The Best Hikes Near Innsbruck: Exploring North Tyrol

After a month in Chamonix, we were reluctant to leave the gorgeous valley surrounding Mont Blanc. It was hard to imagine that another place could compare to the hiking wonderland we’d found in France. After tons of research, we chose to make Innsbruck our next hiking base for June 2023, the capital and heart of the North Tyrolean mountains. The area around Innsbruck ended up having some of the best day hikes we’d ever done. Most of the trails had no crowds, stunning lake and mountain vistas, snow-capped peaks, incredible local cuisine, and well-marked paths.

My favorite aspect of our time in Austria was the charming and quaint mountain huts the hikes usually culminated on. While these huts seemed extraordinary to us, we soon learnt that it’s very normal in Europe to sweat it out on a trail and be rewarded with a hearty meal and drink at the end. These huts (called alms or hüttes) are run by friendly and welcoming locals, and serve excellent Tyrolean cuisine. We enjoyed “spinatknodel” (spinach dumplings), schnitzel, fresh blueberry buttermilk, and lots of games in the huts. In addition to the huts, there were usually ice cold lakes along the way, perfect for soothing achy muscles.

Complete list of hikes we completed with details:

These were the hikes we completed in the area (in order of my favorites), all within a 1.5 hour drive of Innsbruck (we rented a car so we accessed all the trails by car – but public transport links can be checked here)

• Berliner Hütte via Breitlahner Inn and Alpenrose

  – 11.2 miles, 2,660 feet, ~1.25-hour drive from Innsbruck, Alltrails

• Friesenberghaus – Olperer Hut – Unterschrammbach

  – 12 miles, 3,200 feet, ~1.5-hour drive from Innsbruck, Alltrails

• Neue Regensburger Hütte – Zustieg von Falbeson

  – 6.2 miles, 3,444 feet, ~35-minute drive from Innsbruck, Accessible via cable car, Alltrails

• Coburger Hütte and Drachensee from Tiroler Haus

  – 9.6 miles, 3,281 feet, ~1.25-hour drive from Innsbruck, Alltrails

• Dalfazer Waterfall and Alm

  – 5.7 miles, 2,634 feet, ~40-minute drive from Innsbruck, Accessible via cable car, Alltrails

• Zireiner Lake Mountain Hike

  – 11.9 miles, 4,795 feet, ~45-minute drive from Innsbruck, Alltrails

• Sulzenauhütte and Blau Lacke

  – 7.5 miles, 2,625 feet, ~40-minute drive from Innsbruck, Accessible via cable car, Alltrails

• Seefelder Spitze

  – 7 miles, 3,200 feet, ~30-minute drive from Innsbruck, Partially Accessible via cable car, Alltrails

• Kelmater Alm and Salfeinsee

  – ~3 miles, 1,700 feet, ~25-minute drive from Innsbruck, Alltrails

• Zur Patscher Alm ab Patsch

  – 5.5 miles, 2,200 feet, ~15-minute drive from Innsbruck, Alltrails

• Almwanderung Juifenalm

  – 6.2 miles, 1,929 feet, ~26-minute drive from Innsbruck, Alltrails

• Adolf Munkel Trail

  – 5.9 miles, 1,420 feet, ~1.5-hour drive from Innsbruck, Alltrails

Berliner Hütte via Breitlahner Inn and Alpenrose

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Unlike some other hikes we did in Austria, getting to Berliner Hütte did not involve any steep ascents or forest climbs. The trail felt almost like a walk in the park because of how gradual the climb was. The views of the valley were stunning and open the whole way (even on a cloudy day), reminiscent of a mystical fairy world with oddly shaped mountains. A bit tired of all the dumplings we’d been eating at every hut, once we reached Berliner Hütte, we treated ourselves to some delicious pastry and coffee. We also enjoyed a few games the hut had while we ate.

