Alps: SalzAlpenSteig I

Welcome to the beautiful Chiemgau area. Enjoy your day at Lake Chiemsee and prepare yourself for the start of your fist hike tomorrow. Chiemsee is Bavaria’s largest lake and is renowned for its natural beauty. If you have time you could take a boat trip on the lake, and perhaps visit King Ludwig II’s Schloss Herrenchiemsee, a magnificent castle located on Chiemsee’s largest island.

Overnight: Prien am Chiemsee

Distance: 19 km | Ascent: 590 m | Descent: 586 m | Time: 6 hrs approx.

Stage 1 of the SalzAlpenSteig leads you first through the picturesque lakeside towns of Prien and Bernau, with some amazing views of the Alps. You will then climb to moorland and forests above the villages Bernau and Rottau, before reaching your accommodation in Grassau.

Overnight: Grassau

Distance: 16 km | Ascent: 997 m | Descent: 858 m | Time: 6 hrs approx.

After breakfast, you will have a short transfer by shuttlebus to Bergen. Here, you take the cable car to the top of the Hochfelln mountain, where you will enjoy wonderful panoramic views over the Chiemgau area and the Central Alps.

From the Hochfelln, you will have a glorious hike amid sprawling alpine meadows and fairy-tale forests. Descending steadily, you will hike around the Reitstein (1.250 m) before reaching the forest of Brand with its many caves and grottos. Follow the signs in the direction of Ruhpolding, a popular alpine resort town and your destination for today.

Overnight: Ruhpolding

Distance: 15 km | Ascent: 609 m | Descent: 576 m | Time: 5 hrs approx.

Today’s stage is a varied hike along the salt path between Ruhpolding and Inzell in the Chiemgauer Alps. In the foothills of the Rauschberg (1645 m), you will find the picturesque alpine lake Taubensee. This is the perfect spot to soothe your feet in its crystal-clear waters and enjoy a picnic lunch in idyllic surroundings. Continuing along the slopes of the Rauschberg on lovely forest paths, you finally reach your accommodation in the health resort town of Inzell, located in a wide valley floor.

Overnight: Inzell

Distance: 22 km | Ascent: 678 m | Descent: 900 m | Time: 6 hrs approx.

An enormously varied but also quite strenuous day awaits you today. You hike first over moorland and lush meadows to the Weißbach waterfalls. You then follow the course of the Weißbach river through the wild and romantic Weißbach Gorge. You will pass the beautiful lake Thumsee before following the old salt path to the lovely spa town of Bad Reichenhall.

Bad Reichenhall is a traditional center of salt production, obtained by evaporating water saturated with salt from brine ponds. You can unwind in the thermal spas or take an evening walk through the beautiful Royal Spa Garden.

Overnight: Bad Reichenhall

Distance: 16 km | Ascent: 696 m | Descent: 556 m | Time: 5½ hrs approx.

Today’s stage offers a lot of information and sights on the subject of salt, as well as a varied landscape and beautiful views of the Alps. Before leaving Bad Reichenhall, you can take a tour of the beautiful old salt works, which were commissioned by King Ludwig I and are considered to be among Europe’s most impressive industrial monuments.

You will find more ‘salty’ sights along your hiking route today, including ancient old brine pipelines which were used to transport salt to the salt works. Your route takes you past 12^th century fortifications at the Hallthurm pass, before traversing the Schwarzgraben and Frechenbach rivers to reach the river Bischofswiesener Ache, which you follow until you reach the village of Bischofswiesen.

Overnight: Bischofswiesen

Distance: 19 km | Ascent: 721 m | Descent: 682 m | Time: 6 hrs approx.

You will follow leisurely hiking paths along rivers and streams before steeper ascents lead you to idyllic alpine pastures with panoramic views of the Berchtesgadener National Park. Your destination today is the picturesque village of Ramsau bei Berchtesgaden. Ramsau is Germany’s first certified ‘mountaineering village’ and climbers come from far and wide to scale the legendary east wall of the Watzmann, Germanys second highest mountain.

Overnight: Ramsau

Distance: 17 km | Ascent: 1178 m | Descent: 1220 m | Time: 7½ hrs approx.

Prepare yourself for the toughest, but most rewarding stage of this hiking trip. Follow the brine pipelines in the foothills of the Geröllberg (1162 m) and Söldenköpfl (1022 m) towards Engedey. As you reach the bird sanctuary above Ramsau you will be rewarded with breathtaking views, taking in the Hochkalter (2606m), the northernmost blue-ice glacier in the Alps, the Mittelspitze (2713m), and the Kleiner Watzmann (2307m’).

From Engedey you begin your ascent through the forest to the Grünstein, a renowned panoramic hiking path in the Berchtesgadener Alps. Follow the serpentine forest paths to the Grünsteinhütte, where you can enjoy yet another amazing view over the Berchtesgadener Land. Following the path down into the valley, you arrive in Schönau at the world-famous Lake Königssee. Enjoy this beautiful scenery with the emerald-green alpine lake surrounded by the steep mountain walls of the Berchtesgaden Alps. You can take a boat trip on the lake (payable locally) and visit the iconic onion-domed St. Bartholomä church or take the cable car to the Jenner summit for magnificent views over the lake.

Overnight: Schönau

Your walking holiday on the SalzAlpenSteig comes to an end after breakfast this morning, unless you have booked any additional services with us. would be happy to book additional nights for you in Schönau. The regular local bus will bring you to Berchtesgaden in about 13 minutes, and a return transfer is included to take you from there back to Prien am Chiemsee.