Keutschach circular hiking trail

Directions

All information about this circular hiking trail was provided by the Austrian Alpine Association's long-distance hiking section.

From the tourist information office/castle Keutschach (bus stop) we turn right - following the first signpost opposite the castle entrance - into the through road to the Keutschach bypass, which requires our increased attention when crossing. Continue straight ahead on the access road to Dobeinitz (also cycle path R4A) until you reach the settlement of Dobeinitz. Here we find the third signpost, where we keep left. Continue slightly uphill along the edge of the forest to the next group of houses, which we pass on the right. At the next fork in the path, we follow the path to the right, get close to the Bassgeigensee lake and soon reach the "Zauberwald" restaurant at the Rauschelesee lake.

We walk right along the fence to the enchanted forest (suitable for children, a separate entrance fee must be paid to visit it), then past the actual entrance to the enchanted forest on the left, follow the southern shore of the Rauschelesee lake, taking the left-hand path at a fork in the path, and reach the inn at the Rauschelesee lake. Now turn half right down the access road at the row of bushes, turn left at the next crossroads and soon right again up to the Keutschacher Landesstraße. Turn right and follow the cycle and footpath to the "Polzerkreuz" (wayside shrine, bus stop). Here we turn left onto the little road towards Leisbach and keep half-left at the next wayside shrine, always uphill into the forest.

At a left-hand bend in the sandy road, we follow a signpost (without a number) straight ahead towards Schrottkogel and reach a saddle between Friedlhöhe and Schrottkogel. Here we choose the path to the summit. Hikers who need refreshments will descend a short distance to Gasthof Schrottbauer and then not go over the summit again, but follow trail no. 35 to the saddle.

Those who do not wish to visit the inn will return from the summit of the Schrottkogel on the ascent path back to the saddle, where they will follow path 35 to the left and hike down to a farmstead (Jansche). Hikers who want to bypass the Schrottkogel and Friedlhöhe should take the sandy road (trail 18) at the left-hand bend mentioned at the beginning (numberless trail sign), use trail 17B at the next farmstead (Jansche) (later 18 and 20) and head directly towards the Spintikteich pond.

The main trail, on the other hand, leads from the Jansche farmstead up a bumpy, steep cart track to the Friedlhöhe, where beautiful views of Lake Wörthersee open up. On the other side of the hill, the path descends just as steeply, taking us to the Spintikteiche nature reserve. Here we follow the banks of the pond to the outflow, where we follow the signpost (Keutschach, Reifnitz) up to the right.

Passing some vacation homes, we reach a wooden cross where we turn right. At a fork in the path, we keep straight on along path 21 (the Marienpilgerweg and the Wörthersee circular path lead to Reifnitz on the right). Walking mostly through the forest, we reach the first houses of Rauth and reach Raunacher Straße - a somewhat steeper descent - into which we turn right at an acute angle (on the left, we could reach the center of Keutschach in a few minutes).

However, we hike down to the edge of the forest, where there is a mighty wayside shrine (Kaschnik cross), and opposite this our hiking trail leads up into the forest. On a beautiful forest path, finally steeply downhill and keeping left (a path on the right leads to Reifnitz), we reach the so-called "Seenstraße" (leads to Reifnitz), which we cross as well as the Reifnitzbach. Pass Gasthof Brückler (bus stop) until you reach the "Pension Vogtland" signpost, turn right uphill and immediately left again through the settlement. At the end of the village there is a signpost which we follow in the direction of Sankt Margarethen/Pyramidenkogel. Before the first houses, a path (9A) leads down to the "Opferstein", but after visiting it we have to return to our path. However, we walk past the houses and visit the little church of St. Margarethen (usually closed).

