Parkplatz Innerfragant - Herzog Ernst Spitze

Access to starting point:
From the Karawanks Tunnel, we follow the highway towards Salzburg to a highway junction where we turn left towards Spittal. From Spittal we drive towards Lienz. A little after the highway ends, at the settlement Möllbrücke, we turn right towards the settlement Mallnitz and the Alpine road Großglockner. We follow this road to the settlement Kleindorf (a little after the settlement Flattach) where signs „Mölltaler Gletscher“ point us to the right onto an ascending road towards the bottom station of the cable car. We follow this road all the way to the large parking lots at the bottom station of the cable car.

Path description:
From the parking lot, we continue on the asphalt road which is closed to traffic. After a short ascent on the road, signposts point us to the right onto the footpath „Richard Helfer Weg“. On the footpath we also avoid the tunnels on the road through which walking is forbidden.
From the junction, we start to ascend a little steeper through the forest on a relatively poorly beaten path. Higher up, we join the road for a short time and then turn right again onto a footpath marked with Knafelc blazes. The path mostly ascends through the forest and crosses a few shorter clearings. Later, the path brings us onto somewhat steeper slopes from which we occasionally get a view of the waterfalls of the Astrombach stream on the other side of the steep valley. On a short traverse where the slope is very steep, a rope assists us. The path here is not overly demanding, but we need to be careful as bushes and high grass might prevent us from noticing that the slope next to the narrow path is very steep. The path then turns left from the steep slopes and starts to ascend a little steeper. On such a path through the forest, we soon reach the mountain road.
We continue right on the road, which gently descends and brings us to a marked junction near the lake Wurtenspeicher. We turn left onto the cart track and after a short ascent reach the lake. Near the lake there are also benches and a table.
The cart track that runs along the lake soon ends, and we turn left onto the footpath. The path further mostly in a gentle ascent traverses the slope above the lake towards the north, crossing a few smaller streams in the process. Later, the path turns slightly to the left and ascends in zigzags for a short time. This is followed by traversing somewhat steeper slopes, where we bypass a small rockslide. Some caution is needed here. Later, the increasingly scenic path becomes less steep and proceeds towards the north. We still have to pay attention to where we walk as there are quite a few deep holes along the path. The path then descends slightly and brings us near the lake Mernigsee.
Here the path turns slightly to the right and crosses a stream, then starts ascending the slope above the lake. We walk northwards again and soon traverse the slope below the chairlift that leads to the hut Weißseehaus. The path then turns left and follows a short ascent on the slope to the left of the ski slope. Later, the path runs across the ski slope and brings us to the mountain road where there is a junction.
To the right slightly downhill it is only a few dozen meters to the intermediate cable car station (Mittelstation), straight ahead across the ski slope the footpath leads to the hut Duisburger Hütte, but we turn left onto the road to the hut Weißseehaus, which we can already see ahead. From the junction, we ascend along the scenic asphalt road beside which livestock grazes in the summer months. On this scenic road, we soon reach the hut Weißseehaus.
From the hut, we continue on the road, which descends slightly and then runs along the lake Weißsee for a short time. The road then starts ascending again and turns slightly to the right, bringing us to the large artificial lake Hochwurtenspeicher. The road along the dam edge brings us to the right side of the lake where the asphalt road ends.
Here, a footpath branches off to the right towards the hut Duisburger Hütte, but we continue on the gravel road along the lake. Soon we reach a junction where another road to the hut Duisburger Hütte branches off to the right. We continue on the left gentle road, which runs along the lake the whole time. With fine views of the peaks above the lake, the road brings us to the northern side of the lake where there are several junctions.
We turn right (towards the northeast) following the signs „Fraganter Scharte“. From the junction, the path runs along the ski slope beside the stream for a while, then turns decisively to the left and starts ascending more steeply. When we approach the steeper slopes a bit, the path turns right and then ascends diagonally all the way to the saddle Fraganter Scharte where there is a junction.
At the saddle, where a view opens towards the north and the summit Hoher Sonnblick, we turn right following the signs „Herzog-Ernst, Schareck“. From the junction, the path runs towards the northeast and mostly ascends in zigzags up the slope of the peak Herzog Ernst Spitze. Higher up, the rocky slope on which we ascend becomes slightly steeper, but the ascent remains relatively undemanding. On such a path, we soon reach the aforementioned peak Herzog Ernst Spitze.

On the way: Wurtenspeicher (1695m), Mernigsee (2040m), Mittelstation (Mölltaler Gletscher) (2234m), Weißseehaus (2381m), Weißsee (2365m), Hochwurtenspeicher (2417m), Fraganter Scharte (2753m)

Trip can be extended to: Schareck (1 h)