Himmelstiege

A challenging hike leads up to the summit cross high above the village of Lamm.
The trail begins in the idyllic Gusental valley, follows the historic horse-drawn railroad line for a short distance and then winds its way through several villages in Neumarkt. Along the way, you pass pretty farms and repeatedly enjoy impressive views of the gently undulating landscape of the Mühlviertel.

Around 51% of the route is on hiking trails, with the remaining 49% on paved paths, 6% of which are asphalt.

Our hike begins at the market square in Neumarkt. From there, we follow the path along the cemetery downhill until we reach the horse-drawn railroad hiking trail. We follow this for a short distance before turning along the Kleine Gusen towards Scheitzmühle. In this idyllic area, we come across the Mittellandweg trail no. 150.

The path now leads us gently uphill through the small villages of Schall and Baumgarten before descending again to Lamm. There begins a steady ascent through dense beech and coniferous forests. The last section to the summit of the Himmelstiege is a tough one - the last 200 meters live up to their name and demand full commitment once again.

Once at the top, a rest bench awaits us, from which - depending on the weather - you can enjoy a limited but nevertheless impressive view. After a well-deserved break, we continue through extensive forests, past Steigersdorf and down into the Gusental valley.

From Schallmühle, we ascend again, reach Zissingdorf and then hike downhill to Seisenbach. From there, we can already see the church tower of Neumarkt - a promising destination. But before we complete our day's work, we still have almost 100 meters of ascent to cover before we reach the market square again.