From the little church we have to return to our path, where we turn right and - first slightly downhill and then uphill - reach the village of Linden. We reach an asphalt road, which we cross below a wayside shrine and continue along the edge of the forest and meadow. While still in the meadow, our path turns right uphill, where a left turn takes us around the house at the top. Turn left here briefly and immediately right again uphill - past the Buchsbaum wine tavern - then keep left and continue uphill to Pyramidenkogelstraße. Follow this road briefly to the right and then turn left at the next forest path. The next signpost leads us to the right up to the Pyramidenkogel viewing tower (very rewarding ascent).

To continue, we have to return to the last signpost, take the path to the right and finally - after a hairpin bend - descend to a crossroads, which we follow to the right (signpost: Schiefling - Trattnigteich), where we descend steeply to another road (access to the Pyramidenkogelstraße, bus stop at the Höhenwirt junction - only on school days). Here we turn right again towards Schiefling.

At another signpost, we turn left down to the last houses, where our path (Lessiakhof) turns right towards Roda. First on a meadow path, then steeply downhill through the forest, finally keeping to the right over a stream to an asphalt road, on which it goes briefly downhill. We cross the following "Panoramaweg" (road) half-left to a small stream. Continue along a row of bushes to the end and turn left again onto a path to Keutschacher Straße (wayside shrine, bus stop). Follow this road briefly to the left and immediately turn right again onto Penkenweg. We follow this straight ahead to the Techelbach, which we cross. Continue straight ahead through the Moorau (Ramsar area) to the edge of the forest. At the next fork in the trail, we take the left-hand path (trail 28 leads to Penkensee), which we follow south of Hafnersee.

At a signpost at the end of the Hafnersee, follow the path to the road that leads to the right to the large naturist area and turn right. Walk half-left through the area to finally reach the "Strand-Camping-Süd" along the Keutschacher See.

Follow the road down to the crossroads, turn right onto it (the Gasthof Brückler is on the left) and follow our path briefly uphill and then left (the path on the right leads to Wurdach). At the second farmstead on the left of the path, continue to the right (wooden cross). Now south of the moor meadows (Ramsar area) through the forest, finally on the meadow and past a fish pond to Dobeinitz.

Here we can already see Keutschach on the left, where - after crossing the bypass road - we arrive back at our starting point in about ¼ hour, thus completing the circle of the "Keutschacher Rundwanderweg W11" and bringing a "pleasure hike" to an end.

Schloss/Keutschach (535 m) - Dobeinitz (535 m, 1 km/¼ hour) - Zauberwald (515 m, 1.2 km/¼ hour) - Reauz (505 m, 2 km/½ hour) - Leisbach (540 m, 2 km/½ hour) - Schrottkogel (759 m, 1.6 km/½ hour) - Jansche estate (640 m, 2 km/½ hour) - Friedlhöhe (739 m, 2 km/½ hour) - Friedlhöhe (739 m, 2 km/½ hour).) - Friedlhöhe (739 m, 1 km/½ hr.) - Spintikteich (575 m, 1.3 km/ ½ hr.) - Sekirn (600 m, 1 km/¼ hr.) - Rauth (600 m, 1.2 km/¼ hr.) - Kaschnikkreuz (550 m, 1 km/ ¼ hr.) - Schelesnitz (600 m, 0.4 km/¼ hr.) - Keutschacher See/Plaschischen (507 m, 1.2 km/¼ hr.) - St. Margarethen (606 m, 1.8 km/¾ hr.) - Linden (680 m, 2 km/½ hr.) - Pyramidenkogel (850 m, 1.8 km/ 1 hr.) - Höhe (666 m, 1.4 km/½ hr.) - Roda (516 m, 1.3 km/½ hr.) - Hafnersee (508 m, 2.2 km/½ hr.) - Dobein (523 m, 1.6 km/½ hr.) - Keutschacher See/Ostufer (507 m, 2 km/½ hr.) - Dobeinitz (535 m, 1.8 km/½ hr.) - Schloss/Keutschach (535 m, 1 km/¼ hr.).

Höhenprofil