Snowshoe
Defereggental Valley

Nestled amongst fir, spruce and pine trees, snowshoers can experience a pristine and remote wilderness area and a natural habitat for a rich variety of wildlife at the end of Defereggen Valley. Dramatic mounds of snow, a frozen creek and sweeping vistas await snowshoers. Plus, this is a great place for watching chamois and golden eagles in their natural habitats!

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Starting point

Katzental Bridge

Finishing point

Katzental Bridge

Mountain chain

Villgraten Mountains

Length

5.6 km

Features

Circular hike

Difficulty rating

medium

Altitude

1,670m 1,550m

Elevation uphill 210m
Vertical metres downhill 210m

Downloads

GPS data: Defereggental Valley snowshoe hike (gpx)

Trail description

From the trailhead, you’ll walk in a western direction through pine and spruce dusted with luxurious snow. Besides the frozen Schwarzach Creek, the trail takes you through thickets of forest for roughly half an hour until at the end of the trees, you come out onto open meadows with awesome views all around. This is a great place for winter wildlife watching; be sure to bring binoculars to enhance viewing. The picturesque trail climbs gently uphill through spruce forest and gorgeous mountains sparkling in the sunlight. There are many wonderful places to pause for a rest, relax and refuel with snacks and a thermos of hot cocoa or tea. Simply contemplate your good fortune while sitting here surrounded by pure mountain beauty. The loop brings you back along a broad forest road that gently ascends towards Staller Sattel. After a 15 minute walk, take the left fork and return to the trailhead.

Please Note: Be prepared to adjust your activity based on current conditions. As a general rule, if there is fresh snow, conditions may be better suited for snowshoeing; if the snow is old and well-travelled, it may be better for winter walking. For avalanche conditions visit lawine.tirol.gv.at.