Snowshoe hike Maria Schnee on the Hochalm

From the Kühbergerhof parking lot (1), 1079 m, the forest road leads gently uphill above the farm. After approx. 1.9 km we come to a sharp left-hand bend and continue along the main path until we reach the second crossroads. Here at the turn-off to the Grafenalm (2), 1290 m, we turn right and follow the path until we see the alpine pastures of the Grafenalm on the left and from there we can already see our destination for today, the Hochalmkirche. Now we walk along the ridge to the Grafenhütte (3), 1432 m, then through a fence passage behind the hut to a forest road, on which we finally reach the Maria-Zeller-Gründerweg. The well-marked path initially leads us west under the "Hochalmkircherl" until we reach the broad mountain ridge. Now we keep to the right and walk along the ridge directly to the Maria Schnee pilgrimage church (4), 1822 m. For the descent, we take the steeper slope in front of the church and always keep in the direction of the Wetterlärche, a solitary and striking larch tree in the middle of the alpine pastures. Continue right past the large alpine hut, along the clearly recognizable forest road, until we see the markings and thus the start of the hiking trail. We follow the path downhill through the forest and pay attention to the markings and signposts in the direction of Sonnwenddorf and Seckau. The path leads us along the Kühbergerbach stream and then back to our starting point.

Before or after the hike, we recommend stopping at the Regner confectionery in Seckau to taste the pastries and the famous Seckau gingerbread.

There is no public transport connection to the starting point of the tour.

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

Large parking lot at the Kühbergerhof, 1079m. Parking fee 2 € (coins needed for the barrier).

Murtal adventure region Freytag & Berndt (2017): Seetaler Alpen, Seckauer Alpen, Judenburg, Knittelfeld. WK 212 Wander-, Rad-, Freizeitkarte; 1:50000

You can also find this tour on the Snowshoehiking map:

Region Murtal – Snowshoe map- Tour 25

The Snowshoe map - you can get for free at the tourism association Murtal - info@murtal.at   - Tel.: +43 3577 26600

You can also find more information about the region on - www.murtal.at 

Sarcletti S., Zienitzer E., (2. Auflage 2018): Schneeschuhführer Steiermark – Vom Dachstein bis zum Steirischen Weinland. Bergverlag Rother GmbH, München, S. 176. Für weitere Infos hier klicken.

Schneeweiß C., (2012): Schneeschuhgehen – Praxiswissen vom Profi zu Ausrüstung, Technik und Sicherheit. Bruckmann Verlag GmbH, München, S.192