Zeller Kreuz - Leopold-Wittmaier-Hütte

Access to starting point:
Highway A2 Graz - Vienna / Wien we leave at the exit for Gleisdorf West, and then we 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 exit for the settlement Birkfeld and then follow the road all the way to the mentioned settlement. From there, we follow the signs for the settlement Fischbach, but we drive a little further beyond the settlement Fischbach, where, after the settlement Gmoa, we arrive at the arranged parking lot by the cross Zeller Kreuz, where the described path begins.

Path description:
From the parking lot, we head onto a side macadam road, marked with signs for Teufelstein, Alpl, and Stanglalm, and begin gently to moderately ascending through the forest. We soon reach a small crossroad, where a path from the settlement Fischbach joins from the right, and we continue on the slightly left road, which keeps ascending through the forest, passing individual benches along the path. Higher up, a view briefly opens toward the east, and we continue along the road to a marked crossing, from which we proceed on the road (right Teufelstein) and follow the direction for Stanglalm. Later, we leave the wider road and continue straight onto a narrower, rougher road, which still crosses the slopes of the peak Teufelstein, and we maintain the same direction further on. During the crossing, we also cross a path that starts at the Schanz mountain pass and leads toward the summit Teufelstein, and a bit further, the path brings us to the edge of a pasture, where we gradually begin to moderately descend. After a few minutes of descent, we merge with the path starting from the aforementioned mountain pass and continue following the signs for Stanglalm.
After the crossing, we walk briefly on a cart track, then veer slightly left onto a marked path, an old rocky logging trail, where several fallen trees lie across the path. Higher up, the path levels out, and we first reach a rougher road, followed by a wider macadam road.
Further on, we walk alongside a wind turbine park, where there is a risk of falling ice, and we continue walking on the macadam road for quite some time. After a short descent, a marked path from the mountain pass and the settlement Alpl joins from the right, and the path leads us past the Walserkreuz cross, after which we soon leave the road and continue slightly right on a parallel marked path. When we return to the road, we turn right, and upon leaving the forest, we step onto the Stanglalm mountain pasture.
From the mountain pasture, we continue along the road, and at several marked crossings, we keep going straight, continuing on the road. When the road splits, we choose the slightly left road and continue to the point where the road stops ascending. Here, on the right, we notice the indistinct peak Stanglalpe, located in the forest and only a few steps from the road.
A little further, we turn right off the road, heading downward toward the Leopold-Wittmaier-Hütte mountain hut, quickly leaving the forest and descending through a scenic meadow to the mountain hut, a few minutes away.
Starting point - Stanglalm 2:30, Stanglalm - Stanglalpe 0:20, Stanglalpe - Leopold-Wittmaier-Hütte 0:10.
Description and pictures refer to the condition in June 2024.

On the way: Walserkreuz (1408m), Stanglalm (1470m), Stanglalpe (1490m)