 

On the way down we stopped at a smaller hut called Waxegg-Alm where we were the only ones. A very sweet and kind couple spending the summer in the mountains was running this hut and greeted us warmly. They treated us to some incredible homemade blueberry buttermilk (büttermilch as the locals say!), tyrolean mountain drink, and hot chocolate with whipped cream. We even got the chance to crack open walnuts the traditional way to accompany our drinks!

Friesenberghaus – Olperer Hut – Unterscrammbach

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Olperer Hut is another overnight stop on the Berliner trail. There are multiple routes to and from this hut. We chose to spend the night at the hut so we followed the path from Friesenberghaus on the first day, and returned via Unterscrammbach the next day. The hike started off deceptively simple with a gradual climb through an open valley. As we ascended, it got chillier and we got hungrier. We made a pitstop at the first hut (Friesenberghaus) and treated ourselves to some yummy hot soup.

The challenge started after leaving the first hut. We made the mistake of not packing gloves and there was a ton of scrambling in the snow involved at this point. There were even some ice crossings and we got off-trail a couple of times. Finally, starving after reaching Olperer Hutte, we downed many plates dumplings and beer. The views from the hut were incredible, and even more so at sunset. There’s also a very famous bridge that’s an Instagram spot so the area did feel a bit touristy. After a few poses on the bridge and relaxing on the hut’s terrace, we had a comfortable sleep in the hut.

The next day we followed a fun scrambling path back down along a mountainside. We were one of the only few returning via Unterscrammbach so the trail was our playground. On the way, we dipped our worn feet in ice cold streams and saw beautiful wildflowers.

Neue Regensburger Hütte – Zustieg von Falbeson

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We took the cable car up to Tiroler House for this hike and enjoyed some delicious salmon at the restaurant before starting the long climb to Coburger Hütte. At first, we ascended through a hot forest, and sweltered in the heat. The weather changed very quickly after we reached the first mountain pass. We passed a few dreamy lakes before the final climb through a very snowy field involving a lot of scrambling. Once we got to the top, we could see Seebensee and Coburger Hütte in the distance.

The descent had gorgeous views of the lake all the way and some curious and friendly sheep near the hut. The weather had warmed slightly from the top and we took a brave plunge in the ice cold lake after reaching. After an amazingly refreshing swim (that later turned into haphazard doggy paddling), we had yummy spinatknodel at the (slightly crowded) hutte.

The last portion of this hike started off simply, descending gradually with another beautiful lake on the way down. We only had 2 miles left when we noticed the trail starting to get a bit dicey. Suddenly we found ourselves using our hands to hoist ourselves down steep rocks. We came across chains along the edges of massive boulders. After a very grueling descent that ended up taking 1.5 hours just for a mile, we sprinted the last mile out of the forest, exhausted, and ready to be done.

Dalfazer Waterfall and Alm

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Dalfazer Alm was our first hike in Austria. The parking for this hike is right by a sports center with paddle boarding and a few other activities, so it feels busy from the get-go. The first part has a small detour to a waterfall, and some people were even getting under it and enjoying themselves. After the waterfall, the trail follows a very steep, unshaded set of switchbacks and the views start to open up.

As we approached the Alm, we found a huge field of cows relaxing in the sun. The image of the lazy, devil-may-care cows posing with the Austrian Alps in the backdrop was really just postcard material and one of the most memorable views from our trip. The hut was also beautiful and we could see a lot of locals enjoying their Saturday with beer and dumplings. They only accepted cash so it was a good reminder to carry some for the later hikes.

 

Zireiner Lake Mountain Hike

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The hike to Zireiner Lake might have been the most remote hike in our entire trip. We crossed only 4-5 groups in the entire 11 miles. About an hour from Innsbruck, this hike starts from a remote point close to the German border. For me, this hike was also the hardest. The trail started with a completely unshaded climb in the hot sun up a hill. After this hill, the climb only got steeper, and the 5000 feet of ascent were continuous. All the huts on the way up were still closed for the season (mid June).

