Aflenz Kurort (Freibad Aflenz) - Hochstein (at Mitteralm)

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, and from the upper part of the settlement we turn left onto the street Badstraße. On a narrow road we quickly reach the pool, and we drive about 50 meters further to a macadam parking lot, which is situated at the edge of the forest.

Path description:
By the parking lot we notice signs for guesthouse Pierergut, which point us onto a cart track that starts ascending through the forest. The path initially leads past a children's playground, then at the second zigzag brings us to a crossing.
We continue slightly to the right towards guesthouse Pierergut and begin ascending along a forest footpath. Higher up, a footpath from the lower cableway station on Bürgeralm joins from the right, but we continue left and, after a few minutes, reach an asphalt road, which we follow to the left. From a nearby crossroad, we turn right and quickly walk to the inn Wirtshaus Pierergut, where a beautiful view opens 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. We follow the road on the mountain pasture towards the north, passing several cottages, and a little further, a path from the parking lot on Bürgeralm joins us (the road to the parking lot is payable). We are already at the last cottages on the mountain pasture, where on the right we notice the mountain hut Almrauschhütte Bürgeralm.
We continue on the road which turns to the right a little ahead and ascends diagonally. During the ascent, a beautiful view opens up on the mountain pasture Bürgeralm, and the path splits a little higher up.
On the road which turns to the left, the path continues towards the cottage Schönleitenhaus, but we continue straight on a footpath that proceeds along a grassy slope. Next follows a gentle diagonal ascent, where we also cross the ski lift route, and then we enter a larch forest. The forest soon ends, and the path transitions to grassy slopes, where we cross a few short patches of dwarf pines. A little further, we approach the ridge, and from the left, the path from the peak Windgrube or the cottage Schönleitenhaus joins us.
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.
The starting point - Pierergut 0:25, Pierergut - Bürgeralm 1:45, Bürgeralm - Hochstein 1:10.
The description and pictures refer to the condition in October 2024.

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