Kalkalpenweg Stage 3

Description:
The path leads flatly from the Anlaufalm on a tractor track across the pasture area. After a slight curve, you can enjoy beautiful panoramic views of the National Park again. After a few minutes of walking, the path branches left from the tractor track to a small stream. From a distance, a hiking trail marker is visible right in the middle of the pasture. At this junction, the path goes left over the Hochschlacht (variant – see description) to the Schleierwasserfall and via the Trifftsteig through the Große Schlucht to the Annerlsteg – this variant is particularly scenic and leads through a unique natural landscape but is only recommended for experienced hikers because the descent over the Hochschlacht is very steep.

To the right, the path goes into the forest after a few steps and initially remains level. After a few minutes of walking in the forest, the path steeply descends in switchbacks over a short section to an old forestry road. The old forestry road forms the boundary of the National Park and leads flat for several minutes. Eventually, the path branches off the road to the left in a right curve into the forest. If you continued straight ahead on the forestry road, you would reach the junction that goes right back towards Brunnbach.

At the junction, the path goes steeply downward into the forest after a few steps. To the left, the slope drops very steeply. The path continues steeply downward and finally crosses a small stream that only carries water after rain. You follow the course of the stream downstream until the path finally leads back up to an old forestry road via a wooden ladder.

You follow the old forestry road again to the right, relatively flat, to the next intersection. To the right, the forestry road also leads again towards Brunnbach. To the left, exactly at the intersection, the path goes over the Keixen to the Großer Bach. On an old tractor path, you walk comfortably downhill until you reach a meadow with the dilapidated hut "Keixen" (former hunting cabin). Passing to the right of the hut, the path leads back into the forest on an old forestry road down to the Großer Bach.

Along the Großer Bach, you walk comfortably on the Hintergebirgsradweg downstream for about 20 minutes to the Große Klaushütte (488 m). The Große Klaushütte was once the quarters of the lumberjacks in the Hintergebirge and has now become a popular place to stop.

After the refreshment at the Große Klaushütte, you reach a tunnel after a few minutes of walking. To the left before the tunnel, there is the “Kleine Klaushütte,” from where you can also get a view of the former Große Klause. When entering the tunnel, the lighting switches on automatically after a few steps. Just after the tunnel, a few steps lead down to the former Große Klause.

Since the Middle Ages, the Reichraminger Hintergebirge has been used for timber harvesting. To transport the wood out of the Hintergebirge, the rivers were used for timber rafting. Wooden dams (Holzklausen) were built at various points, and with the spring meltwater, the wood was floated down to Reichraming. The Große Klause was the largest of its kind and also the last one before Reichraming. From here, all the wood was floated to Reichraming with a "Klausenschlag." Due to a bark beetle catastrophe, a forest railway was finally built into the Hintergebirge, replacing the timber rafting. It ran for the last time in 1971. Today, nature lovers have the opportunity to experience the national park by bike on the former route of the forest railway, now the Hintergebirgsradweg.



Through the second tunnel, the path continues flat on the Hintergebirgsradweg downstream to the first junction, which leads left over the Großer Bach at the „Rabenbachbrücke.“ Here begins the Begsteigersteig to Ebenforstalm.

Immediately after the bridge, the path leads right, flat on a forestry road, along the Großer Bach through a beech forest. Gradually, the forest road rises comfortably, and you always walk above the Großer Bach. Eventually, you reach a left curve from which the forest road leaves the valley of the Großer Bach and leads into the Kohlersgraben. Here, the 2nd ascent of the Begsteigersteig from Wasserboden joins the path. You follow the course of the forest road until shortly after the next bend, where at a junction the path branches right into an old abandoned forestry road. From here, it goes a bit steeper uphill to the end of the old forestry road at an old turning place. At the end of the turning place, the hiking trail continues uphill on a beautiful forest path towards Ebenforstalm. This old haul road, if followed further, would be the connection over the Klaushof to Ebenforstalm. Halfway, the Begsteigersteig branches right; Stoamandln (stone cairns) mark the way.

From here, a narrow path goes partly downhill along the slope to the stream. The stream only carries water when it rains and can easily be crossed. After crossing the stream, you need to gather strength briefly. The next 150 to 200 meters go steeply uphill in a zigzag course through the forest. Rope aids help with the somewhat strenuous ascent. After these short efforts, you come below a rock wall but continue flatter along the slope to a beautiful forest path above the ravine. Some caution is advised here because the slope on the left is extremely steep. Along the way, you will find interesting dead trees covered with fungi. Eventually, the path turns right and leads over the forest floor past an old stone wall to a forestry road.

From here, it is not far to Ebenforstalm. You follow the forestry road left for a few minutes flat to a junction, where you take the forestry road leading right. After a few minutes, you reach a road fork where you continue straight.

After a few steps, you reach the starting point of the theme trail “Cotton grass, alpine pasture, and disappearing water.” Lush alpine soils, cotton grass, peat bogs, and deep green spruce forests hold many secrets. A lively bubbling spring stream abruptly disappears into the forest, inconspicuous peat tells the story of 8,000 years, and the rock ledges of Trämpel and Alpstein show that the entire geology has been overturned. This theme trail shows the diversity of the mountain world at Ebenforst. Over a wooden bridge, the path goes just above the forest and alpine soil through this fascinating area. In late spring, the alpine soil blooms with globeflowers, peat mosses, two types of cotton grass, sundew, and various orchids such as broad-leaved marsh orchid, fly orchid, and fox orchid.

From the alpine soil, you can already see the Ebenforstalm slightly above, the stage destination today.