BergeSeen Trail 04: St. Wolfgang - St. Gilgen

The 4th stage, leading from St. Wolfgang to St. Gilgen, is particularly scenic. First, it goes up to the splendidly situated Schafbergalm; towards the end, it follows the romantic lakeside path along Wolfgangsee to St. Gilgen.

From the tourist office in St. Wolfgang at the eastern portal of the bypass tunnel, you reach the marketplace in front of the pilgrimage church in a short time via the street. At the beginning of the square (signpost) turn right through Florianigasse and then over Kalvarienbergweg to the first chapel. To the left of it, stairs lead uphill, at a fork again to the left and over the shaded Malersteig to a height.

Then take the stairs down to a crossroads and walk 50 m up Bergstraße. Then turn left onto a path to the Dittlbach (state border between Upper Austria and Salzburg) and beyond the stream uphill to the Aschinger snack station. Here begins the wide Schafberg path, which leads steeply in sections to the Dorneralm (1,020 m). Continuing uphill through the forest to the edge of Schafbergalpe (1,304 m; station of the Schafbergbahn). 2:00 h

The further path (No. 20/804) now leads downhill to Winkl. First a short distance on the forest road, then right down through the forest, crossing the forest road twice. At the settlement Winkl (600 m), turn left before the house Sonnwinkel towards "Fürberg" and walk along the edge of the forest, past the settlement Aich, to a road where you descend to Wolfgangsee and to the Hotel & Inn Fürberg (545 m). 1:00 h

The last stage offers another scenic highlight, the walk on the enchanting lakeside path to Brunnwinkl and to St. Gilgen (545 m). 1:00 h

Note: The Schafbergbahn starts at 9:15 a.m. at the Schafbergbahn station on Robert-Stolz-Straße in the west of the town center. www.schafbergbahn.at

Note: You can also take the cog railway comfortably from St. Wolfgang to the Schafbergalm. This saves about 2 hours of walking time but requires descending about 10 minutes from the station to the aforementioned signpost.

Summit detour to the Schafberg (1,782 m) – see route G3, p. 243. Hikers who stayed overnight at the hotel on the Schafberg summit need about 1 hour to hike down the particularly scenic route to the Schafbergalm. 1:30 h.

• In alpine terrain, be aware of the danger of falling rocks.


• Until early summer, you may encounter steep snowfields or firn channels – especially when icy, there is an acute risk of falling and thus danger to life!


• Due to storm damage, forestry work, or construction, some trail sections may be temporarily difficult or impossible to pass.


• Cows on the pasture are often curious. Due to cow-calf rearing, they develop a strong instinct to protect their calves. Move calmly on cow pastures, keep at least 20 m distance from the animals, and do not pet calves! If threatened (pawing, stomping), slowly walk backward (do not turn your back). Keep dogs on a leash; they must not bark at or chase cows. In case of an attack, let the dog off the leash immediately.

For all stages, you need hiking or mountain boots with profiled rubber soles as well as wind- and waterproof clothing.

Spare clothes for changing and a small first aid kit should also be in your backpack. How much food you pack depends on the number of places to eat. In any case, you should bring enough to drink. Telescopic poles are especially helpful when going downhill.

With friendly provision of the route descriptions by the KOMPASS publishing house and Wolfgang Heitzmann.

More information at trail.salzkammergut.at