Waldheimhütte - Zirbitzkogel (Direct way)

Access to starting point:
We leave the motorway Klagenfurt am Wörthersee (on Lake Wörthersee) - Graz at the exit Šentlenart in the Labotska dolina / Bad St. Leonhard im Lavanttal, then follow the signs for Zeltweg and Reichenfels. After the settlement Reichenfels we reach the state border between Austrian Carinthia / Kärnten and Styria / Steiermark, a little further we arrive at the Obdacher Sattel saddle, where we turn left towards the settlement St. Anna am Lavantegg. A steeper ascent to the mentioned settlement follows, from where we follow the signs for the Waldheimhütte hut. In the last section we continue on a toll road; the toll is paid at the parking meter next to the Waldheimhütte hut (the toll in 2025 was 3 euros for a passenger car).

Route description:
From the parking lot we walk past the hut to a marked junction, from which we head onto the path towards the summit Zirbitzkogel and Rothaidenhütte (slightly left, on the path that goes past the cross Türkenkreuz). The path ahead begins to ascend moderately across a grassy slope surrounded by forest and in just under 10 minutes brings us to a junction, where we continue straight ahead (right Rothaidenhütte).
We continue through the forest, and only a short distance further we return to a cart track that leads to Zirbitzkogelhütte. Further on, the forest gradually thins out and somewhere above 1800 m we finally leave the forest behind and then ascend an increasingly panoramic grassy slope. About 100 vertical metres higher we cross a cart track and a mountain road (left the cross Türkenkreuz, right Rothaidenhütte).
We follow the signs for Zirbitzkogel and continue ascending the cart track for a while longer; when the cart track bends slightly to the right, we continue straight ahead onto the mountain path that starts climbing the grassy grazing eastern slopes of Geierkogel. Here we ascend a bit more steeply for a short while; as we approach the indistinct northern ridge of the summit Geierkogel, the path flattens out, after which we easily descend to the other side of the ridge and continue comfortably to a rocky chapel, where we return to a cart track. Here the path from the settlement St. Wolfgang also joins us, or rather the route that passes the Rothaidenhütte.
Once on the cart track, we continue slightly left and walk for a few minutes without significant changes in elevation. After a junction where the path past Lavantsee joins from the left, the trail becomes steeper. An ascent in several hairpin turns follows; at the last hairpin turn, the paths that lead along the southern ridge of Zirbitzkogel join us from the left.
Here we turn right and ascend diagonally to the Zirbitzkogelhütte.
Here we go left and past a rocky chapel we quickly reach the panoramic peak, from which the view reaches all the way to Slovenian and Italian mountains.
Starting point - Zirbitzkogelhütte 2:15, Zirbitzkogelhütte - Zirbitzkogel 0:02.

Along the route: Zirbitzkogelhütte (2376m)

The trip can be extended to the following destinations: Scharfes Eck (Seetal Alps) ( 28 min)

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