The Gschloss Valley

This ravishing high valley runs westward from the top of the major, central Tauerntal valley, straight into the heart of the Venediger massif. The lower and upper valleys, which are separated by a short but energetic gorge, are both absurdly pretty, with wide, flat, grassy bottoms and steep glacier-scraped sides with soaring broken ridges behind, and the huge white glacial mass of the Gross Venediger group at the upper valley’s head – the upper valley is claimed to be the most beautiful in the eastern Alps.

The upper Innergschlöss hamlet is famously interesting, a line of old farming buildings on each side of the river which have been restored but not (yet) wrecked.

Wildflowers are glorious here well into high summer. And expect great wildlife sightings: raptors, marmots (of course), frogs at the least.

You have to leave your car at the lower of the two hamlets. You can walk the 4km or so between the lower and upper hamlets, a delightful potter through lovely meadows and woods, or take a tractor bus (not cheap).

The great walks really start at Innergschlöss, and there are several marvellous day walks to be done.

There are two circuits which climb onto the northern flanks of the valley:

The lower (route 935) climbs to lovely grassy hillsides with stunning views into the Venediger massif, returning by the valley floor track in 2.5 hrs or so.

The upper (916A), which Walkopedia took, is a much more serious affair, climbing some 800 beautiful but steep metres, to join both the Venediger Höhenweg and the Osttirol Skyline Trail, which traverse the valley’s upper northern flanks. Turn west for a glorious couple of hours’ relatively easy walking before you drop to the wild high Gschlöss not that far below the glacier at its head, where you turn downstream to hike back to the hamlet – 7 hrs or so. (Or, as Walko fantasised, head back up the southern side of the valley along the Venediger Höhenweg to climb the lower sides of the jagged Kessel Kogel ridge, to swing round to the Alte Prager Hut below Venediger’s huge main eastern Schlaten Kees glacier - but it was way off realistic.)

West and south-west:

You can tackle the endless switchbacks (on trail O2B) up to the ruins of the Alte Prager Hut and then on up to the Neue Prager Hut (2782m) in 4 hrs or so;  then traverse to connect (on 921A) to drop steeply (on 921) near the amazing wild cascade of the main torrent which emerges from the Schlaten Kees glacier back to the valley floor in we guess 7+hrs. (Doable in reverse)

Or you could climb 921 to cross the high southern ridge, west of the Knorrkogel peaks, then dropping to turn east on 932 to traverse the high southern sides of that ridge to drop back to the lower hamlet in a long day.

Walko really covets both these walks.

The Hohe Tauern are well loved, and well walked, so this won’t feel like a wilderness on the valley bottom, although can get away and we were completely alone on the northern flanks.

This can be tough walking in high and remote mountains with uncertain weather. Come fully prepared.

Walking in Austria  – Kev Reynolds for Cicerone: more than 100 walks in the Austrian Alps, including 18 in this area, including 2 here. As usual, an inspiring book (indeed, Walkopedia was alerted to some of these routes by it), packed with valuable information, including good detail on the routes. As Austrian maps are good, it has less on each walk that some other Cicerones, but that is fine. Recommended. Find relevant books on Amazon.

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For more information and photos, including detailed practical information and some warnings, see our Höhe Tauern walk page.