Thematic Trail
Panoramic hike on a sun terrace over the Klostertal
Photo: Peter Freiberger
Photo: Peter Freiberger
Photo: Peter Freiberger
Photo: Helmut Kober
Photo: Tourismusbüro Stuben
Photo: Tourismusbüro Stuben - Kaltenberghütte - DAV Reutlingen
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Höhenprofil
Scenic diversity, views and a bathing lake
The Kaltenberghütte on a sun terrace above the Klostertal indulges its visitors with a marvelous panorama on which Lechquellengebirge puts its special mark.
The Klostertal lies virtually at the feet of the mountain refuge, views down there into the depth turn out accordingly impressive. The Lechquellengebirge is another very defining component in regard to scenery and view. With its steep mountain flanks it plants itself dominantly opposite the refuge. The Kaltenberg, from which the refuge has its name, is enthroned in the south, the less spectacular Maroiköpfe rise up in the southeast. In the east, the Lechquellengebirge is followed by the foothills of the Arlberg which push themselves to the fore. Venue of this circular hike are the Verwall Alps. Not highly appreciated among some mountaineers, the Verwall Alps disprove this heavy misjudgement in an impressive way. The tour impresses with a great diversity of landscapes. Here a swamp biotope, there a vegetation characterized by mountain pines, sections through alpine pastures, wonderful streams to cross. Beyond that, the hiking tour leads mainly across open terrain and thereby alone guarantees marvellous views into the distance and into the depth. In any case, the hike includes a peak victory, especially as a summit cross is enthroned in front of the refuge. In respect of panorama, Zürs and the Flexenpass are increasingly dominated by the Arlberg in the east during the descent.
If you visit Kaltenberghütte on hot summer days, when temperatures rise far upwards even at an altitude of about 2,000 meters, you should pack swimwear. In the area immediately surrounding the mountain refuge, there is a lake inviting you to have a bath. Of course, you cannot expect water temperatures of around 30 degrees. Little Lake Stubner presents itself as a dark, almost black swampy waterbody. During the ascent to Kaltenberghütte, the biotope at an altitude of about 1,650 meters is one of the picturesque highlights of the round trip.
Author: Peter Freiberger -
Difficulty: schwer Technique: Condition: Experience: Landscape: Altitude: Best season: JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC Safety instructions: EMERGENCY CALL:
140 Alpine emergencies throughout Austria
144 Alpine emergencies Vorarlberg
112 Euro-emergency call (works with any cell phone/phone network)
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Directions
At Restaurant Fuxbau / ticket booth of the mountain railway in Stuben, we follow the sign “Kaltenberghütte”. After a few meters, we have the possibility to choose from two different routes leading to the mountain refuge. We take the one with a walking time of 2.5 hours. First, we walk on a transport path without considerable differences in altitude on the edge of the Klostertal westwards before we turn left. The trail soon turns into a steep path which initially leads comfortably up the hill. After that, the path continues quite directly upwards in steep and mainly free terrain. In this section, the trail presents itself as a narrow and often nearly overgrown path. At an altitude of 1,650 meters, the tour leads through a swamp biotope and immediately afterwards to Lake Stubner. Then, the trail takes us past mountain pines on alpine pastures, and we hike across free terrain above and parallel to the Klostertal to the west. Soon, the steep path runs more directly again but comfortably upwards and we start the final climb to Kaltenberghütte (2,089 m) from the west. For the descent of the round trip, we follow the steep path below the mountain refuge to the east (“Rauz”). The steep path descends slowly, mainly along the hillside, before it joins a carriage road where there are two possible routes leading to Stuben – we take the one with a walking time of an hour. We walk downhill now to Albona Restaurant where the route splits. Having arrived at this point, we take the old carriage road on the left which is already a bit overgrown and not so easy to recognize at the first glance. A little later, we keep to the right, down to the stream and cross it. Down the hardly marked carriage road, which serves as a ski slope in winter, to the Rauztobel. Follow the signs for “Stuben”, downhill along the stream. Shortly before reaching the village, across the narrow wooden bridge to the opposite side again and back to the starting point.
Waypoints
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Public transportation:
Approach:
Take the train to Langen or St. Anton am Arlberg.
Travelling by car: from Lake Constance in the direction of Arlberg/Innsbruck or from Innsbruck/Landeck in the direction of Arlberg/Lake Constance
Route PlannerPark:
Enough parking available in Stuben.