A wonderful and wild hike which is best done using a bike for the approach and descent.

Statistics

3 - 4

hrs

1,077

m

1,077

m

21

max°

Difficulty

FATMAP difficulty grade

Difficult

Description

For those seeking a scenic hike to a beautiful summit within easy reach of Innsbruck, this is the trip for you.

It also gives you a good excuse to go to the wonderful Thaurer Alm hut, which is always worth a visit. The line is drawn here as a pure hike and it's still fun done that way, but it's even better if you bike up and down the lower section.

If you bike up then ignore the line drawn here to the Thaurer Alm and simply follow the jeep track to the hut. Regardless of how you reach the Thaurer Alm, head north-east away from it on a good track which leads you into a forest.

If you've brought a bike then leave it at the edge of the forest. Continue hiking west-northwest up an initially good path which quickly becomes quite vague but is always marked by red and white paint dashes and leads you up to a col overlooking the rugged and wild Halltal valley (which itself is home to some great adventures, most of which are listed in FATMAP).

Turn right from the col and keep climbing on a slightly more obvious path which winds up and around to the Thaurer Zunterkopf's south-west ridge.

Climb this onto the summit plateau (which is much bigger than it looks from below) and onto the summit itself, which is marked with one of the traditional iron crosses which adorn so many Tirolian peaks.

The view across the Inn valley to the south and the imposing peaks of the Halltal to the north is fantastic and, given that it's all downhill from here, you can enjoy the panorama knowing that there's no more grunt required. When you're done admiring the view, follow the ascent path down and then branch off it leftwards and make a steep and rocky descent down to the Kaisersäule - a huge stone pyramid which was built to commemorate the visit of Emperor Franz I to Hall in Tirol in 1815.

The local tourism office tell you that the pyramid is 14 metres high.

Their tape measure might be a little out but it's certainly very impressive! Descend from the Kaisersäule down to the Thaurer Alm and then down further to the valley (via a knödel and a drink!)