Austria - Autumn in the Gastein Valley - A Walk to the Poserhohe and Bad Hofgastein

A walk from Gruner Baum (1000m) to Bad Hofgastein (850m) via Poserhohe (1505m)  - 17th October 2013
A welcome sight, the flag is raised at Poserhohe - our lunch stop
Poserhohe is not a Mountain Restaurant we visit very often but we do enjoy it when we make the effort.
We had decided on one of the less arduous routes so, after a bus ride to Gruner Baum, we walked down towards the Hohenweg and followed the Yellow signpost off and up to the right. The route up is mainly in the forest and seems wild and remote. The walking path is fairly steep and winding and we alternated between this and a rough tractor trail that also zig-zagged up the mountain. Pretty sure I would not want to cycle or drive up, particularly as its currently crossed by fallen trees. It took us about 90 minutes to reach Poserhohe, our lunch stop. It is a lovely old place and it probably has some of the best views in the valley from its outside tables. The views from inside are not bad either.
Panoramic Views on the way up
On the trail to Poserhohe
Not a vast array of dishes on offer but a longer menu than in the Summer Mountain Alms. The traditional Ham and Cheese plates are supplemented by soups and stews. Restocking is tricky as provisions are taken up to this inaccessible spot on a small cable car. My plate of ham with peppers, horseradish and gherkins hit the right spot. The others enjoyed a nice hot soup.
Inside View
Empty seats in the front row outside
On the slide at Poserhohe - for kids of all ages
The head of  the  Gastein Valley with Bad Gastein in the foreground
After a very pleasant break we set off for Bad Hofgastein. We had discovered on a previous visit up here that my expensive laminated map has a big error. On that occasion we headed uphill trying to find a route on the map that did not exist. Nice walk but very frustrating and added at least an hour to our planned three hour walk. This time we made certain and headed North as soon as we left the Poserhohe on a mainly downhill route. Quite a bit of snow lay at intervals so we needed to be sure-footed as we made our way through the forest. However, apart from a couple of gullies it was easy walking. The best bit was flat section where we bounced along on a path covered in pine needles. The route then took us onto a Forest Road that descended, first through the woods and then through Deer Parkland and Farms. We were on the west facing side of the valley so we had the benefit of the late afternoon sun as we ambled along.
Flat forest walk
TW on the walk - her sneeze can fell trees
Snow capped Graukogel on the left and the Sportgastein Mountain on the right
Looking North towards Bad Hofgastein
Magnificent Stag - best stay clear I reckon
Graukogel - not a grey mountain today
Poser cow - a beautiful animal in a lovely land
At Gadauern we joined the quiet undulating back road to Bad Hofgastein.
Gruner Baum to Poserhohe took us about 90 mins. There is a quicker route that goes straight up from Gruner Baum and takes about one hour. The walk from Poserhohe to Bad Hofgastein took a fairly leisurely 3 hours. Ready for a cup of tea!
Location: Bad Hofgastein, Austria

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