Bike-and-Hike Adventure
Bärenkopf

Lake Achensee, the largest lake in Tirol, can only be seen in its entirety from one mountain: the Bärenkopf (1,991 metres) above Pertisau. This bike-and-hike adventure begins in the village of Pertisau and leads through the Dristenautal Valley, past the Bärenbadalm hut to the top of the mountain. There is a short but relatively easy section near the summit with steel cables anchored into the rock for extra safety. The reward for all that hard work is a wonderful view of the lake itself, but also the Rofan Mountains, the Karwendel Mountains and the Main Alpine Ridge to the south.

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Starting point

Pertisau, bottom of Karwendelbahn cable car

Hike to

Bärenkopf (1,991 metres)

Finishing point

Pertisau, bottom of Karwendelbahn cable car

Mountain chain

Karwendel Mountains

Length

19 km

Features

Wheelchair-accessible Hiking Route
Circular hike

Difficulty rating

intermediate (red mountain trails)

Altitude

1,991m 961m

Elevation uphill 1,050m
Vertical metres downhill 1,050m

Best time of year

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

* These are approximate values and recommendations. Please take your personal fitness level, technical ability and the current weather conditions into account. Tirol Werbung cannot guarantee that the information provided is correct and accepts no liability.

Public transport

Accessible using public transport

Bus route 8332, get off at stop Pertisau Karwendellift

Parking

Parking at the bottom of the Karwendelbahn cable car (pay-and-display)

Places serving food & drink

Bärenbadalm (mid-May until mid-October)
Various locations in Perstisau

E-Bike-Ladestation

Sport Leithner, Talstation Karwendelbahn

Downloads

GPS data: Bärenkopf (gpx)

Trail description

Bike (intermediate)
Riding time: 1 hour 45 mins
Distance: 13.4 km
Ascent: 510 vertical metres

Hike (intermediate)
Walking time: 3 hours 20 mins
Distance: 5.6 km
Ascent: 540 metres

Start at the car park of the Karwendelbahn cable car in Pertisau, initially on your bike. At the fork next to the bottom station of the cable car, take the path to the left into the Dristenau valley. You will see signs for Bärenbadalm and Rodlhütte (MTB route 434). The route leads along the stream to the west for a while, constantly ascending. Then you cross a bridge and continue uphill on a wide farm track through mostly dense forest. After a second hairpin bend and around seven kilometres, the forest thins out and you soon reach the Bärenbadalm hut (1,457 metres).

Park your bike at the hut and pull on your hiking boots. Behind the hut, a narrow path leads up quite steeply. After leaving the alpine meadows, the path leads through sparse mountain pine forest, then back into more open terrain, which repeatedly offers beautiful views of the Karwendel mountains and Lake Achensee. Towards the end, the trail becomes rockier, with a short section secured with steel cables anchored into the rock. At the summit of the Bärenkopf (1,991 metres), a fantastic panoramic view opens up. The entire length of Lake Achensee can be seen from this vantage point and even the Großglockner (Austria's highest mountain) and the mighty Olperer to the south. You initially return along the same path, but after a good 300 metres you come to a signpost where you turn left towards the Weißenbachsattel. The path is very steep at first, but the gradient becomes gentler from the treeline onwards. At the Weißenbachsattel, turn right towards the Bärenbadalm. Once there, you can swap your boots for your mountain bike and take the same route back to Pertisau.