Me and my friend travelled to Austria this spring. With the weather being unpredictable at this time of the year, we were looking for a hiking trail that would be safe but challenging at the same time.
Schafberg seemed to fit the bill perfectly. The altitude is not too high (1,783 m), but you essentially have to hike all the way up from Wolfgangsee. Schafberg is a mountain peak surrounded by three Austrian lakes - Mondsee, Attersee, and Wolfgangsee.
Starting Point: Sankt Wolfgang
Our hike began in Sankt Wolfgang. We arrived by car and found multiple parking slots in the town. The main and largest one was located by the Schafbergbahn, which was more expensive than the others just around the corner. However, we decided to park there in the end as it offered clean toilets, an ATM, and plenty of space.
Directly from the parking lot, we followed a yellow trail up the mountain. The trail mostly led through the forest and was very steep the most of the way.
Middle Point: We See It! We Must Be Almost There!
Well... No.
After approximately five kilometres, we emerged from the forest trail into a wide meadow where we got our first view of Schafberg. Although we had the peak in sight, we hiked for another hour or two before finally reaching it.
On the Top: We Could Have Taken a Train? To a Hill?
Remember where we parked the car?
The same place is also where the train to the top of the mountain begins. You'll hear it while hiking, and sometimes you'll cross the trails or even wave at the driver ☺︎
So if you get tired, no worries - Austria has you covered!
On Schafberg, the views are simply magnificent.
From the top, you can see three different Austrian lakes. Most of the peak is fenced, so you can enjoy the views safely. However, you can also walk further to the Spinnerin, which looks and feels much more terrifying!
Spinnerin: My Head Spins
Near Spinnerin, we kept a safe distance from all the cliffs, which is not what we saw many people doing. Some were taking unbelievable risks, such as walking right at the edge or climbing (!) down a bit without any protection. I cannot stress enough how much I thought "Why would you do that? This is completely unnecessary."
Going Back: Same Way or Circular?
For the return journey, we decided to take the same route back.
There are multiple options, such as taking a circular route back following a red trail if you are comfortable with narrow, steep trails with ropes (considered a ferrata). Or you can do as we did - continue back the same way.
Alpine Lakes
If you decide to hike up to Schafberg, don't forget to visit other nearby lakes,
For example Mondsee, Attersee, and Wolfgangsee, which I already mentioned, or Hallstätter see, which is also very close.
Happy Hiking
As Apple Watch users, we have no idea how much we hiked because our batteries died in the middle of the hike 😅
But it was roughly 10 kilometres up, with a 1,350-meter elevation gain. So around 20 kilometres in total.
Until next time,
bye bye ♡
