Adventure

Destination: Schafberg Himmelspforte, Salzburg (1783m)

Route: Winkl, St. Gilgen > Schafberg Alm > Schafbergalm Station > Summit

Time: 6-7hr return

Distance: 13km

We started our journey from Winkl, just outside the quaint, scenic village of St. Gilgen and soon found our way hiking up a marked path through the cool, lush, forest terrain. The path zig zagged up the hillside, becoming increasingly steeper and rockier, with a few glimpses of the views through the trees.

Eventually, we found ourselves walking above the tree line, as we headed towards the Schafberg Alm. We were welcomed by stunning views over Wolfgangsee Lake, it was really beautiful to see and it gave us a fresh burst of energy.

A little farther up, the Schafbergalm Station gives visitors the option to hop on Austria's steepest cog railway train up to the summit - it's so great when they make such a special mountain so accessible. We were personally keen to do the full hike to the top (we'd got this far!), so we carried on up through the Austrian meadows (it felt like we were in the Sound of Music haha) and enjoyed more picturesque views of Wolfgangsee. 

As we reached the train track level crossing, we were able to see the shiny, bright red train pass us by, which felt really special. It was also a great time to look back and admire the view behind us.

We continued our hike and ventured past the highest Schafberg station up to the cloud covered mountain summit, where the Schafberg Himmelspforte restaurant sits proudly welcoming everyone on their arrival. What a venue to eat home-cooked local cuisine! It's name actually means 'Heaven's Gate', which I think is a pretty awesome name and speaks for itself. 

From ground to summit, the hike covers a 1000m vertical elevation climb, so it's definitely the place to eat, refresh and take your time. 

After a wander around the fascinating summit, we sat and ate our packed lunch and waited for a proper break in the clouds that hovered just around the peak and wooden summit cross.

I love the anticipation and, even more so, the actual feeling when the clouds start to disperse and reveal rewarding panoramic views... and we were not disappointed! We were able to see across the stunning Salzkammergut region and admire beautiful Lake Mondsee, which made it well worth the wait.

After a final explore around the summit soaking in the views, we then began our descent following the same route. Overall, it was a great day's hike and well recommended.