Pfitscher Tal / Val di Vizze - Hochfeilerhütte

Access to starting point:
Through the Karawanks Tunnel, we drive to Austria, and then we 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 further leads past Dobbiaco / Toblach and Brunico / Bruneck. We continue further on the main road and then join the highway towards Austria (direction Brenner, Innsbruck). Instead of the highway, we can also continue on the parallel road. We leave the highway at the exit for Vipiteno / Sterzing. In two roundabouts, we continue right and follow the signs for the Pfitscher Tal / Val di Vizze Valley. Just a little after the second roundabout, we turn left towards the mentioned Pfitscher Tal / Val di Vizze Valley. Further, we always follow the signs for the mentioned valley and the Pfitscher Joch / Passo di Vizze pass. The road becomes very narrow, but initially it is still asphalted. Higher up, where the road towards the last houses in the village Stein / Sasso branches off to the left, we continue right on the narrow macadam road towards the Pfitscher Joch / Passo di Vizze pass. We then follow this road to one of the two parking lots. The footpath starts at a bend at the second, somewhat smaller parking lot.

Path description:
At the starting point, we head onto a wide path following the signs »Hochfeilerhütte«. Already after a few dozen meters, we come to a junction where we head right downwards on a somewhat narrower path towards the Hochfeilerhütte hut. After a short descent, we cross a bridge over the Oberbergbach stream and an ascent follows on a nicely maintained path. Further, we ascend through the forest, then soon cross a fence and arrive at a marked junction.
Left leads the path towards the Hochferner bivouac, and we continue right following the signs »Hochfeilerhütte«. The path then mostly in a gentle ascent crosses slopes along bushes and somewhat overgrown grassy slopes and brings us near the Bichl alpine pasture where there is another junction.
Right branches off the path towards the Gliederscharte saddle, and we continue left and further follow the signs for the Hochfeilerhütte hut. Further, we ascend quite steeply and from the path beautiful views of the surrounding peaks begin to open up. We continue ascending on an otherwise well-trodden path that runs along bushes and somewhat overgrown meadows. The path then turns somewhat to the right and for quite some time crosses relatively steep slopes high above the Gliderbach stream. Later we cross a pasture fence and the path brings us to somewhat wider grassy slopes. Here for a short time we ascend somewhat more steeply on grassy slopes, then the path turns somewhat to the right again and crosses steep slopes towards the east. On some sections where the path crosses steep slopes, a steel cable assists us. Soon we reach less steep slopes again from which the view towards the Hochfeilerhütte hut opens up for the first time. Further, the path also descends slightly and crosses a few streams over a bridge.
The path starts ascending again and from the right a less trodden path from the Gliederscharte saddle joins us. We continue ascending on an increasingly scenic path, cross another stream and the path brings us to another marked junction.
Left leads the direct path towards the Hochfeiler summit, and we continue right towards the Hochfeilerhütte hut. From the junction, the path continues towards the east and for most of the time ascends gently. On a shorter section the path descends slightly, then the final ascent to the hut follows.

On the way: Bichl (1838m), Unterbergalm (2200m)