In the Valley of Wood

From the Weißenbach car park in the Reichraminger Hintergebirge, follow the themed trail marking “In the Valley of Wood”, past the Weißenbach Chapel and the Bergerwies Hut, up the wooded north slope of the Stefflkogel and then back down through the beech forest to the Reichramingbach and back to the starting point.
Themed trail: In the Valley of Wood

From the Weißenbach car park in the Reichraminger Hintergebirge, follow the themed trail marking “In the Valley of Wood” and immediately cross the Reichramingbach. Almost without elevation, walk along the gravel road along the Große Weißenbach.

After 15 minutes you reach the Weißenbach Chapel. It is one of the few remains of the disappeared settlement in Weißenbach, where around ten families lived until 1960. The chapel, renovated in 1999, was built in 1828 and was mainly the center of village life on Sundays and holidays. Immediately after the chapel, the Kleine Weißenbach flows into the Große Weißenbach.

Here you turn onto the left gravel road, follow again the marking “In the Valley of Wood” into the Große Weißenbach Valley and soon reach the Bergerwies Hut (not permanently managed). The hut was built around 1950 and was accommodation for woodcutters and hunters. Here you can also find a reconstructed charcoal kiln – a considerable part of the felled wood was previously processed into charcoal. After only 5 minutes walk, the road makes a left turn.

It is definitely worth a short detour straight ahead following the course of the stream. Until the century flood in August 2002, there was still a forest road along the Große Weißenbach, which connected to Ebenforstalm. Large parts of this road were washed away overnight by the floodwaters. On this section in the northern part of the Kalkalpen National Park, you can clearly see how nature forms new landscapes with the help of its forces and step by step makes human structures disappear. Concrete bridges, foundations, and metal supports will still be visible for a long time, but here you can witness the impressive return of wilderness.

Back at the road bend, walk up the wooded north slope of the Stefflkogel on the gravel road. After a good hour of walking, turn left at a road bend onto a forest path. Through a beautiful beech forest, descend in about 20 minutes back to the Reichramingbach, where the loop closes. From here, it is only a short way back to the car park.