The hiking paradise of Zillertal Arena in the Hohe Tauern National Park
The Gerlos Alpine Road proceeds through the Zillertal Arena hiking and holiday region, deep into Hohe Tauern National Park. Since 1984 the natural surroundings in Austria’s biggest national park have been protected in a very special manner. Whereas the core zone is free from any human intervention, the expanded protection zone consists of a unique natural and cultural landscape, which has been home to numerous animals, plants and people for millennia. The linking up of the Alps and the development of an infrastructure that is in harmony with nature creates a unique experience world for hikers and mountaineers to this day
Hikes in all lenghts
and difficulty levelsIn this very well-connected mountain region along Gerlos Alpine Road, some 400 kilometres of signposted hiking paths await all ages – easy, medium-difficult and difficult tours of varying lengths take you to Alpine inns and mountain guesthouses, right the way up into the summit regions of the Hohe Tauern. Five summer cable cars, ‘Taltaxi Krimmler Achental’ and hiking buses get you to the starting and finish points for experience-filled hikes in the Hohe Tauern National Park. Discover the many and varied hiking opportunities available along Gerlos Alpine Road on the interactive hiking map for Zillertal Arena too!
Interactive hiking map
Tours for a day trip on Gerlos Alpine Road
A mix of driving and hiking fun makes for perfect enjoyment on this panoramic road from Salzburg to Tyrol. We have two easy hikes here that are ideal for incorporating into a day trip on Gerlos Alpine Road:
The wasserfall path along Krimml waterfalls
Right at the start of the Gerlos Alpine Road, on the Salzburg side, you will find car park 4 next to Krimml Worlds of Water. Park here, then the best thing to do is purchase the combi ticket in the waterfall center. Then you get to enjoy access to the waterfall path, and also to Krimml Worlds of Water – your parking fee is also included. A mere ten-minute walk takes you on the well signposted waterfall path to the first viewing point at the lowest waterfall. Up to this point the path is barrier-free and is also suitable for prams. Now there is a four kilometre long path, which has lots of serpentines and viewing platforms, right up to the uppermost waterfall; it takes about an hour to walk there. After that, you can continue hiking into Achental, or head back on the same path to the car park again – and start your journey via Gerlos Alpine Road.
hiking path at Durlaßboden reservoir
Start the second hike close to Gerlos on the Tyrolean side. Durlassboden reservoir is in a picturesque Alpine setting, nestling at 1400 metres altitude. Drive your car to the Königsleiten/Wald-Wildgerlostal junction – then head for Finkau. Park your car at the first car park at the lake and hike towards the dam wall. After around 50 minutes your first refreshment stop beckons, the Seestüberl at the reservoir dam. Now you have to decide if you want to continue hiking to the traditional Barschlagalm, which you get to within an hour on a wide forest path, or if you would like to relax and unwind in the nearby play area. The entire circular route is 10.7 kilometres, with a walking time of 3-3 ½ hours. Tip: in summer the reservoir tempts you to take a dip, enjoy a pedalo ride, or even head out sailing or surfing!
The hiking map for the Durlassboden reservoir circular path can be downloaded here!
TIP
Discover the unique cultural and natural landscape around the Gerlos Alpine Road accompanied by a trained national park ranger! Discover numerous large and small animals that are perfectly adapted to life in this part of the Alps: Red deer that roam the forests in packs. Nimble chamois in the rocky terrain. And only in the short high alpine summer above the tree line: the cute marmots.
Discover rare plants as you walk along
Gerlos Alpine Road proceeds from the valley, up to 1628 m altitude. As it does so, it crosses several vegetation levels. The vegetation ranges from dense woodland areas to the sparsely vegetated region close to the treeline area, to rare high Alpine flowers. Special plants grow here, for instance:
Lush greenery at the waterfall
It is well known that wherever you find water, life is particularly vibrant! It is exactly for this reason that the plants near Krimml Waterfalls are particularly species-rich! And the grass is a lush green, due to the fine spray.
High moor at the pass summit
Moors are very special indeed – in the first instance as water and Co2 stores, but also as habitats for special kinds of flowers. At the summit of Gerlos Alpine Road there is a very rare high moorland area, and the plants here have their very own colour palette. Please note that many of the plants in Hohe Tauern National Park are conservation protected. Please keep to the paths and do not pick any flowers.