After finally hitting the ridge, we found ourselves surrounded by mountains on all sides. Zireiner Lake shined amidst the mountains, grey due to the heavy clouds rolling in. We spent some time up there, enjoying our food and taking in the dramatic scenery. On the way down we passed huge herds of cows again. The end descends through a steep shaded forest. In hindsight, that might have been a better path to ascend to avoid the hot sun. Regardless, this trail felt wild and amazing, and perfect to enjoy the mountains, peace, and solitude.

Sulzenauhutte and Blau Lacke

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Another hut on the Stubai High Trail, we also accessed this from the Stubaital valley. On the way up, we crossed a gorgeous waterfall surrounded by pink wildflowers. The official Alltrails route ends at the hut, but a friend gave us the recommendation to go further up to Blau Lacke. While the hut has gorgeous mountain views in the backdrop, Blau Lacke was definitely the highlight for us.

There was no one at the lake when we reached, and the perfect reflection in the still turquoise blue water was stunning. We took several plunges into the ice cold lake and our muscles had never been happier. After thoroughly enjoying ourselves at the lake, we enjoyed spinach dumplings and local raspberry lemonade at the hut before heading back down.

Seefelder Spitze

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Seefelder Spitze was different from most of the other hikes we did in Austria. Most of them were to alms or huts, while this one was straight to the top of a mountain. At the bottom of the mountain, we saw a few cable cars traversing halfway up the mountain. There were also a lot of wild cows roaming around. We’d heard some scary stories about Austrian cows knocking people out by this point in the trip, so we rushed through the beginning.

The rest of the ascent was quite straightforward. The views from the top were stunning, and offered a classic panorama of the Austrian Tyrol. On the way down, we stopped at the restaurant. The buttermilk was delicious, and the salad was good as well, but the rest of the food wasn’t as good as other places we’d tried.

Kelmater Alm and Salfeins

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A large portion of this trail in Alltrails is accessible by car. We were lucky to do this hike with our friends who knew this, otherwise we would’ve walked up a road for a major portion of the trail. On this trail, we laughed and chatted with our friends as we climbed. They were shocked to learn that on our usual ascents we stare into space or the ground and power through as fast as we can.

When we got to the lake, it looked nothing like the pictures I’d googled. In the pictures, the lake was a large turquoise blue jewel with the massive Dolomites reflected perfectly in it. In reality, it was much smaller than I expected, grey, and the mountains at the back were obscured. Still, we enjoyed peaches by the lakeside. We learnt that peach pits are okay to throw around, unlike banana peels, and therefore they were the superior snack. For the rest of the trip we carried peaches to every hike we went on. On the way down, the views were stunning, showcasing the impressive beauty of the Austrian Dolomites with green valleys at their base. At the end, we enjoyed a hearty and filling meal at Kelmater Alm.

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Zur Patscher Alm ab Patsch

We could not leave Austria without visiting the alm in the village we were staying in. Patsch is a small town 15 minutes outside of Innsbruck. We spent the month there in a first floor one bedroom apartment run by a sweet Austrian woman named Angelika. The trailhead to Patscher Alm was only 5 minutes away from us. The first portion of the trail up to the alm was a hilly road that could’ve been biked as well. Ascending the trail was easy because the terrain was so easy on the feet. The hut has beautiful views of Innsbruck set against the mountains. The hut itself was peaceful and had the best spinatknodel I’d tried on the trip. The owner offered us a the classic Tyrolean Schnapps and we drank it down while lying on the lounge chairs and taking in the views.

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Almwanderung Juifenalm

No trip to Austria would be complete for my husband without trying the Weinerschnitzel. We only made the climb to this hut for him to try it. The weather was the worst we had on the trip. It was too cloudy to enjoy the views and we schlepped up in the rain. The alm had a cute exterior from what we could see but we sheltered inside from the rain. We arrived and ordered just in time because right after us, a group of 30 people came in. The dumplings we tried were amazing and my husband enjoyed his schnitzel.

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Adolf Munkel Trail