Aflenz Kurort (Bürgergraben) - Hochstein (at Mitteralm) (via Windgrube)

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, on the main road we drive to the proximity of the settlement Aflenz Kurort, where we turn left towards the center of the settlement, and at the crossroad there are also signs for the mountain pasture Bürgeralm. Next follows driving through the settlement, from the upper part of the settlement, we follow the signs for Bürgeralm. The road then starts ascending through the Bürgergraben ditch, and we follow it to the parking lot at the lower station of the Aflenzer Bürgeralm ski slope cableway.

Path description:
From the parking lot, we head onto a drivable and toll road towards the mountain pasture Bürgeralm, along which we begin ascending diagonally through the forest. A few minutes we ascend along the road, then veer slightly left off the road onto a footpath towards the inn Pierergut. Next follows a brief traverse slightly below the road, after which we join a marked path that begins at the pool in the settlement Aflenz Kurort. We continue straight, and a few minutes later we return to the asphalt road, which we follow to the left; at the nearby crossroads, we turn right and then quickly walk to the inn Wirtshaus Pierergut, from where a beautiful view opens up towards the valley and surrounding mountains.
Behind the inn, the path splits, but we continue straight towards the marked path and hiking trail number 4 (to the right is hiking trail number 4B).
After the crossing, the asphalt ends, and we continue along a cart track that ascends diagonally by a pasture. A little further, we veer slightly right onto a footpath (straight ahead continues hiking trail number 4), which, after a few minutes of walking, crosses an asphalt road leading towards the mountain pasture Bürgeralm - the road higher up is unpaved. Next follows a period of ascent through the forest, then the path flattens and approaches a drivable road, but blazes to the left of a bench lead us back into the forest. Through the forest, we moderately ascend, and when the path flattens, we cross the road again, which has by now become a gravel road. On the other side of the road, we ascend onto a ridge, where a beautiful view opens up, but the path quickly returns into the forest. After a brief descent, we begin ascending again, and the path higher up brings us alongside the cableway route.
Here we must be careful to turn left before the footpath crosses the cableway route (going straight is forbidden as the cableway runs very close to the ground, posing a risk of accident) and then ascend along the left side of the cableway. Here we continue for a few minutes with beautiful views, and higher up, before reaching the road, we follow the blazes. When we reach the road, we follow it to the left, and it brings us below steep cliffs, where there is a greater risk of falling stones. Additional stonefall can be triggered by climbers on the extremely demanding secured climbing path Arenavariante, with a difficulty grade of F (possibly F/G), considered one of the most challenging ferratas in the world.
When the cliffs on the right temporarily end, signs for Bürgeralm direct us to the right (straight ahead continues the hiking trail num. 4), where we ascend over a steep slope using stairs, and the path soon turns left and climbs diagonally across a steep and, especially when wet, dangerously slippery slope. Higher up, we continue ascending steeply for a few minutes, and the path gradually transitions into a steep valley. A few minutes higher, the path and slope flatten out, and to the right branches off the previously mentioned climbing path, which also has easier variants than the one mentioned, leading towards the nearby summit Ranstein (1555 meters). We continue straight and walk to a nearby road, where we join the path starting at the upper cableway station. The road on the mountain pasture we follow towards the north, where we walk past several cottages, and a little further we go left (right cottage Almrauschhütte Bürgeralm - 1 minute and a marked path to Windgrube and Hochschwab) towards the nearby parking lot on Bürgeralm (the road to the parking lot is payable).
Still before we reach the parking lot, we go slightly right on an initially poorly trodden path, along which we later notice some local blue marks. Next follows a diagonal ascent towards the left, after a few minutes of diagonal ascent we go right on a footpath that starts ascending steeply slightly to the right of the southern ridge and gradually becomes more distinct. The steep path continues slightly to the right of the ridge, which is covered with forest on the left side and surrounded by vast grassy slopes on the right side. Higher up, the ridge turns slightly more to the right, the path flattens a bit, and in a few minutes of additional walking, it brings us to the cottage Schönleitenhaus.
Behind the cottage, we go left and ascend along the fence to the scenic lookout on the top of Windgrube, from where a beautiful view opens up.
From the top, we descend towards the northeast, where we reach a macadam road, and when the road turns right, we leave it and continue straight on a footpath that proceeds over grassy terrain. The small lake or watering place we bypass on the left side, and the path consistently leads to the right of the cliff edge, where, with beautiful views, we cross short stretches of dwarf pines. The path, which mostly descends gently, a little further joins a marked path that bypasses the peak of Windgrube on the right side.
We continue straight and move onto steep slopes, where, during winter conditions, there is a high risk of avalanches or slipping; in snow-free conditions, the path is not particularly demanding, though a bit more caution is needed in two short sections to avoid slipping. After a few minutes of crossing, the slope flattens, and the path splits.
The path towards the plateau Mitteralm and further to the summit Hochschwab continues straight, but we turn right downward in the direction of Hackentörl, Seewiesen, and Jauring. Next follows a descent along a scenic grassy ridge, and the marked path soon turns left onto a slope.
Here, we leave the marked path and continue straight along a well-trodden footpath that leads us to the ridge of the peak Hochstein. The descent soon ends, and after a minute or two of further walking, we reach a rocky peak with a cross.
Starting point - Pierergut 0:25, Pierergut - Bürgeralm 1:45, Bürgeralm - Windgrube 0:50, Windgrube - Hochstein 0:35.
The description and pictures refer to the condition in October 2024.

On the way: Wirtshaus Pierergut (950m), Bürgeralm (1550m), Schönleitenhaus (Windgrube) (1809m)