Pletzen via Gaalreiter

They still exist, the lonely tours where you only meet a few like-minded people and can use nature to recover from everyday life. The hike on the Pletzen is one of them.
The hike starts at the parking lot just before the Gaalreiter farm. First you walk past the Gaalreiterhof farm, shortly afterwards you leave the forest road and follow the marked path through the forest. Sometimes steeper, sometimes across open meadows, then again through dense forest terrain - the terrain is very varied. Up to the first summit, the 1,956-metre-high Repenstein, there are around 750 vertical meters to overcome. The forest ends just before this striking boulder and the route climbs up beautiful meadow slopes and short mountain pine lanes.
After around two hours, you reach the Repenstein. You could descend to the right via hiking trail 980 into the Ingeringgraben, but we go straight ahead and follow the 980 in a northerly direction. After another 150 meters in altitude, you reach the Kleiner Ringkogel, from where you have a wonderful view of the peaks of the Seckau Alps. From here, it is only 160 meters up to the Großer Ringkogel at 2,277 m.
After the Ringkogel, the trail descends a few meters before the final ascent to the Pletzen begins. After just under four hours of walking, you reach the summit cross, which is not at the highest point. The panorama is fantastic: below is the idyllic Sundlsee lake, to the left the Seckauer Zinken, Hochreichart and Geierhaupt, the highest representatives of the Seckauer Tauern, tower into the sky. The peaks of the Triebener Tauern are also very close, including the Westliche Gamskogel. A few Gesäuse mountains can also be seen in the distance.
Now it's back to the depression in front of the Ringkogel, where you could descend to the Sundlsee - there is an alternative ascent from the Ingeringgraben. Back on the Ringkogel, continue via the Kleiner Ringkogel and the Repenstein into the valley.
This hike is definitely one of the “must-do” hikes in the Murtal region due to the easy terrain - it is never exposed or dangerous - and also because of the wonderful views and the two very different summit crosses. Although there are no refreshment stops along the way, you don't always need them.

Access by public transport is not possible. 

Free parking

Wanderkarte freytag & berndt WK 212 Seetaler Alpen, Seckauer Alpen, Judenburg, Knittelfeld

Wegnummer: 37, 980

Weitere Informationen zur Region finden Sie außerdem auf - www.murtal.at 

Wanderkarten:

• freytag & berndt
• Region Murtal
• Martin Muhrer/ BergfexMartin www.bergfexmartin.at