Visiting various mysterious places at Kremstal
This promising tour through Kremstal passes various caves and other mystery places that require some simple climbing skills and are therefore fun to visit.
The tour starts at the parking opposite the Maigen Mühle (GPS: 48.440868, 15.398107) and first follows the forest road towards the castle Hartenstein (not accessible to the public). After passing the castle, the first highlight is accessed via a wooden bridge: the Gudenus Cave. Back on the forest road, the tour continues following the Kleine Krems river, passing by the Vettersteig entrance (which is done on the way back), and leads towards the water mouth of the Kleine Krems and Große Krems rivers.
Following the trail on the right and crossing the Krems river via a bridge, the forest road leads upwards to the Wotansfelsen, a cliff allowing a stunning surrounding view.
The tour then descends via another trail and leads back to the entrance of Vettersteig (easy via ferrata, cat. A/B) which is now climbed up. The trail passes the Schusterlucke cave (reachable via iron ladder), passes by the shortcut crossing (walk around the iron ladders!!!) and then continues towards the Teufelskirche (Devil’s church). This cave is reachable by a via ferrata (two iron ladders) and requires some climbing skills and a sure foot (protected with iron rope)! After descending the same way, the tour leads back to the shortcut crossing and continues on the Vettersteig upwards to the Teufelsrast (devil’s rest), again allowing a stunning surrounding view.
The tour then follows the trail back downwards, passes the Steinerner Saal and leads then to the Eichmayer cave that can be explored (some basic climbing skills are required and not being afraid of getting dirty). The tour then leads back to the castle and on the forest road back to the parking.
However, accessing the Teufelskirche REQUIRES some climbing skills and a sure foot and should only be accessed by experienced persons!
Tour Description
| 00:00 | Start at the parking lot opposite Maigen Mühle (GPS: 48.440868, 15.398107) following the forest road towards the castle Hartenstein. |
| 00:05 | Follow the left forest road downwards and pass by the castle on the left hand side. |
| 00:15 | Turn right and cross the wooden bridge to access Gudenus Cave (round tour, go back via the same bridge). |
| 00:25 | Continue on the forest road (north) following the river. |
| 00:40 | Pass by the entrance of Vettersteig and remain on the forest road (heading north). |
| 00:45 | At the crossing (water mouth of the two rivers), turn right and cross the river via the bridge. |
| 00:50 | Turn left and cross the river via the bridge heading towards the buildings. Keep on the left trail (pass by the buildings on the right side) and then follow the forest road upwards. |
| 01:15 | At the crossing, turn left and follow the trail towards Wotansfelsen. |
| 01:25 | Turn sharp left at the crossing and follow the small trail towards Wotansfelsen. |
| 01:30 | Turn left into the small trail leading up to Wotansfelsen. |
| 01:35 | Break at Wotansfelsen. Enjoy self-brought food and refreshments (). |
| 02:25 | Walk back towards the trail but turn left and follow the forest road upwards. |
| 02:30 | Turn sharp left and follow the Weckermannweg trail downwards. |
| 03:00 | Cross the river via the passage (hopefully your shoes are waterproof) and continue on the forest road backwards following the river. |
| 03:20 | At the crossing (water mouth of the two rivers), turn right and follow the road back to the entrance of Vettersteig. |
| 03:25 | Turn right into the Vettersteig and follow the trail / via ferrata upwards. |
| 03:45 | Small detour: Turn left and follow the trail towards Schusterlucke (cave). Take the same trail back to Vettersteig, |
| 03:50 | At the crossing, DO NOT use the ladders but pass by and continue on the small trail towards Teufelskirche. |
| 04:10 | Turn left, climb up the two ladders and then the trail / via ferrata towards Teufelskirche (devil’s church cave). |
| 04:20 | Climb downwards on the same route and then hike back to the crossing with the two ladders. |
| 04:25 | Climb up the two ladders and continue following the Vettersteig. |
| 04:35 | Turn right, follow the trail and turn right again towards Teufelsrast (devil’s rest). |
| 04:40 | Break at the Teufelsrast. Enjoy self-brought food and refreshments (). |
| 05:10 | Hike back and turn left into the small trail towards the cliff (climbing area). Enjoy the stunning surrounding view. |
| 05:45 | Follow the trail back but continue (straight) on the small trail downwards. |
| 06:00 | Pass by the Steinerner Saal. |
| 06:15 | Optional: Turn left into the Eichmayer cave and explore the cave. |
| 06:25 | Continue the descent following the trail downwards. |
| 06:35 | Follow the forest road back to the castle and the parking. |
| 06:45 | Back at the parking, end of the tour. |
General Tour Data
| Area: | Kremstal, Lower Austria, Austria | |
| Distance: | 12km | |
| Ascent: | 568m (2h 05min) | |
| Descent: | 561m (2h 15min) | |
| Highest Pt: | 662m | |
| Lowest Pt: | 447m | |
| Duration: | 5h 45min (without breaks) 06h 45min (with breaks) |
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| Stop/Rest: | none (bring your own food!) | |
| Equipment: | Hiking shoes with good grip (waterproof!) Backpack with standard hiking equipment Food and plenty of water 2x “Gipfelbier” () Sun & Weather protection Camera |
| Download GPX | ||
| O | Tour at outdooractive.com |
At a glance
| Level | moderate |
| – Via Ferrata Category | B |
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