Sankt Ilgen (Der Bodenbauer) - Hochwart (past Häuslalmhütte)

Access to starting point:
From the border crossing Šentilj we continue driving on the highway towards Gradec / Graz and forward towards Linz and Salzburg. We soon leave highway A9 and continue driving slightly right in the direction of Vienna, proceeding along the expressway S35. Near the settlement Bruck an der Mur, we reach highway S16 and follow it in the direction of Vienna. A little further beyond the tunnel, we leave the highway and take the exit for Kapfenberg, then follow the signs for the mentioned town. We soon reach the main road 116, and from the nearby intersection, we turn slightly right toward the settlements Thörl and Mariazzel. In the settlement Thörl, we turn left toward the settlement St. Ilgen, then follow the road to the inn Der Bodenbauer, which is located at the end of the Alpine valley. We park in a large parking lot just before the inn.
The parking lot is now paid.

Path description:
From the parking lot, we walk to the inn Der Bodenbauer and bypass it on the right side. Behind the museum, which is located behind the inn, the path splits for the first time, and we continue straight towards the summit of Hochschwab and the mountain pasture Häuslalm (left Hainzleralm and Josersee) along a gently sloping macadam road closed to public traffic.
After a few minutes, the road splits again, and this time we continue slightly left following the signs for Häuslalm (slightly right Hochschwab), continuing along the road with beautiful views. A little further, yellow hiking signposts direct us slightly right from the road onto a marked footpath, which higher up crosses the forest road a few more times. At an altitude of approximately 1200 meters, we cross a poorer road for the last time, continue through the forest for a short while, and then the forest begins to thin, revealing increasingly beautiful views of the surrounding mountains and cliffs. Further on, the path transitions into a band of dwarf pines and continues through an indistinct small valley. During the ascent, we can admire Buchbergkogel on the left and the cliffs of the mountain Zinken on the right. When we reach the mountain pasture Häuselalm higher up, we pass two cottages (an unmarked path branches off straight towards Buchbergkogel from the first), after which we quickly ascend to the cottage Häuslalmhütte, from where the view also opens up towards the west.
We bypass the cottage on the right side and follow the signs for Hochschwab and Zinken, above the cottage the path passes into a lane of dwarf pines. Next follows a relatively short ascent with beautiful views, then the path flattens and passes into a series of smaller valleys, where it continues with some easy ascents and shorter descents. Later follows a passage through a short exposed section, where on the second half of the short crossing a steel cable is also located.
Further, we ascend through a series of valleys, and higher up we reach a signpost marking the Hirschgrube area. Some ascent follows through a lane of dwarf pines, immediately after the dwarf pines end on the right, the path splits.
Slightly to the right continues an unmarked path to the nearby Zinken, but we continue straight and diagonally ascend a grassy slope. Higher up, the path flattens and leads us to a plateau-like ridge, where it continues with increasingly beautiful views, initially with Zinken clearly visible on the right, then gradually moving away from it. Further, the path returns to the slopes, and on the right side we bypass the high mountain valley or plateau Kleiner Speikoben, right below us, while on the upper plateau we notice the interesting hill Grosser Beilstein.
Higher up, a shorter crossing follows again, and we reach a small valley below Hochwart named Großer Speikboden.
Here, somewhere near the sign marking Speikbodem, we leave the marked path leading further toward the summit Hochschwab and the Schiestelhaus cottage and continue left on easier pathless terrain, ascending a grassy landscape to an indistinct ridge southwest of the Hochwart peak. Here we continue slightly to the right on a grassy slope toward the main, also indistinct ridge. Only a moderate ascent follows, and we reach the cross and inscription box on Hochwart.
Starting point - Häuslalmhütte 1:55, Häuslalmhütte - Hochwart 2:30.
Description and pictures refer to conditions in July 2023 and September and November 2024.

On the way: Häuslalmhütte (1526m), Hirschgrube (1750m)