HOHE TAUERN NATIONAL PARK REGION River Oroffamountain’Sedge
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© Lonely Planet Publications 310 Hohe Tauern National Park Region Hohe Tauern National Park is no place for acrophobes: you’re constantly on a high. This vast tract of mountainous terrain is Austria’s largest nature reserve, and three is its magic number: almost 300 peaks towering 3000m create enormous ripples in the landscape. The park is carved up between Carinthia, Tyrol and Salzburgerland (which naturally stole the biggest slice of the strudel). The scenery invites applause: waterfalls gouge deep ravines, Pinzgauer cattle graze spongy pastures, vultures wheel in a china-blue sky and glaciers shimmer like diamonds in spiky tiaras. It is amazing. The central vein is the precipitous Grossglockner Road, which twists like a ribbon through a crumpled white sheet at the foot of Grossglockner (3797m), the grandaddy of the Austrian Alps. Down south the Dolomites give you a toothy grin in Lienz, a Roman-rooted city with Italian pizzazz, while stepping west the Krimml Falls begin to thunder when the ice cracks. Further north it’s a different picture, with life spiralling around the lake at Zell am See and Bad Gastein serving up a winning combination of ski and spa. This is where Austria’s wild things are, but it’s no empty wilderness and the resident marmots, chamois and ibex share their playground with active types. The locals have been legging it up these peaks since the Stone Age, so it stands to reason that opportunities for serious hiking are plentiful. If you’d prefer to freewheel over hill and dale, tourist offices hand out maps of the cycling routes that crisscross the reserve. Up for an adventure? Nearly every village offers an array of pursuits for those keen to throw themselves down a cliff, along a river or off a mountain’s edge. Tempted…? HIGHLIGHTS Getting high on glacier views on the precipitous Grossglockner Road ( p318 ) Bathing in radon-rich waters and basking in Grossglockner Rd HOHE TAUERN belle époque glory in Bad Gastein ( p320 ) Krimml Falls Kitzsteinhorn Glacier Kicking off your ski boots to chill in the igloo NATIONAL PARK REGION NATIONAL PARK REGION at Kitzsteinhorn Glacier ( p314 ) Bad Gastein Soaking in the misty spray of Krimml Falls ( p317 ), Europe’s highest waterfall at 380m Letting llamas lead the way through the Lienz dramatic Dolomites in Lienz ( p323 ) AREA: 1816 SQ KM HIGHEST ELEVATION: GROSSGLOCKNER 3797M lonelyplanet.com HOHE TAUERN NATIONAL PARK REGION •• History 311 0 20 km HOHE TAUERN NATIONAL PARK REGION 0 12 miles To Innsbruck To Kitzbühel Salzburg Hopfgarten Saalfelden Bischofshofen Saalbach 311 TYROL 161 Hinterglemm St Johann K i t z b ü h e l e r Prielau im Pongau A l p e n Thumersbach Schmittenhöhe Zell Zeller See 311 Thurn Pass (1965m) am See Seespitz Strandbad 168 Taxenbach 165 Bruck Gerlos Pass Neukirchen Mittersill Felber Tauern Rd Salzach Kaprun Fusch SALZBURG Krimml T a u e e r (SALZBURGER LAND) Hopffeldboden h Kesselfall n G Gerlos O ὈὈὈὈὈὈo ὈὈὈWildpark a b Kitzsteinhorn Ferleiten s 167 e H Ferleiten t e Krimml r Wasser- Toll (3203m) i s n Falls u fallboden Bad l e z Grossglockner Rd r b Felber Hofgastein a T c Tauern Mooser- a h t l a Tunnel boden Kötschachtal l Edelweiss Spitze Fuscher Törl (2577m) Stubnerkogel Matreier (2428m) (2246m) Grossvenediger Bad Gastein Tauernhaus Pasterze Hochtor Böckstein (3674m) Glacier (Railway car-shuttle) Gletscher- AutoschleuseGraukogel 108 Grossglockner Tauernbahn Kaiser- Guttal strasse (2492m) ὈὈὈὈὈὈ(3797m)ὈὈὈFranz-Josefs-Höhe Sportgastein Heiligenblut Toll (2369m) Hinterbichl Matrei Kals in Osttirol 107 Isel Mallnitz D e f Grosskirchheim e r e g g e n Obervellach 106 St Jakob Schwarzach ὈὈὈὈὈὈὈὈὈIsel To Spittal- EAST TYROL Winklern Millstättersee (OSTTIROL) Lienz Möll (30km) D e f e r g e I T A L Y e g g e n g e b i r CARINTHIA 100 L i Sillian Drau e n Oberdrauburg D o l z o m e 100 ὈὈὈi r t K 111 Obertilliach e a r n 110 n NATIONAL PARK REGION i s c h e A Kötschach l p e n Gail HOHE TAUERN History stories, an example of an approach where the The Austrian Alps once formed the bound- needs of the local population are addressed ary between the more-established southern right from the start. Roman territories and their newer, less stable conquests to the north. The main trade route Information for pack animals ran along the pass at the end All tourist offices in places bordering the park of the Tauern Valley, but few settlements were have maps of and information on Hohe Tauern. established due to the Romans’ distrust of the The Experience in Nature map (in English) treacherous climate (tales of malevolent, snowy shows information offices, overnight accommo- spirits abounded) and difficult mountainous dation and tour ideas. You could also investigate topography. the national park’s website at www.hohetauern In 1971 the provinces of Carinthia, Salzburg .at, listing the various provincial tourist offices and Tyrol agreed to the creation of a national responsible for the national park. park; regions were added in stages between 1981 and 1991 until it became Europe’s largest Climate national park. Today it’s widely regarded as The national park has an Alpine climate with one of Europe’s biggest conservation success high rainfall, short summers and long winters .