Munich Day Trip - hiking the Plumsjoch (Austria)

One of the "funnest" books I've found in Munich is called "Bergtouren für Langschläfer".  Translated, it means "Hiking Tours for those that sleep in"!  Müncheners take advantage of the near-by Alps year round - for hiking and skiing especially.  Since the mountains are so close, somebody wrote a book that tells people how to get good hikes in without having to wake up early on the weekend.  There is a similar book for skiing.

 
In this case, the hike is to the Plumsjoch.  The drive is about 1 hour and 45 minutes, so you reach the Tyrolean Alps but can get there, have fun, and get back in the same day.  Here is Plumsjoch in relation to Munich, courtesy Google Maps.  Almost directly south, just across the border into Austria.

A typical day-hike will take 1.5-3 hours to get to the destination, there will be at least one hut where you can get food and drink (proabaly stay an hour), and then last 1-2 hours back down.  That's a total of 3-6 hours.  Sometimes the hut is the destination, other times you go to the top of a small peak and visit the hut on the way up or down.  Add in a 1.5 hours each way, and you have a nice, full day (and will sleep well that evening!)

The Plumsjoch path starts at about 1000m of elevation.  Here's a photo about 20 minutes from the trailhead.  Starts out nice and green --  lots of groundwater available and below the timberline.

Now we're getting closer to the peaks.  You can seel the trail behind me - we've already covered much of the 600+ meter ascent to the hut.  The linear distance is probably 8 kilometeres, for a round trip of 16km or more.  It takes between 1.5 and 2 hours to get there, depending on the number and duration of stops along the way.  There is one stretch where thigs get a little steep, but it is mostly a nice, consistent slope.

Now we really get a view.  After rounding a corner of the trail we can see down into the valley below.  It's chilly, even in the summer at above 1800m, so I usually hike in a t-shirt and bring a fleece for when I stop moving.  Apfelschorle (apple juice mixed with sparkling water) and food at the hut is soooo close...

The trails in Austria are well marked - usually with a spray-painted Austrian flag!  They have a government service (as does Germany) that marks the trails, preserves/maintains them, and of course rescues people when needed!  At this point, I put a long sleeve shirt over the t-shirt.  Without the right combination of no-wind and sun, I wanted the extra layer.  It came off quickly again when the sun got brighter and I got moving.  The photo is not that great, but you can see some wildflowers popping out.  It's what makes the Alps so nice.

Finally, here we are.  The Plumsjochhütte.  It doesn't look like much, but it's pretty hard to build and keep a hut at 1630 meters!  Sun, snacks, and drinks, then ready to head back down.  (Or... you can stay overnight if you book ahead!  It is part of a longer hut-to-hut hiking trail that you can take for over a week.)  Notice that some people rode mountain bikes up.  Not all Alpine paths are bike accessible, but the Plumsjoch is wide and not-rocky enough to work well.  Very popular with that crowd.  Overall, it's a great hike for families, adventurous but not hard-core walkers, and of course late sleepers.

Munich Day Trip - sledding in Kufstein (Austria)

We've posted already about example skiing day trips from Munich, but sledding is an option too -- particularly if there are non-skiiers in your group, or perhaps a few knees recovering from the latest ski wipe out, or maybe you just want to try something different.

One of my favorite destinations for sledding is Kufstein in Austria.  Here it is on Google Maps.  It's just across the border from Germany -- and just a little more than an hour in the car.  There is a small lake call Thiersee nearby, not visible at this map level, that is available for winter/summer sports too.

 

There are some destinations where you can take a ski lift up, and then sled down, but that's not very German/Austrian.  Half the fun is the hike up, plus it's good for you and makes the ride down all the more rewarding.  Frau A took this photo of me on the hiking trail, on the way to the Kala Alm (an Alpine hut).  This was about 10 in the morning, with fresh snow and strong sunshine already.  The path alternates between woods like this and open fields.

Here is Frau A in one of the open spaces, the benefit obviously is getting a great panorama of the surrounding peaks.  In total, the snow is probably 2 feet deep, with the top fresh layer being so soft that she steps in almost up to her boot top.  We've been ascending for a good 40 minutes at this point, and she's opened the jacket to cool down!

The ascent takes about 1-1.5 hours total, rising over 400 meters and covering more than 6km.  You can continue past the hut to higher elevations and great views, but this was our goal on that day.  It was so sunny at this point that many people took their jackets off!  We're at the end of the second table, enjoying a snack and some apfelschorle or local beer.

When you're ready, the hut will rent you a sled - three euros if I remember correctly.  The sledding path is actually a road that is not used in winter, so it's just for sledders & hikers.  The great thing is:  now that you've ascended so high, the ride down is almost 10 minutes long!  You can really get going too, and risk takers will wipe out!

    

We didn't take any video (next time!) but here is a YouTube movie from the same sledding path.  Notice how you have to steer around people hiking back up!

It was a great day trip for everyone, and thanks to 30+ friends from Toytown Germany for joining us!