Tyrol: Innergschlöss Glacier Trail - Hohe Tauern National Park

The Innergschlöss glacier trail leads into the middle of the “eternal ice”, the core zone of the Hohe Tauern National Park, and is one of the shortest climbs into the glacier forefield. With the rock chapel between Aussergschlöss and Innergschlöss, Almdorf Innergschlöss and the Eye of God, the alpine day hike also offers worthwhile discoveries away from the “ice giants”. Due to the gradient, this is a demanding tour - hiking and mountain equipment is essential!

In Matrei in East Tyrol, the hike starts at the Matreier Tauernhaus and after about an hour leads to the most beautiful valley head in the Eastern Alps: the Gschlösstal. From here you have a view of the impressive glacier world around the Großvenediger. This mighty iceberg watches over the wildly romantic Gschlösstal in the heart of the Hohe Tauern National Park. Gigantic forces from the glaciers once shaped this landscape and here in the Hohe Tauern they are still at work.

From the Tauernhaus you hike towards the Alpengasthof Honigerhaus. The actual glacier circular route starts here. First you hike uphill along a wide road, then steeply past the waterfall, which is fed by the Schlatenkees. After a while, lightly secured by ropes, you reach a moraine wall covered in meadows. Most of the meters in altitude have now been covered and it's a leisurely walk over to Lake Salzboden, located at an altitude of 2,137 meters.

It's not far from one of the most beautiful places in the Innergschlöss - the "Eye of God", a small pond that is mostly covered with an island of cotton grass. There you have a wonderful view of the Schlatenkees and the ice giants around the “World-Old Majesty”, the Großvenediger (3,657 meters). From the lake it goes over the lateral moraine of the Schlatenkees down to the edge of the glacier. You will see the huge glacier gate and feel the power that shapes the landscape as you cross the large moraines and the glacier grind.

After a slightly strenuous climb, you reach the highest point of the tour, the turnoff to the historic Old Prague Hut. On the Hüttensteig you can reach the building, which is one of the oldest existing huts in Austria and can be visited, via a small loop in just under half an hour. If you like, you can reach the Neue Prager Hütte (serviced) via a short detour.

The hut path winds steadily in serpentines down into the Innergschlöss. The glacier trail has 24 stopping points and provides exciting insights into the landscape-shaping power of the glaciers in the Alps as well as plant-based information. Climate change and the retreat of glaciers can be experienced up close. In summer, a very special resident of the ice ecosystem can also be observed on snow-free glaciers: the glacier flea!