climbing on cart track, which ascends the ski slope, before joining cart track, which continues along the ski slope. There are occasional fine views, and we follow the marked trail to the Hallerhaus hut.
Go around the hut on the left and follow the signs for Hochwechsell. The path continues through the forest, and at a few crossroads we follow the markings. Leave the forest at a slightly higher altitude and arrive at hut Kulinarik zur Stoa Alm, which offers a fine view, especially to the north-east.
Go around the hut and the upper cable car station on the left and return to the forest, through which you climb steeply for a few minutes. Higher up, the forest thins out and some views open up, and we continue a little further and arrive at the nondescript peak Steinerne Stiege.
There is a bit of a descent through the forest, and then we reach a clearing where we can see the Schneeberg, which, with its second highest peak, the Kaiserstein, is the northernmost and also the easternmost two-thousand-peak peak in the Alps. The trail then returns to the forest and splits.
Continue straight ahead via cart track on the trail towards the peaks of Hochwechsel and Niederwechsel (on the left after cart track the Vorauer Schwaig hut. Continue ascending cross-country, through the forest for a short distance, and then gradually up the increasingly exposed grassy slope. Higher up, we cross the pasture fence twice more, and follow the marked path to a crossroads near the Niederwechsel summit, where the path leading past the Vorauer Schwaig hut joins us on the left.
Here, bear right and, in a few steps, climb to the rocky and scenic summit.
Starting point - Mönichkirchner-Schwaig 0:35, Mönichkirchner-Schwaig - Hallerhaus 0:30, Hallerhaus - Stoa Alm 0:15, Stoa Alm - Steinerne Stiege 0:15, Steinerne Stiege - Niederwechsel 0:50.
Description and figures refer to the situation in October 2022.

On the way: Berggasthof Mönichkirchner-Schwaig (1185m), Hallerhaus am Wechsel (1350m), Kulinarik zur Stoa Alm (1423m), Steinerne Stiege (1505m)

We recommend: trips from the same starting point, similar trips