Parkirišče Alpspitzbahn - Alpspitze (Alpspitz Ferrata)

Access to starting point:
Through the Karawanks Tunnel, we drive to Austria, and then we continue driving towards Spittal and further towards Lienz (a little after Spittal the highway ends). Further, we drive on a relatively nice and wide road through the Drau Valley, which brings us into Italy. The road further leads past Dobbiaco / Toblach and Brunico / Bruneck. We still continue on the main road and then we join the highway towards Austria (direction Brenner, Innsbruck). In Innsbruck we continue on the highway, which runs towards the west along the river Inn (at the highway junction direction Garmisch). We soon leave the highway at the exit for Garmisch. The road then starts ascending towards the mountain pass Scharnitz where there is the border between Austria and Germany. From the mountain pass, we then descend to the German side and follow the signs for Garmisch-Partenkirchen. When we drive through the mentioned place we follow the signs for Austria and the place Ehrwald. A little before the end of the place Garmisch-Partenkirchen we turn left where the signs »Alpspitze« direct us. We follow this road to a large parking lot at the bottom station of the cableways Alpspitzbahn and Kreuzeckbahn.

Route description:
From the parking lot, we head towards the bottom station of the cableway Alpspitzbahn and first cross the railway track, then head onto the macadam road that runs between both cableways. At the beginning the macadam path leads past a few houses, and along the path we will also notice signposts that mark the path towards the mountain hut Kreuzeck. The road then turns left and starts steeply ascending through the forest. Further the road runs occasionally on the ski slope from which a view opens towards the place Garmisch-Partenkirchen and then again through the forest.
Later, the path brings us to a wider macadam road along which we continue right following the signs »Kreuzeck«. We follow the gentle wide road only a short time, as the signposts soon direct us left onto a steeper road by the ski slope. Here the path leads past the artificial lake Speichersee and later rejoins the wider road. For some time we walk again on the mentioned road, then the signs for Kreuzeck direct us right onto a footpath.
Here we then ascend in zig-zags through the forest, soon we come out of the forest again and a view also opens towards the summit Zugspitze. A short ascent follows along the ski slope and the path brings us to the private hut Trögelhütte.
At the hut we continue right on a narrow macadam road, which after a short ascent we leave and continue on the footpath. Further, we ascend through the forest and along the path we will also notice boards on which various verses are written. Higher the path brings us to the mountain pasture Kreuzalm where we rejoin the macadam road. On the mountain pasture where a beautiful view opens towards the summit Alpspitze we continue right on the macadam road along which we soon reach the hut Kreuzeckhaus where there is also the upper station of the cableway Kreuzeckbahn.
At the junction located a little below the hut we then continue left towards the mountain pasture Hochalm. The path from the junction slightly descends and leads us past a viewpoint by which there are also various boards. Here first from the left a footpath joins from the ski jumps in the place Garmisch-Partenkirchen and then from the right the path from the place Hammersbach. We continue on the macadam road which soon brings us to another junction.
At the junction we continue left on the gentle road towards the mountain pasture Hochalm, to the right upwards leads a somewhat longer path over the summit Längenfelder also to the mountain pasture Hochalm. From the junction the road runs southwards and from the left the path Bernadeinsteig from the hut Stuibenhütte joins. The road then slightly ascends further and brings us to the hut on the mountain pasture Hochalm.
At the fork on the mountain pasture we continue slightly left on the road following the signs »Osterfelderkopf«, to the right leads the road towards the cableway Längenfelder and a somewhat steeper footpath towards the summit Osterfelderkopf where there is also the upper station of the gondola cableway Alpspitzbahn. From the fork the road starts to ascend somewhat more steeply southwards and leads us past the smaller hut Bergwachthütte. Further the road becomes gentler and soon a view opens on the precipitous northern wall of the summit Bernadeinkopf along which there also runs an extremely demanding secured path (difficulty D/E). The gentle road then brings us to a marked fork. First from the left the path from the Reintal valley and the hut Bockhütte joins, shortly after we reach another fork. This time to the left branches the path Schöngänge towards the summit Alpspitze and also the already mentioned extremely demanding secured climbing path on Bernadeinkopf. At the fork we continue slightly right on the macadam road that runs along the ski slope. Here we have from the path a very nice view of the northern walls of the summits Bernadeinkopf and Alpspitze, along the path there are also numerous boards that describe the surroundings in an interesting way. Later the road turns right and leads us through a small notch from which a view opens towards the summit Osterfelderkopf.
Further the path turns slightly left and then ascends on grassy slopes towards the summit. Higher a steeper path from the mountain pasture Hochalm joins and only a short ascent remains to the summit Osterfelderkopf where there is also the restaurant Alpspitze and the upper stations of the cableways Alpspitzbahn and Hochalmbahn.
From the restaurant Alpspitze we continue left on a gentle and wide path that crosses the slopes southwards. Our path then crosses a fence and for a short time still crosses the slopes southwards, then brings us to a marked fork.
At the fork we continue left, to the right leads the path over the notch Rinderscharte into the Höllental valley. From the fork first follows a short ascent with the aid of some steel cables, then a less steep path brings us below the slopes of the summit Alpspitze where there is another fork.
To the left leads the somewhat easier path Nordwandsteig towards the summit Alpspitze, we continue right towards the secured climbing path where the signs »Alpspitz - Ferrata« direct us.
The secured path in the initial section ascends steeply several times with the aid of numerous pegs (difficulty up to B). After the initial somewhat steeper part the path brings us to the register box. Further we ascend on a somewhat less steep slope that is still mostly secured with a steel cable. Higher there follow a few shorter steeper ascents with the aid of pegs, then the path brings us to the northwestern ridge from which a nice view opens towards the summit Zugspitze. From the ridge the path brings us to steeper western slopes which we cross southwards in a gentle ascent. A well-secured path then brings us to a fork a little below the summit Alpspitze.
To the right leads the more demanding path Jubiläumsgrat that runs along the ridge towards the summit Zugspitze (difficulty up to D). At the fork we continue left following the signs »Alpspitz - Gipfel« and begin to ascend with the aid of numerous pegs. From the path, which becomes less steep, we soon spot the cross on the summit. To the summit then only a short ascent follows along the panoramic ridge.
From the summit we descend eastwards on the path Ostgrat or on the path Ostflanke. Lower where the paths join we then return on the path Nordwandsteig to the upper station of the gondola cableway Alpspitzbahn.

Along the route: Speichersee (1230m), Trögelhütte (1436m), Kreuzeckhaus (1652m), Hochalm (1705m), Osterfelderkopf (2033m)

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