Winter hike at Gleinberg

Winter hike to the Calvary Chapel and the Gleinberg

This winter hike starts in St. Margarethen, a municipality with around 2800 inhabitants, and takes us to the Calvary Chapel, which was built in 1856 and is around 20 minutes from the starting point. The route continues along the Gleinberg, a long, mostly wooded ridge that stretches to the east and rises to an altitude of almost 900 meters. The exposed location of the Calvary Chapel promises a beautiful view of St. Margarethen and the surrounding area, even if the forest around the chapel is quite dense. A lovingly decorated nativity scene and two Christmas trees adorned with straw stars can be seen in the chapel at Christmas time. The hike mostly leads along forest roads, although caution is advised on the few steep sections - especially when there is snow. For a short winter hike, we recommend only walking up to the Calvary Chapel and back down along the Way of the Cross.

Characteristics

Skill

Fitness

Best season

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

The tour in numbers

easy

Level of difficulty

7,6 km

Route

2:30 h

Time

260 hm

Uphill

260 hm

Downhill

897 m

Highest point

Map & downloads

Download GPX data

Download KML data

More information

From St. Michael in Upper Styria via the Murtal expressway S36 (toll sticker required) to St. Lorenzen near Knittelfeld and on via Ugendorf to St. Margarethen near Knittelfeld (21 km, approx. 20 minutes).

From Judenburg via the Murtal expressway S36 (toll sticker required) to Knittelfeld-Ost and on via Gobernitz to St. Margarethen bei Knittelfeld (24 km, approx. 20 minutes).

Winter hiking by car - a few things you should be aware of!

Good winter tires are an absolute MUST!
Ice scraper, snow broom, de-icer for the door locks and a small shovel are part of the basic equipment.
Put snow chains and a tow rope in the car, even if you are not good with them yourself. There are always helpful and knowledgeable hikers on the mountain!
Clear all snow and ice from the car, especially the roof.
When parking, make sure that you also leave space for other drivers.
Always park in such a way that the rest of the road remains clear for cars, timber trucks and snow clearing vehicles.
Find out about the snow situation on the access road or parking facilities before setting off. (Hüttenwirt, webcams)

From St. Margarethen (1), 623 m, at the crossroads in the direction of Rachau / Glein, we see the yellow signpost in the direction of Glein (path no. 524) just a few meters away. We turn left and walk directly past the house and stable. We keep left and walk uphill, past a memorial column and continue following the red-white-red markings until we come to a wide forest road and now take a detour to the right to the Calvary Chapel (2), 702 m. We take some time at the chapel to enjoy the view and look at the lovingly designed nativity scene. After the break, we follow the wide forest road slightly uphill, where the red-white-red markings are clearly visible. We stay on the main path for the next 2.3 km until we reach the highest point of the hike at just under 900 m above sea level. Now it's another 500 m downhill until we reach the turn-off (3), 876 m, "Vorderglein / Gobernitz / Knittelfeld". The junction can be recognized by yellow and grey signposts. This is followed by an unmarked, somewhat overgrown section of the trail, so we continue downhill along a road or path until we reach a clearly recognizable forest road, on which we now continue to the right. Now it's a leisurely walk - always slightly downhill - with beautiful views in between back to St. Margarethen. Before we reach the Calvary Chapel again, there is a bench (4) with a wonderful view where we can enjoy the afternoon sun. At the Calvary Chapel we turn left and follow the road along the Stations of the Cross back to the starting point.

Delicacies such as doughnuts, coffee or tea sweeten this winter hike!

The nearest train station is Knittelfeld. Buses run to the suburb of St. Margarethen. If you stay overnight in one of the hotels, they often offer a pick-up service from the train station.

General information about public transport in the region: www.verbundlinie.at

Parking just before the Glein junction

Region Murtal: www.murtal.at Freytag & Berndt (2017): Seetaler Alpen, Seckauer Alpen, Judenburg, Knittelfeld. WK 212 Wander-, Rad-, Freizeitkarte; 1 : 50 000 C. und M. Hlatky, (2017): Murtal – Rund um Spielberg – Seetaler Alpen und Seckauer Alpen. Kral Verlag, S. 160