parking lot Hoyer (Neuhofgraben) - Lärchkogel (Gleinalpe) (via Speikkogel)

Access to starting point:
We leave the Graz - Salzburg highway at the Übelbach exit, then turn left. We then drive through Übelbach, and after the settlement, we pass through the underpass beneath the highway. At the crossroads, we continue straight to the settlement Neuhof, where we turn sharply right, and the road gradually turns back to the left and continues through the valley of the stream Übelbach. The asphalt ends a little further on, and we follow the road to a marked parking lot, where the described path begins.

Path description:
From the end of the parking lot, we continue slightly to the left onto the road, along which there are signs for the mountain hut Gleinalpenschutzhaus. The path ahead gently ascends and leads us on a macadam road that runs along the stream Übelbach. Later, the road ascends a little more steeply a few times, and at the crossroads, we continue straight or follow the blazes. After approximately 4.5 km of walking, we arrive at a marked parking lot (the parking lot is accessible by car only a few times a year, usually when there is a holy mass in the church by the mountain hut Gleinalpenschutzhaus), where we continue sharply right, but a few steps ahead we leave the road as the blazes lead us left onto a footpath that starts ascending diagonally. Higher up, we cross a macadam road several times and also cross two larger streams; at the second, the crossing is quite awkward or even potentially dangerous.
Over the stream, where the passage is damaged, it is hard to cross on the footpath and stay dry, but the passage is possible slightly lower, where great caution is needed on the old wood to avoid slipping into the steep, rapid-filled stream due to its slipperiness (it is also possible to reach the other side of the stream via the road by taking a longer detour).
After crossing the stream, some traversing follows, then we ascend to the final crossing of the forest road. The marked path leaves the forest a few minutes later and brings us to the mountain hut Gleinalpenschutzhaus, next to which there is also a church and the saddle Gleinalmsattel.
From the mountain hut, we take the path toward the summit Speikkogel, starting with a moderate ascent, then climbing steeply toward the north. We quickly leave the belt of spruce forest, then mostly ascend slightly to the right of the wire fence, following the blazes, with multiple footpaths in some sections. Higher up, the path and slope flatten out, and with beautiful views, we reach the cross on Speikkogel.
Here, we turn right (left is Lenzmoarkogel, the highest peak of Glinske planine, about 15 minutes away) and in a few steps ascend to the highest point of the peak, then gradually begin a moderate descent along the marked path toward the northeast. For some time, we descend moderately with beautiful views, followed by a few minutes of steeper descent, ending at a saddle south to southwest of the peak Lärchkogel.
From here, we gradually begin a slightly steeper ascent, following the marked path all the way to the cross and small bivouac at the top of Lärchkogel.
Starting point - Gleinalpenschutzhaus 2:30, Gleinalpenschutzhaus - Speikkogel 1:00, Speikkogel - Lärchkogel 0:45.
The description and pictures refer to the condition in October 2024.

On the way: Gleinalm Schutzhaus (1586m), Speikkogel (Gleinalpe) (1988m)