Parkplatz Innerfragant - Schareck

Access to the starting point:
From the Karavanke Tunnel, follow the motorway towards Salzburg to the motorway junction where you turn left towards Spittal. From Spittal, drive towards Lienz. Shortly after the motorway ends, at Möllbrücke, turn right towards Mallnitz and the Großglockner Alpine road. Follow this road to Kleindorf (just after Flattach) where signs "Mölltaler Gletscher" direct you to the right on the ascending road to the lower funicular station. Follow this road all the way to the large parking lot at the bottom of the funicular.

Path description:
From the parking lot, continue along the asphalted road, which is closed to traffic. After a short climb along the road, signs direct you to the right onto the "Richard Helfer Weg" footpath. The footpath also avoids the tunnels on the road, which are forbidden to walk through.

From the crossroads, you start a slightly steeper climb through the forest on a relatively poorly beaten track. At a higher level, join the road for a short distance and then turn right again onto the footpath, which is marked with Knafeljč's markings. The path climbs mostly through the forest and crosses a few short clearings. Later on, the path leads us to slightly steeper slopes from which we occasionally get a view of the waterfalls of the Astrombach stream on the other side of the steep valley. On the shorter crossing where the slope is very steep, we also have a rope to help us. The path here is not too difficult, but you have to be careful because the bushes and tall grass can make it hard to see that the slope is very steep along the narrow path. The path then turns left from the steep slopes and starts to climb a little steeper. Following this path through the forest, you will soon reach a mountain road.

Continue right along the road, which descends gently and leads to a marked crossroads near Lake Wurtenspeicher. Bear left at cart track and after a short climb you will reach the lake. There are benches and a table near the lake.

The footpath along the lake soon ends and we turn left onto the footpath. The path continues northwards, mostly on a gentle slope above the lake, crossing a few small streams. Later, the path turns slightly to the left and climbs briefly in the keys. It then crosses a slightly steeper slope, bypassing a small boulder. A little caution is needed here. Later, the increasingly scenic route becomes less steep and runs northwards. You still have to be careful where you walk, as there are a few deep holes along the path. The path then descends a little and leads us to the vicinity of Lake Mernigsee
Here the trail turns slightly to the right and crosses a stream, then begins to climb the slope above the lake. Walk north again and soon cross the slope below the chairlift leading to the Weißseehaus hut. The path then turns left and there is a short climb up the slope to the left of the ski slope. Later the path follows the ski slope and leads to a mountain road where there is a crossroads.
To the right, slightly downhill, it is only a few tens of metres to the Mittelstation, the road to the left leads to the Weißseehaus hut, and we cross the road and continue straight along the ski slope. The path along the ski slope starts to climb a little steeper and the view of Lake Weißsee starts to open up. The path slowly curves to the right and leads us to a slightly flatter part of the ski slope. On the left, the path from the road that runs alongside the Hochwurtenspeicher joins us quite imperceptibly. Here, the path from the ski slope turns right onto a track which leads to the vicinity of the circular cable car. The path continues slightly to the left of the cable car and then climbs one last ascent to the Duisburger Hütte hut, from where you can enjoy a very nice view of the surrounding peaks and lakes.

At the hut, continue to the right along the footpath to which the signs "Bergstation Eissee, Schareck" direct you. The trail continues to climb near the cable car and heads north. Higher up, you join a narrow dirt road, which is made for the ski area. Following the scenic road, you will soon reach the Eisseehaus hut, where you will have a view of the Wurtenkees glacier and the Schareck summit. The hut is also the top station of the circular cable car.

Continue past the hut towards Lake Eissee and then turn left towards the ski resort. Continue along the right-hand edge of the ski slope, which is also open in the summer months. If the snow is frozen, the use of snowshoes and snowshoes is recommended. As you approach the ridge, the ski slope turns to the left and we continue walking along the edge of the ski slope, soon reaching the top station of the chairlift.

From here it's just a few metres climb to the ridge. The path to the right along the ridge leads to the Baumbachspitze summit, and we head left. The path initially leads us past a small weather station with a camera. The path is also secured with a rope at this point. The ridge becomes a little wider for a while and then the path leads to the ropes. Here we climb a little steeper and the cliff is also helpful. The steepness soon eases and the ropes are finished. In the last part, the path is relatively flat, but the ridge along which the path runs is still slightly exposed, so a little caution is still needed. Following this path, you will soon reach the top.
Descend by the ascent route, which can be shortened considerably by using cable cars. Alternatively, you can continue along the ridge and return to the Mittelstation via the Fraganter Scharte notch.

On the way: Wurtenspeicher (1695m), Mernigsee (2040m), Mittelstation (Mölltaler Gletscher) (2234m), Duisburger Hütte (2572m), Eisseehaus (2795m)

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