Wildnistrail Beech Trail (Reichraminger Hintergebirge)

Nationalpark Kalkalpen is the largest beech forest protected area in the Alps and since 2017 the first UNESCO World Natural Heritage site in Austria. On the hike along the Beech Trail, you experience the return of forest wilderness up close in Nationalpark Kalkalpen. The special feature along the path is the near-natural beech forests, of which only a few remnants remain in Europe. On the “Wildnistrail Beech Trail,” you hike gently up and down, comfortably following the stream course in two stages over the Wilder Graben to the Klaushütte, which invites you to rest. The return is on the same path or on the gravel road (Hintergebirgs bike path), which runs on the opposite side of the stream.

Stage 1: To Wilder Graben (approx. 1 hour)

Immediately after the barrier at the Anzenbach car park, the path begins to the left in a large loop towards Hintergebirge. Right at the beginning, we immerse ourselves in a mix of beech and spruce forest, which gradually turns into a primeval beech forest. After about 15 minutes, we reach the suspension bridge over the stream.

From the suspension bridge onward, we hike through a mesophilic beech forest, which is well supplied with water and lies moist along the stream. Not far above the bridge, originally in the early 1980s, a storage power plant with two large dams was to be built. One above the suspension bridge, the second in the area of the Große Klause. Reason prevailed, and today this area has become a recreational space and an eldorado for wild animals.

Gradually, the stream swings toward the south and southwest. On a ridge in the dense beech forest, about 100 meters below us, we can see the confluence of the Plaißabach into the Reichramingbach, which from here is called the Großer Bach. Opposite is the hut of the Maierralm and below us a flat spot. Here once lived a forester who controlled the timber rafting activity at the confluence between Plaißabach and Reichramingbach and prevented any blockages. In the steep south slope, relics of utilization history become visible, as we enter a former spruce forest. Here it is impressively visible how deciduous trees grow into the tree layer, many of the overly dense spruces die off, and thus the monoculture slowly transforms into a near-natural forest.

Immediately, the forest structure changes again, as the beech forest gets older, the amount of deadwood increases significantly, and the path winds up old trails to a rock ridge (with an information panel about forest types on the beech trail). Here, the mesophilic beech forest changes into the dry slope beech forest with wild orchids and various mixed tree species such as wild service tree and red dogwood.

At some points, the Großer Bach offers a view into its stream bed coming from the south. Smaller brooks in deeply incised grooves bubble up after spring rains but can also turn into rushing torrents. The slopes become steeper, and the beech trail here increasingly develops into an alpine trail (caution: risk of slipping!).

At a distinctive rock ridge with a view to the south, the vegetation and tree species composition change markedly, and the path turns about 800 meters upstream into the Wilder Graben. It becomes brighter and sunnier; the herb, shrub, and ground vegetation become noticeably richer and more diverse. Sporadically, the mountain elm appears. Near the stream, moss growth with ferns on the trees becomes stronger, and you can feel the coolness and moisture of the Wilder Graben stream.

We cross the Wilder Graben stream on a small wooden bridge. From here, the path climbs uphill towards Ebenforstalm and downhill to the second stage of the wilderness trail (walking time to here approx. 1 hour).

Stage 2: Wilder Graben to Klaushütte (approx. 2 hours)

From the wooden bridge, we follow the Wilder Graben gravel road about 100 meters downhill to the entrance of the second stage of the beech trail to the right of the road. The first few minutes go slightly uphill, then the path runs almost always on the same level. We dive into a thicket of young beeches. Soon we hear again the rushing of the Großer Bach. In spring and autumn, the beautiful view into the valley is open. During the path, the forest gets older; striking here is the share of deadwood: lying, rotting trunks covered with fungi and mosses soon become nutrient soil for young trees.

On a terrain edge, a storm in summer 2012 brought down numerous mighty beeches. Now sunlight also penetrates the forest floor in summer, providing a chance for newly emerging, structurally rich, lush ground vegetation where blackberry, raspberry, goat's beard, male fern, nettle, wild mint, thyme, ragwort, alpine oregano, and many others feel particularly comfortable. Nectar visitors rejoice at the food offer, and soon numerous butterflies will again frolic in the forest clearing. Changes are the only constant in nature.

After about half an hour, we cross the first of three water-carrying gullies that can swell into rushing torrents after heavy rain. With some luck, a fire salamander can be observed here.

The path descends more and more so that on the other side of the brook we can clearly see the Hintergebirgs bike path. Then it rises again briefly until we finally look down into a stream bend and the path leads to a peninsula-like plateau (walking time from Wilder Graben approx. 1 hour).

On this plateau, we find some old iron parts and concrete bases, remnants of a timber cable railway that led from here to Ebenforst – Taborwald area. This railway was built in the 1920s after timber rafting on the Ebenforstbach was discontinued. The plateau around the valley station was used as a timber storage. The trunks were then rafted on the waterway to Reichraming.

More and more, the path approaches the stream until we finally reach, after 10 minutes in the Wasserboden area, a wooden boardwalk over which we comfortably walk along the shore. Interesting here is the large spring that emerges below the wooden boardwalk. Surprisingly, the Ebenforstbach drains here, which disappears on the Ebenforst plateau and then flows underground.

Immediately afterwards, we cross the Kohlersgraben again over a second, shorter wooden boardwalk. Here the Begsteigersteig branches off towards Ebenforstalm. We continue straight ahead on the beech trail. The path now always runs relatively close to the stream until it joins the gravel road and continues to the Rabenbach bridge. Here we cross the Großer Bach and walk the last stretch (about 15-20 minutes) upstream along the Hintergebirgs bike path past the Große Klause to the Klaushütte.

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TIPS FOR ROUND TRIP VARIANTS

* Alternative Cross Route - Rauchgrabeneck - forest road - path (below Kronsteineralm) - Brunnbach (walking time approx. 2 hours) - Brunnbach/Stadl car park/bus stop. Tip: During the summer months, a small inn in the Brunnbachstadl is open from Friday afternoon to Sunday evening and invites you to stop by.

* Combined Hiking and Cycling Tour
By bike from the Anzenbach car park on the Hintergebirgs bike path to Wilder Graben. (approx. 20 minutes walking time, park and lock bike) - hike Beech Trail stage 2 to Große Klaushütte (approx. 2 hours walking time) - return hike on the same path to Wilder Graben - return trip by bike. Alternatively, hike back from Große Klaushütte on the Hintergebirgs bike path (forest road) to Wilder Graben - return trip by bike.

* The Large Bike-Hike Variant
You arrange an exciting Hintergebirge tour with family members, friends, acquaintances:
One group rides a bike from the Anzenbach barrier on the Hintergebirgs bike path to Große Klaushütte (approx. 1 hour walking time), the second group hikes the Beech Trail to Große Klaushütte (approx. 3.5 hours walking time). There the teams exchange bikes and hiking boots and go back in reverse direction to the Anzenbach car park.

Please don’t forget to save the route “offline” before you start, as mobile reception in the forest wilderness of the National Park is not always available.

UNESCO World Natural Heritage Beech Forests in Nationalpark Kalkalpen

Download the free companion booklet for the trail: Nature Experience Path Wildnistrail Beech Trail