Walking - Rosshütte and Reitherjochalm

Description: Reitherjochalm and Rosshütte
Location: Seefeld-Reith area
Time: 4-4½ hours
Difficulty: Medium

The path to the Reitherjochalm is reached from the main road down to Innsbruck. The easiest way from the centre of Seefeld is probably to follow the Reitherspitzstrasse past the Golf Academy to the roundabout at the top. Turn right and follow the road past the top of the academy.

The entrance to the Reitherjochalm trail is signposted on the other side of the Seefeld bypass and there are two alternate routes - one which follows an easy but tedious gravel road and the other steeper but quicker version which will lead to the Reitherjochalm in about an hour.

On sunny days, the beautiful position and accessibility of the alm means that it gets very crowded.

Follow the path leading up and to the right above the alm. The route becomes quite steep as it follows the chairlifts and pistes of the Härmelekopf ski area, but in recompense there are gorgeous views back down onto the village and across the Inn Valley to the Stubaier Alps. Near the top of the second chairlift at the Hochanger (2-2½ hours) the path splits. The route up to the right leads up to the top of the Härmelekopf cable car and beyond to some of the higher ridge walks.

Our route leads to the left under the cable car and around to the Rosshütte area. On the scree slopes under the cable car, look up and down the slope - this is an out-of-bounds ski route in winter!

It is possible to shorten this walk by descending to the stream and back to Seefeld, or to take the steep route down and up to the Rosshütte. However, our version takes the Oberer Schönangersteig around under the rocks and with views into the Reither Kar and up to the back of the Reither Spitze.

After the Kar the path winds around through bushes to the Rosshütte area and the mountain cog railway (3-3½ hours). This is a popular tourist excursion for daytrippers and, on good days, the area outside the mountain railway station can be more reminiscent of Rimini than the Alps.

There are various options for the descent - under the railway, straight down the ski runs or down the Krummersteig and through the Hermannstal - but all lead to the bottom station of the railway and the car park in about an hour.