Special Consideration:
Alpine tour, partly on a glacier (ice equipment); easy climbing on the ridge Detmolder Grat and on the regular route (Rudolfstätterweg), sometimes fixed ropes. Experience and safe walking in alpine terrain are absolutely necessary!

Approach:
Drive through the valley Maltatal to Koschach, and from there to Gössgraben to the car park below the reservoir Gösskarspeicher
(1650 m).

Starting Point:
car park below the reservoir Gösskarspeicher

Directions:
Ascent: From the car park cross the street and the road, pass the dam of the reservoir Gösskarspeicher. Follow either the road or the marked path to the hut Giessener Hütte (2202 m). From there, climb to the wind gap Lassacher Winkelscharte (#519), to the ridge Detmolder Grat (# 535), and on the ridge to the peak (easy climbing passages, traversing on steep snow or ice slopes).
Descent via the regular route (Rudolfstätterweg) to clearly visible rock pillars ("Steinerne Mandl"). From there, climb down a steep rock section (protected by steel ropes) to a steep snow or ice slope. Walk down on it and over some more snow slopes, later on a rough path back to the hut Giessener Hütte.

Time required:
car park to Giessener Hütte: 1 - 1.5 hours
Giessener Hütte to peak via Detmolder Grat: 4 hours
descent via Rudolfstätterweg to Giessener Hütte: 2 - 2.5 hours
descent to car park: 45 min.

Vertical Meters:
approx. 1700 m up and down!

Equipment:
Equipment for high alpine tours is absolutely necessary!

Base:
hut Giessener Hütte (2202m)

Further Information:
A very long and demanding one-day tour. Therefore, you might consider to stay over night in the hut Giessener Hütte. It is open from the beginning of July until the beginning of October and provides a cosy winter room with heating possibility.

Maps:
by the Federal Office of land surveying, Bundesamt für Eich- und Vermessungswesen: Map of Austria: Österreichische Karte, sheet 155,1:25 000
Map of the Austrian Alpine Club ÖAV: Alpenvereinkarte Nr. 44, "Hochalmspitze - Amkogel", 1:25 000
National park information set: Mallnitz/Malta, Wanderkarte und Kurzführer, 1:50 000 (hiking map and guidebook in shortened form)
Hikers map: Kompass Wanderkarte, "Maltatal, Liesertal", 1:50 000

map section

Charakteristik:
long, alpine tour

Approach:
Drive through the valley Maltatal to the toll station of the Malta-Hochalmstrasse; on the pay road uphill to 1512 m (parking possibilities along the road, sign for the hut Kattowitzer Hütte)

Starting Point:
car park at Malta-Hochalmstrasse at 1512 m

Directions:
From the car park, hike slightly uphill on a road to the upper Maralm (a small hut at 1813 m) and then on a marked trail (# 547) to the hut Kattowitzer Hütte at 2319 m.
From the hut, keep on going uphill and over a steep spur to the SW-ridge of the Hafner. At the beginning of the ridge there are some fixed ropes to make the climbing safer; after that, it is quite easy to reach the top of the mountain at 3076 m.
Descent like ascent.

Time required:
car park - Kattowitzer Hütte: 2 - 2.5 hours
Kattowitzer Hütte - peak Grosser Hafner: 2 - 2.5 hours

Vertical Meters:
1500 m up and down

Equipment:
equipment for alpine tours and warm clothes

Base:
hut Kattowitzerhütte (2319m)

Further Information:
You can also start at the hut Gmünder Hütte at the pay road Malta-Hochalmstrasse. From there, take a steep path which joins the route mentioned shortly below Obere Maralm.
Another really recommendable tour is the Hafner traverse. Starting in Muhr, pass the mountain lakes Rotgülden and the wind gap Wastelkarscharte to reach Hafner; descend into the valley Maltatal.

Maps:
by the Federal Office of land surveying, Bundesamt für Eich- und Vermessungswesen: Map of Austria: Österreichische Karte, sheet 156, "Muhr",1:25 000
Map of the Austrian Alpine Club ÖAV: Alpenvereinkarte Nr. 44, "Hochalmspitze - Amkogel", 1:25 000
National park information set: Mallnitz/Malta, Wanderkarte und Kurzführer, 1:50 000 (hiking map and guidebook in shortened form)
Hikers map: Kompass Wanderkarte, "Maltatal, Liesertal", 1:50 000

map section

Special Considerations:
Long alpine round trip, no technical difficulties. Only recommendable when the weather forecast is good for the entire day!

Approach:
Drive on the Malta-Hochalmstrasse (toll) to Kölnbreinsperre and further on to the car park at the restaurant Kölnbreinstüberl

Starting Point:
car park Kölnbreinstüberl/reservoir Kölnbreinsperre

Directions:
From the car park, follow the road along the reservoir to the turn-off "Kleinelend". This is the start of an extraordinary walk through a wild, romantic valley, high up in the mountains. You will pass the hut Halter Hütte, Mitteboden, and then reach Steinkarboden. There, cross the bridge which was built in 2002 and follow the path via Gurrnboden to Zwischenelendscharte at the bottom of the Kleinelendkees (highest point of the hike at 2675 m).
From there, hike down to the lakes Schwarzhornseen to the hut Osnabrücker Hütte, then again along the reservoir and back to the starting point.

Time required:
car park Kölnbreinstüberl - Zwischenelendscharte: 3 - 4 hours
Zwischenelendscharte - Osnabrückerhütte: 1.5 - 2 hours
Osnabrückerhütte - car park Kölnbreinstüberl: 1.5 - 2 hours

Vertical Meters:
750 hm up and down

Equipment:
hiking equipment and warm clothes

Bases:
Mountain restaurant & Hotel Malta (at Kölnbreinsperre), restaurant Kölnbreinstüberl (starting point), hut Osnabrücker Hütte

Further Information:
The round tour is just as beautiful when you do the hike reversed!

Maps:
by the Federal Office of land surveying, Bundesamt für Eich- und Vermessungswesen: Map of Austria: Österreichische Karte, sheet 155,1:25 000
Map of the Austrian Alpine Club ÖAV: Alpenvereinkarte Nr. 44, "Hochalmspitze - Amkogel", 1:25 000
National park information set: Mallnitz/Malta, Wanderkarte und Kurzführer, 1:50 000 (hiking map and guidebook in shortened form)
Hikers map: Kompass Wanderkarte, "Maltatal, Liesertal", 1:50 000

map section