Hiking Tour: “Kieneck” and “Unterberg” from “Thal” via “Enziansteig”

Scenic tour up the Kieneck from Thal via the Enziansteig and then continue hiking up to Unterberg

The tour starts at the parking Thal (GPS: 47.927795, 15.897303) and directly follows the Enziansteig hiking trail up towards the Luch and then further to the Enzianhütte, directly at the Kieneck. After a well-deserved break at the Enzianhütte with its amazing scenic view, the tour leads back to the Bettelmannkreuz and then continues following the trail further towards Unterberg. Before reaching the ski area, the tour leaves the marked route and follows a visible trail which turns then later into the ski slope up to the top of Unterberg. After enjoying the view from there, the tour continues following the hiking trail along the ridge westwards till reaching the Kammerhoferkreuz. The tour then follows the trail back and descends towards the Maria Einsiedl church and the Unterberg Schutzhaus. The tour then follows an easy and marked trail back to the parking via the Miralucke, an iconic cave that is easily reachable from the trail. Finally, the tour follows the trail and the road back to Thal.

Tour Description

00:00	Start at the parking Thal (GPS: 47.927795, 15.897303) and directly follow the blue-marked Enziansteig trail (see signposts) towards Kieneck.
01:10	Bypass the first summit Auf der Luch and continue following the blue-marked trail.
01:15	At the clearing, enjoy the amazing view (the Enzianhütte is already visible) and continue following the blue-marked trail northwards.
01:25	At the crossing with the Wiener Wallfahrerweg (trail 231), keep right and follow the marked trail towards Kieneck / Enzianhütte (see signposts).
01:30	At the crossing, keep straight (slightly right) and follow the marked forest road up to Kieneck.
01:45	Well deserved break ( ) at the Enzianhütte.Enjoy the awesome scenic view from its terrace!
02:25	Follow the same trail back to the crossing with Wiener Wallfahrerweg.
02:50	At the crossing with Wiener Wallfahrerweg, keep right and follow this trail towards Bettelmannkreuz (see signposts).
03:00	At the Bettelmannkreuz, keep straight and continue following the red-white-red marked trail towards Unterberg (see signposts).
03:30	Keep straight and continue following the trail next to the forest road towards Unterberg.
03:45	At the crossing, turn right and leave the marked trail. This path will bring you up directly to the top of Unterberg without the steep ascent via the ski slopes.
03:50	At the crossing, keep left and continue following the trail.
04:05	Turn right and follow the ski slope up to the summit.
04:15	At the mountain station of the ski lift, follow the small trail on the right hand-side along the ridge that leads further towards the summit cross (the cross is not yet visible here!).
04:20	Enjoy the amazing view from the summit of Unterberg. Best enjoyed with a self-brought refreshment ().
04:35	Continue following the trail along the ridge westwards.
04:50*	Optional detour: At the crossing, turn right into trail 04 and follow the trail through the alpine pasture.
04:55*	Enjoy the view from the Kammerhoferkreuz view point. Then turn around back to the crossing and this time follow trail 622 towards Unterberg Schutzhaus.
05:15	Refresh yourself ( ) at the Unterberg Schutzhütte.
06:00	Follow the white-red-white marked trail (first a forest road, then a ski slope, then a hiking trail) towards Miralucke (see signposts).
06:05	Keep right and follow the white-red-white marked trail downwards along the ski slope.
06:10	Keep left and follow the white-red-white marked trail.
06:20	At the clearing, turn right and follow the ski slope downwards.
06:25	Turn left (leave the ski slope) and follow the white-red-white marked trail towards Miralucke.
06:35	Turn right (leave the forest road) and follow the white-red-white marked trail towards Miralucke.
06:50	At the information sign, turn left and follow the small trail leading towards the portal of the Miralucke cave. Have a quick look inside and then head back and continue following the trail and then the road eastwards which will automatically bring you back to the parking.
07:30	Back at the parking, end of the tour.

General Tour Data

Area:		Gutensteiner Alpen, Lower Austria, Austria
Distance:		22km
Ascent:		1205m (1h 45min)
Descent:		1218m (1h 40min)
Highest Pt:		1342m
Lowest Pt:		597m
Duration:		5h 50min (without breaks) 7h 30min (with breaks)
Stop/Rest:		Enzianhütte (1107m) Unterberg Schutzhaus (1183m)
Equipment:		Comfortable hiking shoes Backpack with standard hiking equipment Snacks and plenty of water 1x Gipfelbier () Sun & Weather protection Camera GPS recommended