Ascent to Dürrenstein via the Scheibe ridge

Trek to Mount Dürrenstein in the Ybstal Alps

Starting point

Forest parking near Langau, free of charge.
 

Description of the hike

Dürrenstein is a prominent peak in neighbouring Lower Austria, one of the landmarks of the Ybbstal Alps. There are marked trails leading to the summit from several directions, but the unmarked route over the Scheibe and Scheiblingstein peaks is also interesting. You can park your car in the forest car park just outside the village of Langau.

From the car park, the Alpenverein trail leads along the stream through the alm Herrenalm to Dürrenstein. After about 50 metres an unmarked trail turns right to Scheibe. The forest path is well trodden and marked with stone markers. The path climbs for about an hour through beech forest, the top of the Scheibe can be seen between the trees. The climb is intuitive, there is nowhere else to turn. After about an hour, the path turns left and climbs up a grassy traverse to a saddle between the Scheibe and Scheiblingstein peaks. This is probably the steepest section, but nothing dangerous. From the saddle there is a beautiful view of the neighbouring Ötscher and Ybbstal Alps, then the peaks of Schneeberg, Raxalpe, Veitsch, Hochschwab. On the other side the hills drop steeply to the town of Lunz am See and Lake Lunzer See. From the saddle to the right it is only a few dozen metres to the summit of Scheibe (1602 m) with a view to the north.

From Scheibe, an unmarked ridge path continues over the Scheiblingstein (1622 m) and Bärenleitenkogel (1635 m) peaks along the eastern part of the ridge. The ridge line is superb, undulating terrain, mountain meadows, pollarded spruce trees, rock gardens with flowering roses, views in all directions. After about two hours, the road drops down from the ridge to the meadows of Herrenalm. At the wooden cross Leonhardikreuz there is a signpost with marked trails.

From Leonhardikreuz it is then about an hour on the marked trail to Dürrenstein. The path is not technically demanding, it climbs gently over meadows and under the peak between limestone scrapers. The south face of the Dürrenstein is steep and scalloped and offers further views of the nearby Hochkar and the more distant Gesäuse with the prominent peaks of Lugauer, Hochtor and Buchstein, and to the east the Voralpe, Haller Mauern, Grosser Pyhrn and Totes Gebirge.

After resting for a while, I return to Herrenalm by the same route. Alm is at the source of the streams, it is possible to refill water here. It's only open in season from about June, but there's a whole battery of cans in the water trough for thirsty visitors. From Herrenalm, the path descends back down to the car park along a waymarked route. It's about 1.5 - 2 hours back to the car along the forest paths.
 

Difficulty

A beautiful scenic route along the ridge, partly on unmarked trails. Alpine terrain mostly along the ridge and mountain meadows, no dangerous sections.
 

Water availability

Water approximately in the middle of the route at the Herrenalm shepherd's hut.
 

Sleeping options

There is no lodge on the route, plenty of accommodation in the valley.
 

Mountain peaks

Trasa vede přes vrcholy Scheibe, Scheiblingstein, Bärenleitenkogel a Dürrenstein. Výhledy na Ybbstalské Alpy, Schneealpe, Raxy, Hochschwab, Gesäuse.
 

Danger

There are steeper climbs on the route, but it is not dangerous. Even the Scheibe ridge is easily accessible, there is a mountain trail leading here. A classic alpine walker.

Food

Takeaway food, in season refreshments available at Herrenalm (from about June).
 

Attractions

Dürrenstein, Ötscher and Hochkar are three prominent Lower Austrian peaks that exceed 1800 m in height. They are connected by a long-distance route that can be walked in 2-3 days, staying overnight in the huts below the peaks. All the peaks can also be climbed independently from the valley, Ötscher and Hochkar are easy to ascend with the help of cable cars. It is a short drive from the Czech Republic, about 2 hours.

The starting point of the Ötscher - Dürrenstein - Hochkar crossing is either the parking lot of the Hochkar ski resort (bus) or, from the other side, the village of Lackenhof below Ötscher. The route runs along ridges above 1000 m, crosses major and minor peaks, but also crosses deep valleys, expect a large elevation gain. There are several huts on the route where you can stay overnight in the season - Ötscher Schutzhaus, Ybbstaler Hütte, Schwarzalm Hütte, huts at the Hochkar ski resort.