Hike to Mount Himmeleck in the Seckau Tauern

Hike up the Griesmoarkogel and Himmeleck Mountains in the Seckau Tauern

Starting point

The last forest parking lot in the Liesingtal Valley. Parking is free. Parking is not permitted in the valley outside of the designated parking lot. Overnight parking is prohibited throughout the valley.
 

Description of the hike

After arriving at the forest parking lot in the morning, we set off toward Himmeleck Mountain, as indicated by the hiking sign. Although there is no official hiking trail leading from this parking lot to the ridge, the path is clearly marked and easy to follow. First, we descended slightly to the Steilbach stream and passed by a mountain farmstead, through which the official trail to Himmeleck runs. Above the farmstead, we climbed through beautiful alpine meadows, where we were treated to our first views of the Seckau Tauern ridge. After entering the forest, a steeper ascent followed, during which we had to go around the tall limestone cliffs ahead of us. However, the forest trail was easy to walk on, and we soon joined a wide path followed by the hiking trail. We continued climbing along this path toward the Beisteiner Alm huts. From the huts, we continued along a comfortable, wide path to the Bärensuhlsattel pass. This path climbs only gently, so there’s plenty of time to enjoy the views of the surrounding mountains. At the Bärensuhlsattel pass, more views opened up of the mountain ranges beyond the pass.

This was followed by another steep ascent up Griesmoarkogel. The trail wound its way up in switchbacks, and we quickly gained elevation. From the summit of Griesmoarkogel, amazing views opened up in all directions, including valleys shrouded in temperature inversions. We rested for a moment at the summit but soon continued on. First, we descended slightly into a saddle, followed by an ascent up Mount Himmeleck. From the summit, there are views of the Seckau Tauern, the Rottenmann Tauern, and to the north, the Enns Valley Alps, the Dachstein, the Totes Gebirge, and more. The return trip initially followed the same route. However, just below the summit of Griesmoarkogel, we turned onto a side ridge with a well-trodden trail. We followed it down to the Beisteiner Alm huts. From there, we returned along the same route we had taken on our morning ascent.
 

Difficulty

An easy hike with no technically challenging sections. The elevation gain isn’t that significant by Alpine standards. The steepest part of the ascent is in the forest, where you have to go around some limestone rocks. The rest of the way to the saddle is very easy. A classic mountain trail leads up to the mountain itself. Even fit children or dogs can handle the route.
 

Water availability

You can refill your water bottles at the Beisteiner Alm and then again on the trail from the hut to the Bärensuhlsattel pass.
 

Sleeping options

There are no hiking cabins along the trail or anywhere in the Seckau Tauern, so you can either camp out in the wilderness or spend the night in the valleys below the mountains.
 

Mountain peaks

From the peaks of Himmeleck (2,096 m above sea level) and Griesmoarkogel (2,009 m above sea level), there are spectacular views of the Low Tauern, the Ennstal Tauern, the Hochschwab, and many others.
 

Danger

The route has no technically challenging sections; you’ll be walking on trails or forest paths the entire time. There are no exposed sections.
 

Food

There are probably some snacks available during the season at the Beisteiner Alm. They definitely have cold beer and soda, but I have no idea if they also have any snacks. That’s why it’s important to bring your own snack.