Two-day trek from Turracher Höhe in the Nockberge

Hike to the Kasersee Lake and the Hoazhöhe Mountain in the Nockberge

Starting point

Parking in the road saddle Turracher Höhe. Parking is free of charge.
 

Description of the hike

1. day

The weather forecast for this weekend was terrible, but we had no other choice, so we at least tried to find a place in the Alps where it shouldn't have snowed so much. In the end we chose Nockberge and the Turracher Höhe mountain pass. And it was a good choice. While the central part of the Alps were covered with snow, here it was flying only lightly, so the ridges were passable. We didn't mind the colder weather. Plus, after we arrived, the clouds began to break and the sun showed up.

So from the saddle we set off along a wide path which soon led us to the picturesque Grünsee lake. We continued along a wide path that skirted the mountain ridge. Gradually, views began to open up, not only of the surrounding hills, but also of the Julian Alps. The wide road climbed only in places, we rather kept to the contours. Eventually we approached an unmarked trail that turns off to Lake Kasersee.

Here we left the hiking trail and began a steep ascent to the lake. The path goes around the stream that flows out of the lake. The climb is quite steep, the trail disappears in places. However, the orientation is easy, you are still walking along the stream. The final ascent to the lake is the steepest and essentially in the open. But nothing technically demanding. The lake itself is small, but really beautiful. There are also great views of the Slovenian and Italian Alps. We set up our tents by the lake and cooked dinner.

After a rest we went to the ridge above us for the evening. We climbed comfortably up the ridge and eventually to the Hoazhöhe mountain by free terrain. The views were great, and so was the weather, so we stayed a little longer. Eventually we descended again on loose terrain back to the tents, where we spent a pretty cold night.
 

2. day

Originally I wanted to enjoy the sunrise in the mountains, because the forecast was more than good. But things are different in the mountains, so we woke up to snowflakes and a nice blizzard. It stopped for a while, but soon picked up again. So we brewed some tea to warm up, packed our tents and headed for the ridge above us.

A mountain trail leads to it. We were still accompanied by heavy snowfall, so we didn't stay too long. There was a blizzard on the ridge, just a beautiful spring in the Alps. We descended to the Weitentalsattel saddle. Due to the weather we passed the Gruft mountain, which we traversed and reached the Schoberriegel mountain. At this point the weather started to improve significantly, so the views were great.

From the Schoberriegel we started to descend back to the Turracher Höhe saddle. The descent is a bit steeper, but nothing too bad. The views during it are fantastic. Eventually we reached the top station of the cable car, and after some slopes and tracks we made our way back to the car park.
 

Difficulty

Thanks to the high road saddle Turracher Höhe, the total elevation gain is not that great. The route follows wide roads or classic mountain trails. Only the Kasersee Lake is basically on open ground, although there is supposed to be a trail. However, it is easy terrain. It is also probably the steepest climb on the entire route. The biggest complication for us was the weather, with fresh snow falling the next morning and a blizzard. But otherwise the route is without any problems and can definitely be done in one day.
 

Water availability

There are several creeks along the route on the way to Kasersee Lake. We also refilled water right at the creek that feeds the lake.
 

Sleeping options

We spent the night in tents at Kasersee Lake. Otherwise, there are plenty of accommodation options in the Turracher Höhe mountain saddle.
 

Mountain peaks

On the route we climbed the peaks Hoazhöhe 2 319 m above sea level and Schoberriegel 2 208 m above sea level.
 

Danger

The journey itself is completely trouble-free. It is mostly on mountain trails or roads. The only more challenging place is the climb up to Kasersee Lake, but even here it is on a steep slope that is not technically demanding. What was challenging was the weather. Although it was the second half of May, it was snowing and well below freezing at night. So it is necessary to have good equipment for sleeping. Another problem was the wind and blizzard which made walking difficult. Fortunately, visibility was still good.

Food

We had our own supplies, we cooked at our tents, both dinner and tea in the morning. So definitely take food with you, there is no mountain hut on the route.