Parkirišče Alpspitzbahn - Bernadeinkopf (via Osterfelderkopf)

Access to starting point:
Through the Karawanks Tunnel, we drive into Austria, then continue driving towards Spittal and further towards Lienz (a little after Spittal, the highway ends). Further, we drive on a relatively nice and wide road through the Drau Valley, which brings us to Italy. The road then leads past the places Dobbiaco / Toblach and Brunico / Bruneck. We continue on the main road and then join the highway towards Austria (direction Brenner, Innsbruck). In Innsbruck, we continue on the highway, which runs west along the river Inn (at the highway junction, direction Garmisch). We soon leave the highway at the exit for Garmisch. The road then starts ascending towards the pass Scharnitz, where the border between Austria and Germany is. From the pass, we descend to the German side and follow the signs for Garmisch-Partenkirchen. When driving through the mentioned place, we follow the signs for Austria and the place Ehrwald. A little before the end of the place Garmisch-Partenkirchen, we turn left where the signs »Alpspitze« direct us. We then follow this road to the large parking lot at the lower station of the cableways Alpspitzbahn and Kreuzeckbahn.

Route description:
From the parking lot, we head towards the lower station of the cableway Alpspitzbahn and first cross the railway track, then head onto the macadam road that runs between both cableways. At the beginning, the macadam path leads past a few houses, and along the path we will also notice signposts that mark the path towards the hut Kreuzeck. The road then turns left and starts steeply ascending through the forest. Further, the road runs occasionally along the ski slope, from which a view opens towards the place Garmisch-Partenkirchen, then again through the forest.
Later, the path brings us to a wider macadam road, along which we continue right following the signs »Kreuzeck«. We follow the gentle wide road only a short time, as the signposts soon direct us left onto a steeper road by the ski slope. Here the path leads past the artificial lake Speichersee and later rejoins the wider road. For some time we walk again on the mentioned road, then the signs for Kreuzeck direct us right onto a footpath.
Here we then ascend in zigzags through the forest, soon we come out of the forest again and a view also opens towards the summit Zugspitze. A short ascent follows along the ski slope and the path brings us to the private hut Trögelhütte.
At the hut, we continue right on a narrow macadam road, which after a short ascent we leave and continue on the footpath. Further, we ascend through the forest and along the path we will also notice boards on which various verses are written. Higher, the path brings us to the pasture Kreuzalm where we rejoin the macadam road. On the pasture, where a beautiful view opens towards the summit Alpspitz, we continue right on the macadam road along which we soon reach the hut Kreuzeckhaus where there is also the upper station of the cableway Kreuzeckbahn.
At the junction located a little below the hut, we then continue left towards the pasture Hochalm. The path from the junction slightly descends and leads us past a vantage point beside which there are also various boards. Here first from the left a footpath joins from the ski jumps in the place Garmisch-Partenkirchen and then from the right the path from the place Hammersbach. We continue on the macadam road, which soon brings us to another junction.
At the junction, we continue left on the gentle road towards the pasture Hochalm, right upwards leads a somewhat longer path over the summit Längenfelder also to the pasture Hochalm. From the junction, the road runs south and from the left the path Bernadeinsteig from the hut Stuibenhütte joins us. The road then slightly ascends further and brings us to the hut on the pasture Hochalm.
At the fork on the pasture, we continue slightly left on the road following the signs »Osterfelderkopf«, right leads the road towards the cableway Längenfelder and a somewhat steeper footpath towards the summit Osterfelderkopf where there is also the upper station of the gondola cableway Alpspitzbahn. From the fork, the road starts to ascend somewhat more steeply southwards and leads us past the smaller hut Bergwachthütte. Further, the road becomes gentler and soon a view opens on the precipitous northern wall of the summit Bernadeinkopf along which an extremely demanding secured path also runs (difficulty D/E). The gentle road then brings us to a marked fork. First from the left the path from the Reintal valley and the hut Bockhütte joins, just a little after that we reach another fork. This time the path Schöngänge branches left as well as the already mentioned extremely demanding secured climbing path to Bernadeinkopf. At the fork, we continue slightly right on the macadam road that runs along the ski slope. Here from the path we have a very nice view of the northern walls of the summits Bernadeinkopf and Alpspitze, along the path there are also numerous boards that describe the surroundings in an interesting way. Later the road turns right and leads us through a small notch from which a view towards the summit Osterfelderkopf opens.
Further, the path turns slightly left and then ascends grassy slopes towards the summit. Higher, a steeper path from the pasture Hochalm joins us and only a short ascent follows to the summit Osterfelderkopf where there is also the restaurant Alpspitz and the upper stations of the cableways Alpspitzbahn and Hochalmbahn.
From the restaurant Alpspitze, we continue left on the gentle and wide path that crosses the slopes southwards. Our path then crosses a fence and for a short time still crosses the slopes southwards, then brings us to a marked fork.
At the fork, we continue left, right leads the path over the notch Rinderscharte into the Höllental valley. From the fork first follows a short ascent with the aid of some steel cables, then a less steep path brings us below the walls of the summit Alpspitze where there is another fork.
Right leads the secured path Alpspitz Ferrata towards the summit Alpspitze, we continue left on the path named Nordwandsteig. The still relatively gentle path then brings us into the tunnel. The tunnel, which is not too long, facilitates crossing the precipitous slope. Through the tunnel we will walk more easily with a flashlight, which is not strictly necessary as the tunnel is relatively short. When we exit the tunnel, the path for some time still crosses steep slopes eastwards and is mostly secured with a steel cable. Such a path then brings us to gentler slopes on the eastern side of the summit Alpspitze where there is also a fork.
Right leads the path towards the summit Alpspitze, we continue straight towards the summit Bernadeinkopf, which we can already see ahead. From the fork, the path first slightly descends and crosses scree eastwards. The path then from the scree brings us to somewhat more grassy terrain below the summit Bernadeinkopf, where there is also a marked fork.
At the fork, the path Schöngänge joins and only a short ascent to the summit follows.
We can descend via the path Schöngänge and then past the pasture Hochalm or return via the ascent path towards Osterfelderkopf.

Along the route: Speichersee (1230m), Trögelhütte (1436m), Kreuzeckhaus (1652m), Hochalm (1705m), Osterfelderkopf (2033m)

We recommend: trips from the same starting point, similar trips, panorama