High Tauern Mountains

Website: https://www.hohetauern.at/en/

Hours: National park/area open year-round (access to trails varies by season)

The High Tauern (Hohe Tauern) is a central chain of the Alps in Austria containing many of the country’s highest peaks, including the Grossglockner at 3,798 metres.

Alpine landscapes dominate - high peaks, glaciers, cirque valleys and mountain huts - and established trails and alpine passes provide access for hiking and mountaineering. The area includes long-distance trekking routes and scenic high-elevation roads that serve as viewpoints for the massif.

The range has been a natural barrier and corridor through the Eastern Alps for centuries; in the late 20th century large protected areas were established to conserve alpine ecosystems and glaciated landscapes.

Spanning parts of the Austrian federal states of Tyrol, Salzburg and Carinthia, the High Tauern lie in the central Eastern Alps and are reachable from nearby alpine towns such as Lienz, Zell am See and Mittersill.

• Highest Peak and Access: Austria’s highest peak, the Grossglockner, rises to 3,798 metres and is within the High Tauern region; alpine roads such as the Grossglockner High Alpine Road provide access to high-elevation viewpoints.

What to See#

• Major Massifs and Peaks: The Grossglockner Massif and Grossvenediger area contain Austria’s highest summits, extensive glaciers and the principal high-alpine ridgelines of the range.
• National Park and Trails: The Hohe Tauern National Park protects large tracts of the range, with marked trails, alpine huts and seasonal visitor centres for hiking and wildlife viewing.

The High Tauern range is accessed by road from several directions. The A10 (Tauern Autobahn) provides convenient access to park towns and visitor centres (Mittersill, Bruck, Mallnitz/Heiligenblut), and the Grossglockner High Alpine Road (Großglockner Hochalpenstraße) crosses the range with visitor car parks and trailheads. Salzburg is the nearest major city to the north (around 100 km by car to many northern access points); from the named towns you reach trailheads/parking and proceed on foot into the park.

• Drive or cycle the Grossglockner High Alpine Road early in the morning to avoid coach and day-trip crowds at the main viewpoints; parking fills quickly later in the day.
• Stop at one of the High Tauern visitor centres (for example Mittersill, Mallnitz or Matrei) before heading into the park - they provide up-to-date trail conditions, maps and advice on lesser-used valley hikes.