In the Kurpark of Bad Aussee, walk past the Archduke Johann Monument to the
geographical centre of Austria. Then cross the meeting point of the Altaussee Traun and the Grundlsee Traun on the round Mercedes Bridge. On the other side, the route heads left to the car park at Untere Pratergasse, turns left over the E-Werk Bridge and then shortly afterwards turns right following the trail marker “Zum Bahnhof” via the E-Werk footbridge. The marked footpath to the train station briefly leads uphill to the Hugo Cordignano Promenade, which you follow south, passing the Protestant church. Underneath the bridge of the bypass street, you arrive at Bahnhofstraße, which you cross before the Beck Bridge. Along Öfnerstraße and Untere Bahnhofpromenade you reach the bridge which leads left over the Traun to the Bad Aussee train station (633 m). 30 min
Head 200 metres back towards the town centre along Bahnhofstraße, turn right before the bridge over the Kainisch Traun and follow a narrow trail to a bridge, which can be crossed to reach Gasthaus Kalßenwirt. Continue along the Traun and follow the sign to “Ödensee”, passing the recycling centre along the way. Then the route heads uphill through the forest to a gravel quarry and then soon after to the street leading to Lake Ödensee. Following this street to the right, you arrive after 500 metres at the car park in front of the gourmet Gasthaus Kohlröserlhütte am Ödensee (776 m) 2:30 h
For those interested, you can circle the lake along a forest road with trail sections in approximately 45 minutes. However, the Salzkammergut Trail heads left from the Kohlröserlhütte over the outflow of the Ödensee Traun and then right on the Ödensee circular trail to the eastern shore, where you go left to a forestry road.
This road takes you left to the old Ödenseestraße, which you follow to the right at the fork. Shortly before the mountain pines of the Kainisch Moor, turn right to arrive at a meadow. Now always follow the signs to “Mühlreith, Karstquellen Strumern”. Soon you turn left onto a hiking trail which ascends through the forested slopes.
After some 500 metres, the route goes left on a forest road and then downhill to the right into the Eibl Ravine, where you go left. To the right behind several trees, there is a clearing with a small, shallow lake. To the left, a narrow path leads to the nearby Strumern karst springs. Finally, the gravel road heads downhill for a short distance to the houses of Mühlreith (800 m). 1:30 h
There you turn right in the direction of “Steinitzenalm” onto the Stiegeranger Trail. Where the trail leads left to the snack station Stieger, you go right along the forestry road into the forest. Ascending via the wide ravine of the Riedlbach Stream, pass the Riedl Moor and next to the Gschwend Meadow, arrive after 2 kilometres at the fork on the Steinitzenalm (995 m), where the Christof’n Hut encourages you to make a rest stop.
From the previously mentioned fork, continue briefly uphill, turn left and then go along the southern edge of the alpine meadow to two additional junctions. Go straight ahead into the forested Almgraben Ravine. At the valley floor below, go left along the flat road (Pulverstampfweg) over the Salza River to Neuhofen. After the railway bridge and the bypass road, you arrive at the Kurpark in the town centre of Bad Mitterndorf (809 m).
The tourism office is in town (Mitterdorferstraße 58). There you also cross the hiking trail “From Glacier to Wine”. 0:45 h