Hut hopping on the Raxalpe (Variant 1b)
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Hiking tour Starting from Hirschwang an der Rax, valley station Rax cable car
Huts hike from the summit station of the Rax cable car, via Ottohaus and Karl-Ludwig-Haus to Preiner Gscheid - easily accessible by public transport! ***** Note: Renaturation work is taking place on the path between Preiner Gscheid and Waxriegelhaus. Use the forest road! ****
Huts hike from the summit station of the Rax cable car, via Ottohaus and Karl-Ludwig-Haus to Preiner Gscheid - easily accessible by public transport! ***** Note: Renaturation work is taking place on the path between Preiner Gscheid and Waxriegelhaus. Use the forest road! ****
"Hut hopping" means hiking at subalpine elevations, through alpine meadows and the mountain pine zone, without having to tackle strenuous climbs.
The ascent is via the Rax Cable Car, Austria’s oldest passenger suspension cable car, which began operating as early as 1926. After getting off at the Raxalm-Berggasthof summit station, you’ll reach the Ottohaus, which features a 4,000-square-meter alpine garden with about 200 alpine plants typical of the region. The next stop, the Neue Seehütte, owes its name to a small lake that, however, dried up shortly after World War I. The route then continues over the Trinksteinsattel and on via the Trinksteinboden to the Karl Ludwig Haus. The second-to-last hut on this tour is the Waxriegelhaus. The tour itself ends at the Edelweißhütte on the Preiner Gscheid.
Without having to overcome any major difficulties, you “hop” from hut to hut on the Rax.
Your hikes in the Vienna Alps should be a completely beautiful and safe experience. Please therefore observe the following:
Make sure when choosing the route that it matches your mountain experience and your physical condition. Check the weather forecast in advance. Weather in the mountains can change suddenly and quickly. Therefore, always start suitably equipped (e.g., rain protection).
Check whether the huts and snack stops you want to visit along the way are open. Inform someone about your route choice and your planned return before you set off.
In fog and strong wind, hikes on the plateau are not recommended!
Always take suitable maps with you. Wear sturdy shoes suitable for the route, bring sun and rain protection, as well as water and a snack. Take your mobile phone and save the emergency mountain rescue number: 140
The starting point is the Rax cable car. It takes us in just a few minutes to the mountain station at 1547 m above sea level. From the cable car mountain station, we follow the red marking to the Gatterlkreuz and continue to the Ottohaus. It takes about 45 minutes to reach the first hut of this route, overcoming 100 meters of elevation. Anyone who wants to reach another summit can climb the nearby Jakobskogel (1737 m). In just 10 to 15 minutes, following the blue marking, we reach its summit cross. From the Ottohaus, the path takes us through dwarf pines past the Preiner Wand Cross and above the well-known climbing paradise Preiner Wand to the Neue Seehütte, located in a hollow. From the Neue Seehütte, we head west over the Trinksteinsattel. Next, we continue over the Predigtstuhl to the Karl-Ludwig-Haus. Afterwards, we hike to the Waxriegelhaus and then down to the left to the Preiner Gscheid. Please do not cross the "old ski slope" or go downhill off-trail. Due to erosion damage, this section needs to recover.
Parking is available at the valley station of the Rax cable car.
A2 to Seebenstein junction - S6 to Gloggnitz - B27 to Hirschwang an der Rax, valley station Rax cable car (on the outskirts of Hirschwang)
Arrival:
Take the Southern Railway to Payerbach-Reichenau. Between the Payerbach-Reichenau train station and the valley station of the Rax cable car, regular buses (line 341) run, or book the Semmering-Rax RUFbus to the starting point.
Stop: 12 Raxseilbahn
Departure:
Take the Regionalbus 342 back to the Payerbach-Reichenau train station or the Semmering-Rax RUFbus.
Stop: 132 Preiner Gscheid
Further information and timetables can be found at fahrplan.oebb.at and anachb.vor.at
Leider können wir Ihnen zum jetzigen Zeitpunkt keine Wetterdaten für den Ort anzeigen.
Even more hikeable variants:
Hut hopping on the Raxalpe - Variant 1
Hut hopping on the Raxalpe - Variant 1c
Hut hopping on the Raxalpe - Variant 2
Hut hopping on the Raxalpe - Variant 3
Contact points:
Rax cable car mountain inn, +43/2666/52450
Ottohaus, +43/2666/52402
Neue Seehütte, +43/676/7488719
Vienna Alps in Lower Austria, www.wieneralpen.at, +43 / 2622 / 78960
Tourism office Reichenau, www.reichenau.at, +43 / 2666 / 52865
Raxalpe, www.raxalpe.com, +43 / 2666 / 52497
Letzte Änderung: 18 Sept 2026