Mountain Hike Schwärzerweg/Raffelgraben - Touren-Impression #1 | © Gesäuse - Palfau Mountain Hike Schwärzerweg/Raffelgraben - Touren-Impression #1 | © Gesäuse - Palfau

Schwärzerweg/Raffelgraben

The historic Schwärzerweg near Palfau leads from Erzhalden through the romantic Raffelgraben. NATURE PURE !
The historic Schwärzerweg near Palfau leads from Erzhalden through the romantic, but rather difficult to walk Raffelgraben to the 1200 m high Niederscheibenalm. Ten signposted waypoints tell the story of the lumberjacks' work and of the blackeners (smugglers) to whom the trail owes its name.

Characteristics

Skill
Fitness

Best season

January
February
March
November
December

The tour in numbers

challenging
Level of difficulty
9,9 km
Route
4:07 h
Time
524 hm
Uphill
524 hm
Downhill
1040 m
Highest point

Map & downloads

More information

From Vienna: West highway A1 to Amstetten; federal road B121 via Waidhofen a.d. Ybbs to Weyer Markt; federal road B115 via Altenmark to Großreifling; state road L714 to Palfau. From Salzburg/Linz: West highway A1 to Enns; federal road 115 via Steyr, Großraming, Altenmarkt to Großreifling; state road L714 to Palfau. From Graz/Klagenfurt: Motorway A9 to Traboch; federal road 115 via Trofaiach, Vordernberg, Präbichl, Eisenerz, Hieflau to Landl; federal road B25 via Mooslandl, Gams b. Hieflau to Palfau.
From the parking lot Erzhalden a few meters in the direction of Göstling and .from the access to the country house Kaisergemse approx.200m on the Erlauftal-Bundesstraße to the junction of an access road in front of a chapel built on a hill. Follow the marked road, past a blacksmith's shop for about 300m in the direction of Raffelgraben, and at the fork in the Moaralm-Gamsstein or Raffelgraben forest roads, take the right-hand path into the Raffelgraben until you reach the information boards about the history of the Schwärzerweg after the bridge.

Directly at the information boards after N, follow the Schwärzerweg over a dried out stream bed into the ravine-like Raffelgraben.

At the replica of a former wooden giant, the romantic path leads moderately uphill to the end of the valley, which resembles an arena. From there, on the left-hand side of the slope, a well-developed path leads up in several serpentines about 50 m long and further along a path well secured with steel cables over this natural barrier. At a decaying replica of a lumberjack's hut and fallen giant trees, the Schwärzerweg leads slightly uphill to the Forstweg. This connects the Niederscheibenberg and the Moar-(nieder)alm.

From here it is possible to filter the forest road to Palfau into the valley or to combine the route with other paths.

The tour can easily be extended e.g. to the Naturfreundehütte or the Gamsstein.
www.oebb.at

www.busbahnbim.at

Erzhalden bridge at the turnoff to Wildalpen/Mariazell
www.palfau.at

Tourismusverband Gesäuse

auptstraße 35,

8911 Admont, Österreich

Tel. +43 (0) 3613 21160 10

Email: info@gesaeuse.at

Infobüro/Salza Wildalpen

Wildalpen 91 – 8924 Wildalpen Tel. 03636/241 infosalza@gesaeuse.at

Mo und Fr. 9:00-17:00

Hiking maps available at the Salza or Admont information office.

Austrian map 100 Hieflau and 101 Eisenerz F&B WK 062 ? Gesäuse-Ennstaler Alpen-Schoberpass F&B WK 051 - Eisenwurzen-Steyr-Waidhofen a.d. Ybbs-Hochkar

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