Wimbachbrücke - Watzmann Mittelspitze

Access to starting point:
From Slovenia on the highway, we go towards Salzburg. Just before the town we choose exit Grödig and follow the signs for Berchtesgaden. In Berchtesgaden we go towards the settlement Ramsau (road follows river Ramsau Ache) and we soon get to the starting point Wimbachbrücke. Here we park on a paid parking lot. The time of driving from Ljubljana is approximately 3 h 15 min.

Path description:
From the parking lot Wimbachbrücke we go towards the mountain hut Watzmannhaus. On the sign it is otherwise written 4 hours of walking, but at a moderate pace we will already be at the destination after three hours. The path at the beginning ascends along the stream Wimbach. The path is steep but well maintained, so that we can tackle it also on a mountain bike. The path ascends in the shade of trees. After approximately one hour of walking we arrive at the alpine pasture, where a view opens up on the northern side. The maintained path continues all the way to the fenced pasture, where cows are grazing and a hut stands. Here the path becomes steeper and rocky. After two hours of walking we leave the forest and arrive at the next wooden hut – emergency shelter. Here there is also a turn-off for the path towards the lake Königssee – we continue towards Watzmannhaus. The path becomes even more rocky and winds steeply towards the top of the ridge. Before the destination there are still some wooden steps and after more than three hours we finally arrive at the hut Watzmannhaus. We have walked 1300 elevation meters.
From the hut Watzmannhaus we continue along the ridge in the direction of Watzmann-Hocheck. The path starts to ascend steeply. We ascend in zigzags along the right side of the ridge. The path is indistinct at times, but the markers are quite frequent. Several different paths are possible, which intertwine with each other. We follow the one that suits us best. After one hour of ascent we arrive at the steel cables. A self-belay kit is not necessary. Here we know that half of the ascent still awaits us. On the left side a view opens up on Watzmannfrau, on the right on the neighboring mountain Hochkalter. After approximately two hours we arrive at the summit of Hocheck, on which two crosses are placed (one with and the other without Jesus). The summit is narrow and exposed. On the south side we can descend to the bivouac, where a view opens up on Mittelspitze.
The ridge path starts at the bivouac, where there is enough space to prepare the equipment. We immediately start with the most exposed part of the path: we descend along the narrow ridge, where a steel railing provides support. The path widens slightly, the fixed protections disappear, and the markers lead us along the summit ridge onward. The path starts to descend and soon we reach the lowest point of the ridge. From there a steel cable awaits us again, with the help of which we ascend over the smooth wall. Before the final ascent there is still a small descent. The entire path is (where necessary) well protected, and we arrive at the summit Mittelspitze in less than an hour. We can return the same way or continue towards Südspitze.