Alpl (Zisleranger Weg) - Teufelstein

Access to starting point:
Highway A2 Graz - Vienna we leave at the exit for Gleisdorf west, then follow the signs for Hartberg and Weiz, and later only Weiz. At the beginning of the town Weiz, we exit the roundabout in the direction of the settlement Birkfeld, then follow the road to the mentioned settlement and from there follow the signs for Alpl. On the mountain pass Alpl, we turn left in the direction of the inn Gasthof Schlagobersbauer and immediately turn left again onto a macadam parking lot, where we park.
From the border crossing Šentilj, we continue driving on the highway towards Graz and further towards Linz and Salzburg. We soon leave highway A9 and continue driving slightly right in the direction of Vienna, proceeding along the expressway S35. Near the settlement Bruck an der Mur, we reach highway S16 and follow it in the direction of Vienna. We leave the mentioned highway at the exit for Mitterdorf, and upon reaching the roundabout with the old road, we take the first exit in the direction of Vienna. After the settlement Krieglach, we turn right towards the settlements Birkfeld and Alpl. On the mountain pass Alpl, we turn right in the direction of the inn Gasthof Schlagobersbauer and then immediately left onto a macadam parking lot, where we park.

Path description:
From the parking lot, we continue on a macadam road that runs parallel to the main road and along which there are signs for the settlement St. Kathrein a. H. and the mountain hut Edelweißhütte auf der Waldtonialm. Soon, a path branches off slightly to the left towards the settlement St. Kathrein, but we walk easily on the macadam road for a few minutes, and at a smaller crossroad, a slightly longer path joins from the right, which passes by the inn Schlagobersbauer. We continue straight, following the macadam road, which we keep to at several crossroads in the direction of the blazes. On a smaller saddle at an altitude of 1126 meters from a marked crossing, we continue straight (right holiday cottage and the cross Lendkreuz). A minute later, we turn left onto a slightly narrower macadam road, which we leave before the fork and continue right onto a cart track (straight cottage Edelweißhütte), along which there are signs for Teufelstein. The path ahead leads us along a cart track, which initially ascends gently, then moderately, and mostly passes through the forest. Higher up, another path branches off to the left towards the cottage Edelweißhütte, but we continue straight, still ascending through the forest. When we reach a poor forest road, we follow it to the left and continue to a crossing of multiple roads or cart tracks by the cross Schneidhoferkreuz.
We continue on the right road in the direction of the summit Teufelstein and begin moderately ascending through the forest. From the road, we proceed slightly to the right onto a footpath that ascends through the forest and blueberry bushes. Higher up, it returns to the road, which we follow to a crossing by the cottage Untere Holdahütte, which we notice a few meters further on the right side.
From the crossing near the cottage, we continue straight in the direction of the mountain Teufelstein, where the path initially runs along the edge of the forest and then enters the forest. In a strip of younger forest, a view briefly opens up towards the eastern mountain groups of the Northern Limestone Alps. A few minutes later, the path leads us to a cart track, along which we continue to a macadam road. We follow the road to the left, and at the nearby crossroad, we go straight (to the right leads an unmarked path to Teufelstein). Further on, we descend gently, and the path leads us through a scenic area, from which a beautiful view opens up, extending far towards the south. A little lower, we reach a marked crossing, from which we continue right onto a cart track (left downwards Fischbach), along which we quickly ascend to the cottage Teufensteinhütte on the mountain pasture Teufensteinalm.
We continue the ascent for a few minutes along the edge of the forest, after which the cart track enters the forest. Higher up, we cross a macadam road (here, the previously mentioned unmarked path, which is slightly shorter, joins from the right), and then the forest begins to thin out. A little further, we pass a large rock, to which a path with some fixed safety gear leads, offering a beautiful view. We continue straight and, in a minute or two of further walking, reach the cross at the summit of the mountain Teufelstein.
Alpl - Untere Holdahütte 1:25, Untere Holdahütte - Teufensteinalm 0:35, Teufensteinalm - Teufelstein 0:20.
The description and pictures refer to the condition in October 2023.

On the way: Schneidhoferkreuz (1231m), Untere Holdahütte (1282m), Teufelsteinalm (1390m)