Seetal - Kleiner Hochschwab

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 continue on the main road towards the settlement Mariazzel, but we drive on the main road to the settlement Seewiesen, where we turn left onto a macadam road that slightly descends and leads us past a larger chapel. On this road we drive for just over 1 km, then park at an unmarked parking area by the road.

Path description:
At the end of the parking lot, the road splits, and we choose the right road, which is closed with a gate and alongside which there are signs for mountain huts Voisthalerhütte and Schiestlhaus and the peak Hochschwab. Further, we walk on a gently sloping macadam road, from which beautiful views open up on the mountains rising above the valley Seetal. After approximately half an hour of walking, or a few minutes more, we veer slightly left from the road onto a marked footpath, which initially continues gently through the forest, and a few minutes later, we moderately ascend. After crossing the torrent, the path becomes somewhat steeper and leads us to a viewpoint, from which a view opens up towards the valley and the settlement Seewiesen. From here, a few minutes of ascent follow, and we reach a clearing on the slope, from which a view opens up on the nearby mountain hut Florhütte, which is only a minute’s walk away.
We bypass the mountain hut on the right side, and the path returns into the forest. A little further, we cross a larger clearing, where the gentle path leads us to the upper part of the valley Untere Dullwitz, and then we ascend more steeply through a narrower part of the valley. With a view of the nearby walls and peaks, at an altitude of 1449 meters above sea level, we reach the saddle Höllkampl, where we notice a small memorial metal cross on the right.
Here we continue straight on the marked path (to the left, an unmarked path leads towards the saddle Fölzsattel), which descends diagonally to a nearby sinkhole. In a few minutes, we descend into the valley, then begin ascending among larches, where the path leads us through an area named Voisthalergasse, becoming increasingly steep. When the steepness eases higher up, we reach the lower edge of the valley Obere Dullwitz, where the path splits.
To the left, a path branches off towards the nearby cottage Voisthalerhütte, while we continue straight in the direction of the summit Hochschwab. A few minutes later, a slightly longer path joins from the left, passing by the mentioned cottage, but we continue straight and soon reach the next marked crossing, where the path Jägermayrsteig branches off to the right. Here we also continue straight, initially walking through a sparse band of dwarf pines, then along the increasingly scenic valley Obere Dullwitz.
The relatively gentle, now high-alpine path leads us at an altitude of 1750 meters to a marked crossing, where we continue right towards the cottage Schiestelhaus and the peak Hochschwab (straight ahead lies the saddle Trawiessattel and the valley Bodenbauer).
The path ahead gradually becomes steep and crosses occasionally very steep slopes, which are not particularly exposed, though some sections require extra caution. Higher up, the path leads us in a moderate ascent through several shorter climbs, then we reach a crossing where a path from the saddle Seebergsattel joins from the right.
We continue straight towards the summit Hochschwab, where the path turns slightly to the left and proceeds mostly westward. Further on, due to some chasms, more caution is needed, especially in fog, as we follow the increasingly scenic path to a plateau near the cottage Schiestelhaus, from where a beautiful view opens up to Kleiner Hochschwab and Hochschwab.
Here, the marked path continues straight towards Hochschwab (the turn-off is not marked), while to the right, a path leads to the cottage Schiestelhaus.
We continue straight, descending lightly for a few dozen steps, then proceed briefly along a grassy plateau. When we begin ascending again, the path becomes rockier and starts climbing the slopes of the peak Kleiner Hochschwab. For a few minutes, we continue ascending along the marked path; when the marked path turns right, we leave it and proceed straight uphill on easier pathless terrain. Only a short ascent follows, and we reach the panoramic peak, where a cairn is located.
Seetal - Florhütte 1:15, Florhütte - crossing below the Voisthalerhütte 1:20, crossing below the Voisthalerhütte - vicinity of the Schiestelhaus 2:00, vicinity of the Schiestelhaus - Kleiner Hochschwab 0:20.
Description and pictures refer to conditions in September 2023.

On the way: Lettanger (1042m), Florhütte (1284m), Höllkampl (1449m), Voisthalerhütte (1654m), Obere Dullwitz (1750m)