Winter Hiking: “Hohe Wand from Ober-Piesting to Grünbach”

Hohe Wand in winter from northeast to southwest, starting in Ober-Piesting and ending in Grünbach

The tour starts at the train station in Ober-Piesting and first follows the Starhemberggasse southwards. After crossing the main street, the tour continues following straight the forest trail and then the road through the village. Following the street again, the tour then turns right after the ruin of Starhemberg (opposite the restaurant) and now follows the hiking trail towards the Einhornhöhle. The tour then ascends up to the Hohe Wand via the Drobilweg and then uses the easy Drobilsteig via ferrata (A) to reach the Herrgottschnitzerhaus. After a short break, the tour continues southwest following the trail towards Kohlröserlhaus and then following the street towards the main crossing of Hohe Wand. There, the tour turns right and stays on the trail next to the street which then leads towards Almfriedenwiese and further towards the Skywalk viewing platform.
After a well-deserved lunch break at Gasthof Postl, the tour follows the trail westwards towards Gasthof Luf & Hochkogelhaus. Stay straight and follow the trail passing by the Neue Welt Blick and then descend into the Leitergraben. At the crossing, the tour turns right and ascends again towards the Hubertushaus. After a deserved break, the tour then follows the trail westwards. After passing by the Eicherthütte, the tour keeps right and ascends to the highest point of the Hohe Wand, the Plackles. The tour further follows the trail westwards descending into a clearing. There the tour turns left and follows the trail towards Rastkreuzsattel. At this saddle, the tour turns left and first follows the forest road downwards (south). After a few meters, the tour then turns into the Bergmann-Steig descending down to the village of Grünbach. The tour then follows the street that leads directly to the train station Bahnhof Grünbach/Schule (destination).

Tour Description

00:00	Start at the train station Ober-Piesting and follow the road heading east.
00:05	At the end of the road, turn right into the Starhemberggasse and follow this street till the main road.
00:10	Cross the main road and follow the forest road straight ahead.
00:20	Turn right and follow the main road around the corner. After the corner, opposite of the restaurant Zitherwirt, turn slightly right and follow the marked trail towards Einhornhöhle (see signpost).
00:35	Turn left into the blue-marked trail 231 towards Einhornhöhle / Hohe Wand (see signposts).
00:45	At the crossing, turn left and then keep right, following the blue-marked Drobilweg.
00:55	Pass by the Einhornhöhle and continue following the trail up. Ascend the ladder and then continue following the blue-marked trail westwards.
01:05	At the crossing, first turn left and then keep right. Follow the blue-marked trail towards Drobilsteig.
01:15	Climb up the ladders on Drobilsteig and continue following the blue-marked trail.
01:30	Well deserved break () at the Herrgottschnitzerhaus.
01:45	Follow the road behind the Herrgottschnitzerhaus westwards but stay on the trail (Waldlehrpfad) on the left hand-side of the road (separated from the road).
02:05	Follow the street westwards.
02:10	Pass by the Kohlröserlhaus and continue following the street.
02:20	At the main street crossing, turn right and follow the street westwards. Again, stay on the trail on the left hand-side of the road.
02:25	Turn right and follow the trail towards Almfrieden.
02:30	Enjoy the view from Almfrieden and continue on the trail westwards.
02:43	Follow shortly the street but stay on the trail on the left hand-side after a few meters.
02:45	Enjoy the view from Skywalk and then follow the trail north towards Gasthof Postl.
03:00	Well deserved break () at Gasthof Postl.
03:45	Follow the trail westwards through the alpine pasture and keep left at the crossing.
03:55	At the crossing, turn right and follow the yellow-marked trail upwards.
04:10	At the crossing, turn left and continue following the marked trail.
04:25	Pass by the Gasthaus Luf and Continue following the street westwards. Stay straight ahead turning into the trail towards Leitergraben (see signpost) at the corner.
04:27	Keep left and follow the lower trail towards Neue Welt Blick.
04:35	Descend down into the Leitergraben.
04:40	At the Leitergraben crossing, turn right and ascend again up to Hubertushaus (see signpost).
05:05	Well deserved break () at Hubertushaus.
05:40	Continue following the red-marked trail westwards along the ridge.
06:05	Pass by the Eicherthütte and keep right. Continue following the forest road up to Plackles.
06:20	Pass by the Plackles and continue following the trail westwards.
06:25	Turn left and descend following the trail towards Rastkreuzsattel (see signpost).
06:45	At the Rastkreuzsattel saddle, turn left and follow the forest road for a few meters.
06:50	Keep straight and leave the forest road. Follow the Bergmann-Steig (see signpost) down to Grünbach.
07:05	At the crossing, keep straight and follow the green marked forest road towards Grünbach.
07:10	U-turn into the street and follow the Neubaustraße back directly to the train station Grünbach / Schule.
07:20	At the train station Grünbach / Schule, end of the tour.

General Tour Data

Area:		Wiener Alpen, Lower Austria, Austria
Distance:		21km
Ascent:		1097m (2h 00min)
Descent:		840m (1h 15min)
Highest Pt:		1132m
Lowest Pt:		350m
Duration:		5h 45min (without breaks) 7h 20min (with breaks)
Stop/Rest:		Herrgottschnitzerhaus (826m) Kohlröserlhaus (840m) Alpengasthof Postl (891m) Gasthaus Luf (932m) Hubertushaus (946m) Eicherthütte (1052m) Scheimhütte (876m)
Equipment:		(Warm) Hiking shoes Shoe chains (“Grödeln”) in winter Backpack with standard hiking equipment Snacks and water Sun & Weather protection Camera