Stubenbergsee - Kulmkögerl (Kulmgipfel)

Access to starting point:
A) We leave the highway A2 Graz - Vienna / Wien at the exit for Gleisdorf, and then we follow the signs for Hartberg and Weiz, and later only for Hartberg and Ilztal. From the roundabout in Ilztal we go on the road towards the settlements Hartberg and Pischelsdorf. We leave the road towards the settlement Hartberg in the settlement Kaibing, where we turn left towards the settlements Fürstenfeld and St. Johan b.h., and at the next crossroad we go left towards the settlement St. Johan b.h. From the settlement Sankt Johann bei Herberstein we drive to the nearby lake Stubenbergsee, at the end of which we turn left and park on a larger paid parking lot, where parking is allowed from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. The price for parking until 8 p.m. is 3 eur (November 2022).
B) From Prekmurje we first drive to the border crossing Kuzma, and then we drive towards the settlement Jennersdorf; still before the mentioned settlement we go onto the fast road in the direction of Vrbna / Feldbach. We soon leave the fast road because signs for the motorway and settlement Riegersburg direct us to the right. On the main road we then drive to the settlement Hatzendorf, where we turn left, and when we reach Riegersburg we go right. Next follows the drive to the settlement Ilz, where we go right and then immediately left towards the lake Stubenbergsee. From the roundabout at the edge of the settlement Großhartmannsdorf we take the exit in the direction of the settlement Großsteinbach, but we drive on the main road all the way to the lake Stubenbergsee, at the end of which we turn left and park on a larger paid parking lot, where parking is allowed from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. The price for parking until 8 p.m. is 3 eur (November 2022).

Path description:
From the parking lot we walk to the bridge over the river Bistrica / Feistritz, and after the bridge we arrive at a smaller crossroad. We continue straight on the footpath Kulmweg 31 and then continue left and walk parallel to the nearby road. After a few minutes of crossing along a belt of bushes the path then turns right and ascends more steeply. Higher we reach an asphalt road and follow it to the right for some 10 steps, then behind the fence we go left and continue the ascent on a narrow path that leads us between fences. Behind the fence we step into the forest and ascend steeply for a few minutes; when we leave the forest we walk with a nice view of the lake Stubenbergsee to another asphalt road, which we follow to the left. The path further leads us past the inn Gasthaus Windhaber, then from a smaller crossroad we go sharply right. On the asphalt road we continue to the next hamlet, where we temporarily leave the road and continue along the fence of the nearby plot with the path. When we return to the road we go left, a little further right off it onto a grassy path that ascends along a panoramic slope to the nearby bench. At the bench the path turns slightly to the right, then we ascend to the next hamlet, where we pass the chapel. We also continue to follow the rare blazes; at a smaller crossroad we continue on the slightly left road, which turns even a bit more to the left. Signs for Kulm a little further direct us right onto the path along the fence, above the fence we reach a road which we follow to the left. We do not stay long on this road either as the signs lead us right into the forest, through which we ascend moderately. Higher we cross two meadows, when we return to the forest from the fork we continue slightly left. There follows some more ascent, and when we reach an indistinct ridge we go right in the direction of the summit Kulmgipfel (left Kulm). There follows one more minute of walking and we reach the summit with the cross.
Description and pictures refer to the condition in November 2022.

On the way: Auerberg (548m)