Lienzer Dolomitenhütte - Weißstein Alm (way 14)

Access to starting point:
Through the Karawanks Tunnel, we drive to Austria, and then we continue driving towards Spittal and onwards towards Lienz (the highway ends a little after Spittal). Further, we drive on a relatively nice and wide road through the Drau valley. A few kilometers before Lienz (near the settlement Unterdorf), we will notice signs for the Lienzer Dolomitenhütte, which point us to the left onto a local road. The road then crosses the river Drava/Drau over a bridge and brings us to the village Lavant, where we continue right in the direction of the village Tristach. Between the villages Lavant and Tristach we will come to the next crossroads, where we continue left in the direction of "Lienzer Dolomitenhütte". We then follow this road, which starts to ascend more steeply, to a large parking lot near the mentioned hut. The road is payable (July 2009 7€).
To Lienz we can also come if, instead of through the Drau valley, we drive through the Gail valley (Korensko sedlo, Hermagor, mountain pass Ziljsko sedlo/Gailbergsattel); in this case, we arrive in the Drau valley at the settlement Oberdrauburg.

Path description:
At the end of the parking lot, immediately behind the grazing fence we continue left in the direction of path 14. The path at first gently ascends over a grassy slope, a little higher crosses a cart track and then also a grazing fence. A few minutes of easy walking follow through a strip of forest, then it turns sharply to the right and steeply ascends. Further, we ascend on a very steep slope, where a steel cable helps us. The steepness soon eases, and on the path we encounter only some smaller pegs, intended for safer steps over wet rocks. The path ahead ascends over some overgrown meadows, and then brings us to a smaller saddle, from which a nice view opens up on the surrounding peaks and the alpine pasture, to which only a short descent remains.