Alpl (Waldschulle Alpl) - Edelweißhütte auf der Waldtonialm

Access to starting point:
Highway A2 Graz - Vienna we leave at the exit for Gleisdorf west, then 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 settlement Birkfeld, then follow the road to the mentioned settlement and from there follow the signs for Alpl. When we arrive at Alpl, we turn left before the bridge near the Alpl ski slope in the direction of the Waldschulle Peter Rosegger forest school. Next follows a slight descent, and we park in a parking lot slightly below the school, which is now a museum.
From the border crossing Šentilj, we continue driving on the highway towards Graz and further 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. We leave the mentioned highway at the exit for Mitterdorf, and upon reaching the roundabout with the old road, we take the first exit in the direction of Vienna. After the settlement Krieglach, we turn right towards the settlements Birkfeld and Alpl. When we arrive at Alpl, we turn right in the direction of the Waldschulle Peter Rosegger forest school. Next follows a slight descent, and we park in a parking lot slightly below the school, which is now a museum.

Path description:
From the parking lot, we continue on the road which runs through the valley, and the path first leads past an open public toilet, then past the inn Waldesruh. Further on, we ascend slightly for some time, and at a few crossings, we continue straight, following the path along the stream Freßnitzbach. Later, the asphalt road turns slightly to the right, while we continue slightly left on a macadam road, marked with signs for Teufelstein, Schanz, and Fischbach. The path ahead leads us past the cross Lendkreuz, where there is also a rest area. After the cross, the road turns left, crosses a gate, and the marked path splits.
We continue on the road (right over the small bridge Teufelstein), which quickly leads to a smaller crossroad, where we take the left road, marked with blazes, which shortly ascends diagonally to the left. A few minutes higher, we turn right from the road onto a cart track, marked with signs for the path Chrismettenweg and the settlement St. Kathrein, ascending diagonally to the right, first through the forest, then across a pasture. Higher up at the saddle, we reach a macadam road, follow it to the right, and a minute later, turn left onto a slightly narrower macadam road, which then splits. Just before the split, a path to Teufelstein branches off to the right, but we continue on the slightly right road, along which there are signs for the mountain hut Edelweißhütte. Next follows some traversing, and when we reach the gully of the stream Brennleitenbach, we turn right onto a rougher road, which begins to ascend noticeably. Next follows a diagonal ascent to the left, and at a smaller crossroad, we continue straight in the direction of signs for the aforementioned mountain hut. The path ahead leads us along a wider cart track, and when we leave the forest, we already notice the mountain hut Edelweißhütte on the left. From here, we continue for a short time along the cart track, which runs beside a fence, and when we reach the road, we turn left and, passing a chapel, arrive at the cottage on the mountain pasture Waldtonialm.
The description and pictures refer to the conditions in October 2023 and September 2024.

On the way: Lendkreuz (1066m), Untere Holdahütte (1282m)