The Paznaun High Route 

Read on to find out about the individual stages of the long-distance hiking trail.

The Paznaun High Route starts at the parish church of See and follows the asphalt path to the fork in the path at Giggl. From there, follow the easy trail to Giggler Alm at 1,845 metres above sea level, where you can enjoy splendid views. From Giggler Alm, the trail runs through larch forests and across steep sections, taking you to the finish of the first stage, Ascher Hütte lodge at 2,256 metres above sea level.

From Ascher Hütte lodge, follow the trail via Medrig to Gratli, where the marked footpath along Istalanz valley and Berglialpe starts. Following a challenging section, you will reach the remote Stielalpe at 2,050 metres above sea level. From there, continue further into the Flath valley and towards Gamperthunalpe lodge at 2,070 metres above sea level. Afterwards, take the trail to picturesque Lake Grübelesee or follow the footpath down to the valley until you reach the Panoramic Trail to Kappl.

From the valley station of Diasbahn cable car, follow the trail towards Samnaun, passing through the forest up to Visnitz Alpe lodge. From there, follow the historic Smugglers’ Trail to eastern Visnitzjoch and towards Switzerland, where you can use chairlifts and cable cars to get back down to the valley and Ischgl. If you prefer to get back to the valley on foot, follow the marked trails around Mullersattel and down to Ischgl.

From the valley station of Diasbahn cable car, follow the trail towards Samnaun, passing through the forest up to Visnitz Alpe lodge. From there, follow the historic Smugglers’ Trail to eastern Visnitzjoch and towards Switzerland, where you can use chairlifts and cable cars to get back down to the valley and Ischgl. If you prefer to get back to the valley on foot, follow the marked trails around Mullersattel and down to Ischgl.

Stage 5 of the trail takes about 3.5 hours. After covering 850 vertical metres, you reach Friedrichshafener Hütte lodge at 2,138 metres above sea level. The trail runs from Galtür towards Außertschafein. From there, follow the partly challenging trail with information boards about the local vegetation, forestry management and torrent control. After the uphill section, you are rewarded with great panoramic views of the Samnaun mountains. After passing the ridge of Adamsberg at about 2,330 metres above sea level, follow the easy trail to Friedrichshafener Hütte lodge.

The route starts at the Friedrichshafener Hütte lodge and leads over the Schafbichljoch at an altitude of 2,636 metres. It follows the Fasulbach stream down into the valley between the impressive peaks of the Patteriol (3,056 m), the Kuchenspitze (3,151 m) and the Küchlspitze (3,147 m). Before reaching the Konstanzer Hütte lodge, the route climbs up to the Kuchenjöchli at 2,730 m before beginning the descent via the Apothekerweg to the Darmstädter Hütte lodge.

Alpine variant: The "Ludwig Dürr Trail" leads via the Muttenalpe and the Lumpaschadseele to the Dürrschartli at 2,666 metres. After 3.7 km over high alpine terrain with scree and snowfields, the trail leads over the Schönpleispass to the intermediate ridge at 2,770 metres. This is followed by snowfields and steep passages up to the Rautejoch at 2,752 m before the trail descends to the Darmstädter Hütte.

The hike from the Darmstädter Hütte lodge into the Moostal valley offers impressive views early on and leads along the shimmering blue reservoir to the Kartellhütte lodge. The Sepp Jöchler Trail climbs up to the Seßladjöchli (2,749 m), framed by the Seßlad and Ruggelkopf peaks, before descending to the Niederelbehütte lodge. The path is steep at first, then over scree and snow fields, but becomes gentler at the green mountain meadows, ending at the picturesque Seßsee lake.

Alpine variant: The route from the Darmstädter Hütte lodge via the Advokatenweg to the Schneidjöchli (2,841 m) and via the Hoppe-Seyler-Weg into the Vergrößkar, past the Fatlarspitze to the Kieler Wetterhütte (2,800 m), offers a more challenging route with a marked descent to the Niederelbehütte lodge.

From Niederelbehütte lodge, the trail runs to Obere Seßladalpe and further along the picturesque Kieler Weg Trail. It takes you through Kappl ski resort and across Diasalpe. After a steep ascent to Schmalzgrubenscharte at 2,697 metres above sea level, continue along the downhill trail to the romantic Schmalzgruben lakes. After the lakes, continue downhill along Rifflerweg Trail to get to the end of the stage, Edmund-Graf-Hütte lodge at 2,375 metres above sea level. 

Time, fitness and weather permitting, you can hike up to Hohe Riffler at 3,168 metres above sea level from Edmund-Graf-Hütte lodge (approximately 2.5 hours walking time).

From Edmund-Graf-Hütte lodge, the trail takes you up to Kappler Joch at 2,672 metres above sea level. From there, you can see the completed stages of the High Route on the opposite side of the valley. Continue towards picturesque Lake Blankasee and Durrichalpe. The climb up to Spiduralpe (2,120 metres above sea level) and Niederjöchl (2,346 metres above sea level) is rewarded with some perfect spots for a break. From there, the trail runs up to a gorgeous ridge towards Pezinerspitze at 2,550 metres above sea level – an amazing vantage point. From there, continue downhill along the north face, looking towards Strengen in the Stanzer valley until you reach the end of the final stage in See.