To round out a delightful summer spent mostly at home in Salzburg, Sonja and I undertook a very Austrian activity and tackled what we call an "after work" which is basically just a sweet way of saying let's go on an afternoon hike after work in the final hours of daylight and celebrate being done with the workday by detoxing in the mountains!
This has been a beautiful few months of summer, full of friendship, good food, plenty of physical movement - yoga, running, bike rides, icy cold swims and hikes, and intense summer mountain weather with heat waves and rainstorms alike. With my next trip coming up soon which will see me away for most of September, an after work in the mountains of Salzburg was the perfect way to kick off my last weekend at home for the summer.
The Untersberg is perhaps one of the most classic hikes around Salzburg, with the poignant peak standing clearly against the skyline, its iconic shape visible from almost anywhere in the city. It's not an easy hike, with more than 1300m elevation nearly vertical, given that much of the hike is up ladders, but it's a really fun trek, with simply breathtaking panoramic views all around, the tiny city of Salzburg far below. You can clearly spot Salzburg Airport from above, and it's quite the experience to be above the planes as they come in for landing!
UNTERSBERG HIKE DETAILS
When: June to October, when there is no snow on the mountain
Where: Salzburg
Difficulty: intermediate, with some harder steep sections
Length: the 5.6km one-way hike took us 2 hours of moving time, for a total duration 3.5 hours including breaks for food, rest and photos
Directions: there are a few ways to get up the Untersberg; we started at the Parkplatz Rosittenstraße. From there, we followed the signs up through the forest and then up the ladders to Zeppezauerhaus am Untersberg and on to Untersbergbahn Bergstation. We only hiked one way, and then took the gondola back down the mountain to the Grödig Untersbergbahn. If you parked your car or bike at the Parkplatz, you can grab the 35 bus back there from Grödig. For trail details, check out my exact route on Strava.
Bathrooms: yes, at the Zeppezauerhaus am Untersberg and Untersbergbahn Bergstation
Public Transit: the 21 bus goes the Parkplatz from Salzburg, otherwise I highly recommend biking out here along the Almkanal if you have your own wheels
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Hi! I’m Jana, a British-Dutch-Canadian with a dream of seeing every country in the world. I am a storyteller, photographer and adventurer passionate about documenting and sharing my travels.
