Salzstiegelhaus - Weißenstein (Packalpe)

Access to starting point:
a) We leave the A2 highway 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 Salzstiegel ski area and the Salzstiegelhaus mountain hut. In the last part, we follow the macadam road to the parking lot at the Salzstiegelhaus mountain hut, which is situated by the Hirscheggersattel pass.
b) We leave the A2 highway 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 Salzstiegel ski area and the Salzstiegelhaus mountain hut. In the last part, we follow the macadam road to the parking lot at the Salzstiegelhaus mountain hut, which is situated by the Hirscheggersattel pass.

Route description:
Signposts at the Salzstiegelhaus mountain hut direct us left towards the southwest in the direction of the Peterer Sattel saddle 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. Next follows some easy walking, then we moderately ascend on a grassy slope where a ski slope 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 Peterer Sattel saddle, but we continue straight, bypassing the nearby wind power plant on the left side. The path ahead starts ascending 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 Speikkogel, where a cross and a summit register are located, while the marked path continues straight towards the unmarked main summit 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 Weißensteinhütte mountain hut and Obdach) and gradually begin a gentle ascent. After a short ascent, we reach the eastern secondary peak 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 neighboring peak Weißenstein in a few minutes. 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.
Starting point - Rosseben 0:30, Rosseben - Speikkogel 0:45, Speikkogel - Hofalmkogel 0:35, Hofalmkogel - Weißenstein 0:30.
The description and pictures refer to the condition in July 2023.

Along the route: Rosseben (1710m), Speikkogel (Packalpe) (1993m), Hofalmkogel (Packalpe) (2040m)

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