Snowshoe hike Rosenkogel

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“The Encounter": On snowshoes from Gaalgraben up to Rosenkogel (1,879 m) – a scenic tour with an elevation gain of around 700 meters, which requires stamina but rewards you with sweeping views over the Seckau Alps, the reverent Loreto Chapel, and the summit of Rosenkogel.

A classic in the Seckau Alps is the hike in the adventure region Murtal over the Sommertörl to the Rosenkogel, with the descent over the Lorettokapelle. The Sommertörl pass crossing is a familiar name to many hikers, as you can park here in summer and hike comfortably to the summit or chapel. In winter, the private road is closed and the tour starts at the parking lot on the Lanzalm. Up to the Sommertörl the ascent and descent for this tour is identical, only in the summit area we recommend the direct ascent to the 1918 m high Rosenkogel and the descent via the Lorettokapelle.

Characteristics

Skill

Fitness

Best season

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

The tour in numbers

medium

Level of difficulty

11,5 km

Route

5:00 h

Time

671 hm

Uphill

662 hm

Downhill

1917 m

Highest point

Map & downloads

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More information

From Vienna (approx. 2.5 hours):

Take the A2 towards Graz.
At 161-St. Michael junction, switch to the S36 towards Judenburg/Knittelfeld.
Exit at Knittelfeld-West.
Drive through Knittelfeld and continue to Gaal.
Follow the road into the Gaal Valley (Gaalgraben).
At the end of the road, you will reach the Sommertörl winter parking area.

From Graz (approx. 1.5 hours):

Take the A9 towards Linz/Salzburg.
At 161-St. Michael junction, change to the S36 towards Judenburg/Knittelfeld.
Exit at Knittelfeld-West.
Drive through Knittelfeld and continue to Gaal.
Continue into the Gaal Valley (Gaalgraben) until you reach the Sommertörl winter parking area.

From Salzburg (approx. 3 hours):

Take the A10 towards Villach.
At exit 63-Altenmarkt, change to the B320 towards Radstadt/Schladming.
Continue via Schladming to Liezen.
Join the A9 towards Graz.
At 161-St. Michael junction, switch to the S36 towards Judenburg/Knittelfeld.
Exit at Knittelfeld-West.
Drive through Knittelfeld and continue to Gaal.
Follow the road into the Gaal Valley (Gaalgraben) until you reach the Sommertörl winter parking area.

From the parking lot Lanzalm/Roßbach (1), 1254 m, we walk slightly uphill on the road in the direction of Roßbachgraben. After a trail length of approx. 3 km and an altitude difference of approx. 250 hm - after a right turn - a forest road branches off from the main trail to the right. There are no markings or signposts, but there are usually numerous tracks. For the time being it goes slightly downhill and subsequently we come directly to the alpine pastures of the Sommeralm. We walk directly past the Sommerhütte (2), 1582 m, and soon arrive at the Sommertörl pass. Here on the open spaces we can already see our goal, the summit cross of the Rosenkogel. Now we keep in a straight line uphill, along the ridge, cross forest roads several times and then come back to the red-white-red markings. The ascent to the summit is also a bit steeper in between, all the more we look forward to the magnificent view from the Rosenkogel (3), 1918 m. After a leisurely break, we choose the descent towards the east and arrive at the Lorettokapelle (4), 1817 m. The way back to Sommertörl is well marked and leads slightly downhill on a forest road. The rest of the descent leads back to the starting point via the ascent route.

If the whole tour is too strenuous for you, the Sommeralm is already a worthwhile snowshoe destination!

Unfortunately, this tour cannot be reached by public transport.

Recommendation: Travel by car or organize a carpool.

Large parking lot, which can be quickly occupied, especially on weekends.

Gasthof Wachter, Tel.: +43 3513 222, 8731 Gaal, Gaalgraben 27, www.gasthofwachter.at

You can also find more information about the region on - www.murtal.at

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