Three-Day Hut Hike in the Wilder Kaiser Mountains

Stage 1: Hüttling car park – Schleierwasserfall – Gaudeamushütte
Uphill/downhill: 860/420 vertical metres, walking time: 4 hours, distance: 7.3 kilometres, highest point: 1,536 metres, difficulty rating: intermediate (red trails)

Stage one, which is rated of intermediate difficulty, is full of highlights. The ascent from Going to the Gaudeamushütte leads past the famous Schleierwasserfall waterfall and the Stiegenbachwasserfall waterfall. The first section as far as the Schleierwasserfall is on wide forest roads before the trails become steeper and narrower, including a few rocky sections. Food and drink are served at the Obere Regalm (open Saturday and Sunday during good weather; open Friday, Saturday and Sunday until the middle of September). En route hikers will find wonderfuk views of the Kitzbühel Alps and the mighty Hohe Tauern Mountains as well as the iconic craggy peaks of the Wilder Kaiser. Accommodation is provided in the Gaudeamushütte. To get to the starting point in Hüttling take the shuttle bus which runs through several local villages including Ellmau (runs six times a day; free for holders of a guest card).

Stage 2: Gaudeamushütte – Hintere Goinger Halt – Gruttenhütte 
Uphill/downhill: 1,010/660 metres, walking time: 5.5 hours, distance: 5.9 kilometres, highest point: 2,192 metres, difficulty rating: difficult (black trails)

Rated difficult, stage two is the highlight of this three-day hike in all senses of the word. Hikers must have a good head for heights, good fitness and sure footing. We also strongly recommend using a via ferrata safety set including a helmet. The day begins with a steep climb from the Gaudeamushütte up to the Ellmauer Tor, including two sections with steel wires anchored into the rock for extra safety. Continue up to the Hinterer Goinger Halt, the highest point of this hike. Here the terrain is steep and rocky. Again, there are several sections with iron chains for you to hold onto as you climb. The reward for all that hard work is a fantastic view stretching from the Chiemsee lake in Germany all the way to the Großglockner, Austria's highest mountain, and the Main Alpine Ridge. Return back the way you came until you reach the turning marked "Jubiläumssteig". Once again you will need a heas for heights and sure footing as things are rocky and exposed on this section, which includes a little scrambling and climbing. The most difficult passages of this final approach to the Gruttenhütte hut are secured with steel wires anchored into the rock. Here once again it is safest to use a via ferrata climbing set.

Stage 3: Gaudeamushütte - Schleierwasserfall - St. Johann
Uphill/downhill: 190/1,060 metres, walking time: 4.5 hours, distance: 11.4 kilometres, highest point: 1,620 metres, difficulty rating: intermediate (red trails)

Day three comprises a long, slow descent along the south-eastern flanks of the Wilder Kaiser Mountains. En route you will find highlights both natural and culinary. From the Gruttenhütte hut, take the Wilder-Kaiser-Steig skirting below the summits of the Treffauer and Tuxeck mountains through an area of scree known as Lenggries. Continue on past the Kaiser-Hochalm hut (closed to the public) to the Steiner-Hochalm hut, where drinks but no food are served. If you are hungry, head to the Hinterschießling-Alm, another hut using plenty of homegrown produce in its dishes. Refreshed and rested, it's time for the final push down across the Rehbachklamm gorge with its bridges, waterfalls and a cave where mining used to be practised. The hike ends in Scheffau. To get back to the starting point in Going you can either take the KaiserJet shuttle bus (free of charge for holders of a guest card) or use the normal bus to get to Kitzbühel, Wörgl or Kufstein.