Having spent time in some of the major European cities, it was time to leave them behind and get back to nature – at least our nature of enjoying the outdoors through hiking.
Ever since our first multi-day alpine adventure in the Jungfrau region of the Swiss Alps, the Alps have held a special meaning for us (kinda like our candy store!). Since that adventure, we’d sought to explore other and similar trekking adventures (such as the Pyrenees and the Dolomites) and had also had the Stubai Alps – centered around the Neustift valley – on the list, though the never the opportunity.
Until now.
When planning this European adventure, we finally had the opportunity to visit the Stubai Alps, settling on a wonderful apartment in Fulpmes (see Das Stubai in booking.com), just south of Innsbruck and with easy access to the many trails in the Stubai valley.
Being roughly a 5hr drive from Lake Bled, Slovenia, there was a little bonus for us along the way to Fulpmes.
We passed through Italy on the same road which brought us to the start of our trek on the Alta Via 1 in the Dolomites. We just had to stop! Though were caught off guard by the crazy amount of people and traffic just getting to Lago de Braies (turns out it was a holiday!)
We arrived in Fulpmes later in the afternoon and were stunned, both by the town’s beauty – what we might call a quintessential alpine village – and the graciousness of the host, Stefan, for our apartment.
We’d had some hikes planned, though Stefan had other really good suggestions, which we took advantage of. We had three full days, and were able to get in three hikes, in between some light, periodic rain.
Our first hike was the Pfarrarcalm in Telfes – a short 10 minute drive from Fulpmes. The parking area was a bit of a challenge to find, though empty when we arrived. Grabbing our gear, we were off without any fanfare, and almost immediately gaining elevation.
The trail itself was quiet, more cows than people.
One of the benefits with many of the hikes in the Alps – is the frequent mountain huts, berghaus, rifugios, etc. which offer the opportunity for a hot meal and a welcome break from the trail itself. The hikes we’d planned include those opportunities 🙂
On this first hike, we arrived at the Pfarrachalm shortly after noon and promptly ordered some goulash soup!
By the numbers, the Pfarrachalm hike was about 7.2mi with an elevation gain of 2,500ft – see alltrails.com for the route & gpx.
On Stefan’s suggestion, our second hike was Schlick2000 – which was accessible directly from our apartment. It’s hard to describe Schlick2000 without experiencing all it offers. We’re not aware of anything quite comparable in the States – it’s both a ski and hiking “resort” – with multiple mountain ski trails for winter sports and extensive, and very well-maintained hiking trails for summer sports. Somewhat comparable to the Superski area in the Dolomites, these areas (regions?) go far beyond the US notion of ski resorts – which tend to align with single (or few) mountain.
Back to our hike – we set off, walking through what seemed to be someone’s backyard, though we quickly found the trail and, like the previous day Pfarrachalm hike, were quickly gaining elevation. This hike was a point-to-point – beginning in Fulpmes, ending in Neustift. Our plan was to hop a bus in Neustift to return to Fulpmes.
One of the attractions of Schlick2000 is the Tree House Trail – the Baumhousweg. Clearly geared toward the younger crowd, the trail included a number of very unique tree houses which are informative, challenging, and fun.
Another attraction on this hike was the newly created suspension bridge – part of the Sunnenseit’n trail, so named because it always faces the sun. The bridge itself spans over 110m with an elevation of 50m at its highest point.
On the Schlick2000 hike, we clocked 6.5mi and 2,050ft of elevation gain – check out alltrails.com for the route.
Our third hike centered on the Elfer – one of the seven summits of the Stubai. It was this notion of summits, dotted with frequent huts and arranged in a rough horseshoe shape around the valley, which initially attracted us to the region. Each summit, and the many berghaus, offering multiple opportunities to ascend/descend into the valley.
One of the luxuries of hiking in regions such as the Stubai, the Dolomites, and the Jungfrau, is the availability of lifts/gondolas operating during the summer months. We also saw (and leveraged!) this on our hike near Lake Bled in Slovenia.
For this hike, we parked at gondola base station Panoramabahn Elfer and boarded the gondola for the short 5min ride to the Panoramarestaurant-Elfer – the starting point for this loop hike.
The Elfer itself sits between the Stubai/Neustift valley and the Pinnisalm valley to the east. And while the Neustift valley has the many villages, the Pinnisalm is dotted with only a few hütte. On this day, the wind was blowing through the Pinnisalm, as a stiff headwind as we moved deeper into the valley.
The trail and footing were good the entire time, though there were stretches, running parallel to the elevation lines on the map, which were on steep slopes (offering little comfort for us acrophobs!). We initially descended to the Pinnisalm hütte, then following the Pinnisbach river, roughly southward to the Karalm, where we stopped for a bit of rest and a bit of our bars and trailfood.
Departing the Karalm, we immediately began to gain elevation, though thankfully, we now had the wind at our back, making for a more “pleasant” (less unpleasant?) experience. The footing remained good and we passed only a few fellow hikers on the way.
Another aspect through the Stubai, many sundials and nature sites. On the path from Karalm was the Elfer Gratzengrübl – a scenic nature site.
One striking thing about hiking in the Stubai and, for that matter, the other sections of the Alps that we’ve seen – the meticulous care of the trails. On this section of our hike, from the Karalm to the Elferhütte, we passed numerous signs regarding alpine vegatation, at 6,000ft elevation! Someone spent alot of energy, and with a good deal of care to position those signs.
The Elfer Gratzengrübl is another example of this, what I would call, pride in ownership – curating the natural resources and beauty for future generations.
Soon enough, we emerged above the Elferhrütte, an amazing view with the Stubai valley stretching off into the distance.
Overall, a grand day out on the Elfer – windy and a few drops of rain – but none nearly enough to dampen the amazing scenery and beauty of the Pinnisalm and Stubai valleys.
And as we said goodbye to Fulpmes, it was nice to reflect on what we experienced. To look on the Elferhütte in the far distance and to be thankful for what we were able to see and do, and for the people we met along the way!
