hochtor mountain group

If you visit the Gesäuse, sooner or later you won't be able to avoid the Hochtor. No wonder - it towers above everything. Mighty, striking, magical. At 2,369 metres, the Hochtor is not only the highest peak in the national park, but also something like its centrepiece. Or rather: its wildly throbbing centre. The difference in altitude from the valley to the summit of 1,800 metres is particularly impressive. As the former hut landlord Reini Reichenfelser once said: ‘The Gesäuse may not be high, but it starts a long way down.’

The Hochtor group is not for the faint-hearted. It demands respect - and rewards you with views, insight and a feeling that is difficult to put into words. Anyone who has ever stood at the top knows what is meant. The view is far-reaching. Into the distance and inside. Here the rock is still rock. Rugged, angular, untamed. The paths are alpine, sometimes exposed, nothing for beginners - but everything for anyone looking for the real mountain. Whether over the Hesshütte, past the Planspitze or across the rock labyrinth: the route to the Hochtor is always an adventure.

The golden eagle circles between the steep walls, the marmots whistle below and, with a bit of luck, a chamois peeps around the corner. You are right in the middle of one of the most unspoilt corners of the Alps. In a world that does not bend - and that is precisely why it is so fascinating. It is pure, clear, powerful. A piece of real freedom made of stone. 

And one of the most beautiful long-distance hiking routes in Styria runs right through it: the ‘From Glacier to Wine - Northern Route’. It leads from the glaciers of the Dachstein to the vineyards of southern Styria - and of course also stops off in the Gesäuse.