Autumn is hiking time in Salzburg

Let"s go to the alpine pastures: Fageralm, Erentrudisalm and Schönalm

Autumn is the perfect hiking time in Salzburg! Colorful forests, fresh air, wide views and the stable weather invite you to go on long hikes in the "Indian summer"! In Puch you can take easy walks through the village to moderately difficult hikes with your partners, friends or the whole family. Since I live in St. Jakob am Thurn and like to walk away from the front door, the nearby alpine pastures are among my favorite tours in Puch: the Fageralm and Erentrudisalm in Elsbethen, as well as our wonderful Schönalm with the Hubertus chapel with a view of the Wiestal!

On my last family hike, I took some pictures for you on the way and can only tell you one thing: beautiful views, culinary delicacies and relaxing hours await you in the autumn hiking in Puch. But now let"s go on a leisurely autumn hike to the alpine pastures in Puch and Elsbethen.

Salzburg autumn hike from Puch to Elsbethen

I"ll start with my tour report for you from Hochstadl, where a fantastic view of the Untersberg as far as the city of Salzburg awaits you. You can get there via the hiking trails "Schönalmrunde" (No. 12) and the "St. Jakob - Vollererhof - Erentrudisalm" tour (No. 11). Under these links you will find our tour map with detailed directions to this hiking article.

The Hubertus Chapel on the Schönalm

From Hochstadl you hike up the forest path until you come to a junction to the right to the Schönalm. A magical power place awaits you up there, inviting you to relax and take a deep breath. At the bench next to the chapel you can enjoy the view of the Untersberg and the wide view of the Wiestal with the Salzburg mountains beyond.

Masses on the Schönalm

In May, the May prayer takes place at the Hubertus Chapel on the Wednesday before Ascension Day. In autumn, the Pucher hunters invite you to the traditional Hubertus fair on the Schönalm every year in mid-October. You can find more information and pictures about this in my article in the Tennengau magazine "Hubertusmesse Puch - the hunters" chapel on the Schönalm".

From the Schönalm you can go back to the junction in the direction of Hochstadl on the forest path or take the forest path above the chapel. Both paths lead further up to the junction "Erentrudisalm" to the alpine pastures to Elsbethen.

Autumn hike to the Fageralm and Erentrudisalm

After turning off the two hiking trails from the Schönalm, we leave the forest path shortly afterwards. The path leads us to the left through the forest to the highest point of the tour. You can recognize him by the high pile of stones that has grown in size over the past few years. After a while you will pass grazing horses before you can enjoy the unique view of the Untersberg and the Erentrudisalm from the clearing.

When you reach the paved road from the forest, the path leads left to the Erentrudisalm and right to the Fageralm. Since the "Ernte", as we locals call it, is not open at the moment, it is clear that we are going to the Fageralm for lunch. After another 10 minutes and a great view of the Hohensalzburg Fortress, our destination of the day was reached - the Fageralm!

The Fageralm - Alpengasthof near the city

The traditional Alpengasthof Fageralm has been open again since May 2021. The cozy garden offers plenty of seating in the sun, a play area for children with a swing and rabbit hutch, as well as a few loungers to enjoy the view.

Culinary specialties from Grossarltal and regional delicacies from the neighborhood await you, such as sheep"s milk products from the Hofkäserei Haslauer. The children were happy about a children"s schnitzel and the grilled sausages with french fries, we adults enjoyed a fried chicken salad and a chamois goulash from the menu of the day. To be on the safe side, we have reserved a table for ourselves on +43 (0) 662 622 093 before the start of the hike. After a few relaxing hours on the Fageralm, we returned via the Erentrudisalm.

We chose the way back over the Kendlingholz. The forest path starts after the Fageralm car park on the right via a brick staircase. Here you shouldn"t miss the view of the Untersberg as far as the city of Salzburg. The signposted path leads you left to the Erentrudisalm or right down to Gfalls and the Glasenbachklamm. Glasenbachklamm. You can find the description of the hiking trail in this hiking map.

Erentrudisalm high above Salzburg

Coming out of the forest you are directly on the meadow of the Erentrudisalm, where a large children"s playground awaits you. Various slides, climbing frames and plenty of space to run around - a real paradise for children.

The proximity and the wonderful view of the city of Salzburg make the Erentrudisalm a unique excursion destination in the Salzburg region. At 1,000m above sea level, you can usually enjoy celebrating, eating and also spending the night. Unfortunately the inn is currently closed. As soon as it is open again, you can find out about it on Instagram at @visitpuch or on Facebook.

In addition to the Erentrudisalm, you can watch the animals in the game before continuing down, back towards St. Jakob. After the enclosure, the path leads left up to the Schwarzenbergalm. There you turn into the forest path and immediately turn right through the meadow path into the forest.

The forest path crosses a forest road and continues through the forest to a dried up stream - the legendary "Bear Hole", which of course had to be examined more closely by the children. The hiking trail leads across the alpine meadow to the panoramic bank with a fantastic view of the surrounding mountains.

After a short stretch of forest, we cross the forest path to the "Stein an der Wand" estate and continue straight on the signposted hiking path, over a footbridge and creek bridge, until you come out of the forest on the forest path below Hochstadl. From here you hike left up to the starting point or right down via Thiersteig, Kainzreith and Hochgols to St. Jakob am Thurn.

Alpine hikes in autumn in Salzburg

I hope you enjoyed my tour tip for a hike near the city of Salzburg and the pictures. If you have any questions, please leave me a comment or send me an Email. You can get current information and further pictures as well as videos in our "Stories" on Instagram and Facebook.

Do you also like to hike through the colorful forests in autumn and enjoy the splendor of the brightly colored leaves? The different shades of the leaves create the perfect frame for the perfect autumn photo. If you also have pictures from Puch, St. Jakob am Thurn, Urstein or Hinterwiestal, we look forward to your links with @visitpuch or sending them to web@puch-salzburg.com.

Have fun on your hikes with us in Tennengau and enjoy the golden autumn with us in SalzburgerLand!

Hier geht´s nach St. Jakob am Thurn