Sankt Ilgen (Der Bodenbauer) - Buchbergkogel

Access to starting point:
From the border crossing Šentilj we continue driving on the highway towards Gradec / Graz and forward 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. A little further beyond the tunnel, we leave the highway and take the exit for Kapfenberg, then follow the signs for the mentioned town. We soon reach the main road 116, and from the nearby intersection, we turn slightly right toward the settlements Thörl and Mariazzel. In the settlement Thörl, we turn left toward the settlement St. Ilgen, then follow the road to the inn Der Bodenbauer, which is located at the end of the Alpine valley. We park in a large parking lot just before the inn.

Path description:
From the parking lot, we walk to the inn Der Bodenbauer and bypass it on the right side. Behind the museum, which is located behind the inn, the path splits for the first time, and we continue straight towards the summit of Hochschwab and the mountain pasture Häuslalm (left Hainzleralm and Josersee) along a gently sloping macadam road closed to public traffic.
After a few minutes, the road splits again, and this time we continue slightly left following the signs for Häuslalm (slightly right Hochschwab), continuing along the road with beautiful views. A little further, yellow hiking signposts direct us slightly right from the road onto a marked footpath, which higher up crosses the forest road a few more times. At an altitude of approximately 1200 meters, we cross a poorer road for the last time, continue through the forest for a short while, and then the forest begins to thin, revealing increasingly beautiful views of the surrounding mountains and cliffs. Further on, the path transitions into a band of dwarf pines and continues through an indistinct small valley. During the ascent, we can admire Buchbergkogel on the left and the cliffs of the mountain Zinken on the right. When we reach the mountain pasture Häuslalm higher up, we pass a stone mountain hut, and then the path splits.
To the right, the marked path continues, leading in two minutes to the mountain hut Häuslalmhütte, but we continue straight on an unmarked footpath, which, a few steps ahead in a band of dwarf pines, splits again.
Straight ahead, the footpath continues, returning to the marked path west of the mentioned mountain hut, but we turn left onto a footpath that begins to ascend steeply along the northern slopes. From the path, a beautiful view quickly opens towards the mountain hut Häuslalmhütte, and the path gradually transitions onto a ridge and flattens slightly. With increasingly beautiful views, we continue along the path, which mostly runs a few steps to the right of the precipices. Higher up, we reach a scenic secondary peak, from which the continuation of the path is clearly visible, and we descend slightly from it for a short time. Further on, we continue ascending along the ridge, enjoying views that extend across the Hochschwab mountain group and beyond, until we reach the nearby peak where a cross stands.
Der Bodenbauer - Häuslalmhütte 1:55, Häuslalmhütte - Buchbergkogel 0:35.
The description and pictures refer to the condition in July 2023.

On the way: Häuslalmhütte (1526m)