Mountaineering
The mountain massifs of the Karwendel, the Wetterstein, the Zugspitze and the Soiern surrounding Mittenwald offer endless possibilities: Directly from the Sonnenbichl you undertake easy hikes, for example, to the Vereinsalm or Eppzirler Alm, somewhat more difficult climbs to the Mittenwalder Hütte, to the Brunnsteinhütte or to the Karwendelbergstation, tours for sure-footed and giddy people, for example. about the Soiern, via ferrata for courageous (Mittenwalder via ferrata, Heinrich Noe via ferrata) and climbing routes for experts in all degrees of difficulty.
We can offer you here only a small impression of the infinite possibilities:
A climb to the Brunnsteinhütte is worthwhile at any time of year. From Sonnenbichl you either walk through the hay meadows until the ascent to the hut turns off to the left (approx. 2 to 2 ½ hours). Or you can choose the slightly longer path on the Leitersteig through the forest along the slope of the Karwendel. Don’t worry – the ladder after which the climb was named has long since been replaced by a bridge (about 3 hours). Possibly Frederico, the donkey, or Moni, the goat, will already meet you. After a refreshment at the hut with its magnificent panoramic view, you can continue your ascent past the Tiroler Hütte to the Brunnsteinspitze (another approx. 2 ½ to 3 hours). Alternatively, the Heinrich Noe via ferrata offers itself, on which you reach the mountain station of the Karwendelbahn (after about 3 hours), in order to let yourself then, worked out and sweaty, comfortably glide with the cable car into the valley.
A beautiful day tour with a total of about 5 hours walking time leads to the Hochlandhütte. Directly from the Hotel Sonnenbichl you start via the Dammkarstraße or the Ochsenboden. Below the Dammkarhütte you turn off. At the Hochlandhütte, a rewarding view of the Zugspitze massif and the Estergebirge awaits you before you descend back into the valley.
You can extend the hike by making a detour via the Wörnersattel to the Kriner-Kofler-Hütte or climb from here to the Predigtstuhl (1920 m, easy), to the Hochkarspitze (only for climbers) or to the Wörner (not secured).
At 1650 m, the Dammkarhütte awaits the hiker. From Mittenwald you climb via the Ochsenboden or the Dammkar road in about 2 hours through dense forests and larch slopes. A wide view over Mittenwald and the Isar valley up to the Zugspitze rewards the hiker. From here you can continue to climb to the Karwendelbergstation and take the cable car back down to the valley, or you can climb the Viererspitze or the western Karwendelspitze.
The high alpine Dammkar is worthwhile in any season – even in winter as a touring skier or on the 7 km long freeride descent!
An easy hike leads to the Fereinalm, which lies lonely between the Wörnermassiv and the Soiern on a plateau. Via the gravel road or via the Jägersteig you reach the alp in 2 – 2.5 hours. From here you can ascend in the direction of the Soiern Mountains or hike over the Wörnersattel to the Hochlandhütte. Or you can enjoy the beautiful, deserted surroundings and go back to Mittenwald after a leisurely snack.
The hike can be shortened by a drive by car to the parking lot Isarhorn.
After about 2.5 hours of walking from Mittenwald, you reach the Mittenwalder Hütte (1515 m, requires surefootedness). After a hearty mountaineering snack, you can continue climbing strengthened – to the western Karwendelspitze and the Karwendelbergstation with the fixed rope routes or to the Lindenkopf (1795 m) with return to the hut. Or you can stay in the nearby alpine climbing garden. An overnight stay in the hut is worthwhile already because of the sunset!
Several longer, very worthwhile day tours lead from Krün through the area of the Soiern.
An easy climb goes via the Fischbachalm and the Lakaienstieg or the path via the Hundstall to the Soiernhaus and the Soiern lakes. From here you can continue to climb to the Soiernspitze or Schöttelkarspitze. Descent back to the Fischbachalm or on the other side to the Vereinsalm.
More challenging is the ascent directly from Krün to the Schöttelkarspitze (2050 m, surefootedness!). Further it goes either over the Soiernspitze or directly down to the Soiernhaus with the lakes.
Many scenic hikes offer the Karwendel valleys around Scharnitz. You can reach Scharnitz on foot via the Riedboden or by car.
The Larchetalm is on the way to the Karwendelhaus. Unfortunately, it is no longer managed, but the easy path (about 2 to 2.5 hours) there is worth it! Always next to the Karwendelbach you hike through a beautiful landscape of pines and rugged rocks until you reach the green alpine meadow. After a snack you brought with you, it’s back again – you’ll be amazed: on the way back, everything looks completely different and shorter than the way there it is too!
Through the Hinterautal valley, you will reach the Pleisenhütte (1757 m) with a magnificent view after a 2.5 hour climb. You can continue to climb up to the Pleisenspitze (2569 m) or hike back down into the valley after a cold beer.
The Hinterautal always leads up along the Isar River to its source, the Isarursprung. A longer walk of about 4 hours takes you to the Kastenalm. This path is also very worthwhile with bicycles! At the end of the valley is the Halleranger Alm. There you can spend the night if you want to continue hiking towards Innsbruck the next day.
Want to walk through rugged rocky landscapes, see rushing mountain streams and green alpine pastures? Then the easy hike to the Eppzirler Alm is worth it. In Giessenbach you leave your car and walk always next to the stream through rugged rocks, which then open up to a wide alpine meadow. With a little luck you will discover chamois in the rock walls. After just under two hours you have reached the alp.
In Giessenbach you also start to an easy path to the Oberbrunnalm. From there you can return in a circular route via Scharnitz. The host is happy about every visit!
For those who like it particularly unspoiled, visit the Gaistal in Leutasch. There, easy hikes await, accompanied by the ringing bells of the cow herds, to the Hämmermoosalm or to the Gaistalalm. From the Gaistal you can also climb to the Wangalm and Wettersteinhütte or get to know the circular hiking trail to the new Rotmoosalm (2030 m).
For climbers can be found around Mittenwald some climbing gardens in different difficulty levels. The tours are usually already equipped with bolts.
First exercises can take place in the High Ropes Course and Climbing Tower at the Isarhorn. The Klettergarten Karwendel offers tours from level III to VIII with predominantly crack climbing and some slabs.
The Klettergarten an der Grenze in Mittenwald is used by the Mittenwald mountain and climbing schools and is well secured. It offers some easy tours in the range III and IV and an overhang with difficulty up to VII.
In the Klettergarten Marmorbruch you will find a total of ten tours in the range III+ to VII.