Snowshoe walking Easy snowshoe hike to the schwarzer Herrgott - Touren-Impression #1 | © Weges OG Snowshoe walking Easy snowshoe hike to the schwarzer Herrgott - Touren-Impression #1 | © Weges OG

Easy snowshoe hike to the schwarzer Herrgott

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Leisurely snowshoe hike through the Allerheiligengraben near Fohnsdorf in the Murtal adventure regionto the wayside cross "Schwarzer Herrgott".

There are numerous and comfortable local recreation and hiking trails north of the town of Fohnsdorf on the Gaaler Höhenzug in the Murtal adventure region. These trails are popular in summer and winter and yet you are sometimes very lonely on the road. The interesting thing about the Gaaler Höhenzug, which is located to the south of the Seckau Alps, is the snow and weather influences from the north and the branched valley forms. The last winters you could find beautiful tours here, because the snow in the shady areas has kept for a long time. One of these hikes leads through the Allerheiligengraben to the wayside cross "Schwarzer Herrgott". Elfi Lukas describes in the book Von Schloss zu Schloss (From Castle to Castle): "When lightning once struck the wayside cross, the statue of Christ turned black but did not burn. It has survived through several generations." The hike is mainly on forest roads and is perfect for pleasure hikers and beginners. On the one hand, orientation is easy, even if markings are missing here and there, and on the other hand, the climbs are mostly leisurely and therefore easier on your strength. This forest snowshoe tour allows in between beautiful views of the opposite slopes of the Gaaler Höhenzug. If you take a closer look at the surroundings, you will notice the dilapidated huts, which have something mystical about them and reveal the agricultural structures from times long past.

Characteristics

Skill
Fitness

Best season

April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November

The tour in numbers

easy
Level of difficulty
10,6 km
Route
4:00 h
Time
410 hm
Uphill
407 hm
Downhill
1296 m
Highest point

Map & downloads

More information

From Vienna (approx. 2.5 hours):

  1. Take the A2 towards Graz.

  2. At 161-St. Michael junction, switch to the S36 towards Judenburg/Knittelfeld.

  3. Exit at Fohnsdorf.

  4. Follow the signs into Fohnsdorf and continue to the Gasthaus Mooswirt.

From Graz (approx. 1 hour):

  1. Take the A9 towards Linz/Salzburg.

  2. At 161-St. Michael junction, change to the S36 towards Judenburg/Knittelfeld.

  3. Exit at Fohnsdorf.

  4. Continue into the town and follow the local signs to the Gasthaus Mooswirt.

From Salzburg (approx. 2.5–3 hours):

  1. Take the A10 towards Villach.

  2. At exit 63-Altenmarkt, change to the B320 towards Radstadt/Schladming.

  3. Continue via Schladming to Liezen.

  4. Join the A9 towards Graz.

  5. At 161-St. Michael junction, switch to the S36 towards Judenburg/Knittelfeld.

  6. Exit at Fohnsdorf.

  7. Follow the signs to the Gasthaus Mooswirt.

We walk from the Mooswirt inn (1), 888 m, up the road slightly uphill along the Allerheiligengraben. We follow the main path - again and again side roads lead away - and after about 2.7 km we see a prominent, wooden signpost (2), 1080 m, on the left side. Here the distances to the Gasthof Mooswirt and to our destination, the Schwarzer Herrgott, are indicated in kilometers. For orientation, the trail number 10 and the mountain bike route "Himmelbauer Tour" should also be mentioned. At this sign, a side road now leaves to the left, which we now follow. Immediately we cross a bridge and then continue moderately uphill, always following the forest road. After a while we come to a small clearing where there is a stone house with a wooden annexe, the Ertlhube (3), 1220 m. After the Ertlhube, the forest road makes a right turn, where the hiking trail leads uphill on the left (we come down here on the descent). We stay on the forest road during the ascent and can thus take a contemplative and partly panoramic path. Before we reach our destination, the forest road leads even slightly downhill and then we see the wayside cross with the name Schwarzer Herrgott (4), 1270 m, in a crossing area. The descent is via the now shorter hiking trail back to Ertlhube (3), 1220 m, and then we follow the already known ascent route.

Another hike on the Gaaler Höhenzug can be found in the snowshoe guide Styria under tour 16 "Hölzelkogel".

Unfortunately, this tour cannot be reached by public transport.

  • Recommendation: Travel by car or organize a carpool.
Parking directly at the Gasthof Mooswirt.

Mooswirt Inn, Tel.: +43 3573 3566, 8753 Fohnsdorf, Steinmetzgraben 22, www.mooswirt.com

Freytag & Berndt (2017): Seetaler Alpen, Seckauer Alpen, Judenburg, Knittelfeld. WK 212 Wander-, Rad-, Freizeitkarte; 1:50000 Sarcletti S., Zienitzer E., (2. Auflage 2018): Schneeschuhführer Steiermark – Vom Dachstein bis zum Steirischen Weinland. Bergverlag Rother GmbH, München, S. 176. 

Schneeweiß C., (2012): Schneeschuhgehen – Praxiswissen vom Profi zu Ausrüstung, Technik und Sicherheit. Bruckmann Verlag GmbH, München, S.192

Gallery

What the weather will be like

Fohnsdorf (738m)

18.10.2025
slightly cloudy
1°C 12°C
19.10.2025
slightly cloudy
1°C 12°C
20.10.2025
weather.icon.04
0°C 13°C
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