Salzstiegelhaus - Ameringkogel (Packalpe)

Access to starting point:
a) We leave the Highway A2 Klagenfurt–Graz at the Packsattel exit, then follow the signs for Graz and Pack. At the settlement Stampf, we leave the old road towards Graz and continue driving in the direction of the settlement Hirschegg, and from there follow the signs for the ski slope Salzstiegel and the mountain hut Salzstiegelhaus. In the last part, we follow the macadam road to the parking lot at the mountain hut Salzstiegelhaus, which is situated by the mountain pass Hirscheggersattel.
b) We leave the Highway A2 Graz–Klagenfurt at the Modriach exit, then follow the signs for the Packer Stausee lake and the settlement Hirschegg. From the settlement Hirschegg, we follow the signs for the ski slope Salzstiegel and the mountain hut Salzstiegelhaus. In the last part, we follow the macadam road to the parking lot at the mountain hut Salzstiegelhaus, which is situated by the mountain pass Hirscheggersattel.

Path description:
Signposts at the mountain hut Salzstiegelhaus direct us left towards the southwest in the direction of the saddle Peterer Sattel and the peaks Speikkogel, Ameringkogel and Großerberg, where we initially walk on a macadam road, then quickly turn right onto a cart track. The cart track we follow moderately ascends, and at the crossing of the grazing fence we turn left towards Ameringkogel. There follows some easy walking, then we moderately ascend on a grassy slope where a ski track runs in winter. When the forest along the path ends, we quickly ascend to the indistinct peak Rosseben, where the reservoir Salzstiegel Almsee is nearby.
We bypass the lake on the left side, then in a gentle ascent we reach a marked junction.
At the junction, a path branches off to the left towards the saddle Peterer Sattel, but we continue straight, bypassing the nearby wind power plant on the left side. The path ahead starts to ascend more steeply on an increasingly panoramic grassy slope. Higher up, we cross a grazing fence and the path flattens; a little further, we reach an indistinct ridge where the path splits. Sharply to the left, an unmarked path branches off leading to the nearby secondary peak of Speikkogel, where a cross and a registration box are located, while the marked path continues straight towards the unmarked main summit of Speikkogel, which we reach in a few minutes of further walking.
From the summit, we continue on the marked path heading west, which leads us along a wider ridge. After a few minutes of descent, we reach a marked junction on a smaller saddle between Speikkogel and Hofalmkogel.
Here we continue slightly to the right (slightly left to the mountain hut Weißensteinhütte and Obdach) and gradually begin a gentle ascent. After some ascent, we reach the eastern secondary peak of Hofalmkogel, then continue on the marked path which turns northwest, and after a slightly steeper ascent brings us to the panoramic Hofalmkogel, which is not particularly marked.
From Hofalmkogel, we descend towards the northwest, reaching the saddle with the neighbouring peak Weißenstein in a few minutes of descent. From the saddle, we initially ascend moderately, then steeply for some time along a grazing fence. Higher up, the path flattens, and on the left side, among numerous wire fences, we notice the highest point of the peak Weißenstein.
A few steps further, we see hiking signposts, and we continue towards Ameringkogel and the peak Größenberg (slightly left, a poorer unmarked path that bypasses Ameringkogel on the left side) continuing an easy ascent along the ridge. In a few minutes of further walking, we reach the highest point of Ameringkogel, with the cross and registration box located a few dozen steps ahead.
Starting point - Rosseben 0:30, Rosseben - Speikkogel 0:45, Speikkogel - Hofalmkogel 0:35, Hofalmkogel - Weißenstein 0:30, Weißenstein - Ameringkogel 0:10.
The description and pictures refer to the condition in July 2023.

On the way: Rosseben (1710m), Speikkogel (Packalpe) (1993m), Hofalmkogel (Packalpe) (2040m), Weißenstein (Packalpe) (2160m)