The Karwendel Mountains in Mittenwald are among the highest and at the same time the most beautiful mountain ranges on the border between Bavaria and Tyrol. The Karwendel also offers a great opportunity to easily reach high alpine destinations - through the connection with the Karwendel Railway.

Tour profile

Difficulty level: easy
Route length: approx. 4 km
ascents: 300 hm
descents: 300 hm

For experienced mountaineers, the mountain range offers numerous challenging routes with many meters of altitude and nice places to stop for refreshments, in particular the Mittenwald Mountain Trail.

Part 1: The Karwendel Railway

With an altitude difference of 1,311 m, the Karwendel Railway is Germany's second-highest mountain railway. The upper basin, the Karwendelgrube, is located at an altitude of 2,244 m above sea level. There are numerous hiking and climbing routes in the immediate vicinity of the mountain station, which you could otherwise only reach with good physical fitness - e.g. the Südliche Karwendelspitze (2,385 m) or the famous Mittenwald mountain trail (also known as the Mittenwald via ferrata). In winter, the 7 km long Dammkar run is Germany's longest natural ski route (not snowed or not prepared). A trip on the Karwendel Railway and subsequent high-alpine excursions are therefore a unique experience and highly recommended at any time of the year. Top Snow Card owners in particular shouldn't miss out on this opportunity - here, the Karwendel Railway is listed under mountain railways.

The Mittenwalder Höhenweg is a via ferrata that connects the Karwendelgrube with the Brunnsteinhütte. It had been on my wish list for a long time, but I was never on top until it occurred to me that you could explore the route in advance with the Karwendel cable car. It was an old friend's birthday back then and a trip to Karwendel together was a great gift idea. On a lovely autumn afternoon at the end of September, we head off towards Mittenwald with a lot of enthusiasm.

12:15 p.m.: The Karwendel Railway runs every 30 minutes, but additional trips are scheduled if there are a large number of visitors. You still have to wait until enough passengers are ready to start. Together with many other visitors, we will soon be flying rapidly through the air - the cable car will cover the entire altitude difference in just 8 minutes. Right below us, the trail snakes through the rocks, which I would like to use for my future tour. Unfortunately, the gondola is over too quickly and I can't really follow the route.

12:45 p.m.: When we arrive at the mountain station, we go first to the viewpoint. The view is absolutely overwhelming: down in the Mittenwald valley, surrounded by Kranzberg, Lautersee and Ferchensee, you then look right over the blue-green Isar floodplains towards Krün to admire a far-reaching view of the Walchensee with its surrounding mountains, the Blauer Land and possibly as far as the Allgäu. Behind Mittenwald, you can see the Wettersteingrat, from the Wettersteinspitze, the Musterstein and the Dreitorspitze over the Hochblassen and the Alpspitze to the Zugspitze. On the left in Austria, Seefeld hides behind bare rocks, which seem to be as close as if you could jump from here to the other summit.

1:15 p.m.: After we've enjoyed the panorama enough, we decide on a short mountain tour to the Westliche Karwendelspitze. With its impressive 2,385 meters above sea level, it invites everyone to take a photo of the summit - even those who have saved the entire altitude difference by rail. Without the Karwendel cable car, the Karwendelspitze could certainly only be conquered by tough mountaineers, but now we can climb to the summit cross almost effortlessly and only take 15 minutes to do so. The Mittenwalder Höhenweg officially starts from here - if you want to walk the entire route, you should actually also take the Westliche Karwendelspitze with you. We then descend back to the ridge and continue on the Passamani Panorama Trail towards the Nördlicher Linderspitze. There are numerous benches on the ridge with views of the Karwendel, so it's worth taking a break here too.

1:45 p.m.: We continue uphill in gentle switchbacks until we actually reach the start of the Mittenwald mountain trail. Full of curiosity, I briefly climb up and take a look at the rope-protected route, which disappears behind a rock after a few meters. It doesn't look that extreme anyway. Now I'm ready for my next tour — with a positive attitude and the initial knowledge to get started. The route from the valley to the mountain station also seems feasible.

2:00 p.m.: Now we head back down to the mountain station and complete the round in time, as the fog is currently filling the boiler and bringing with it the cold north wind and the first drops of rain. It takes us about 20 minutes to descend without haste. Downstairs, we manage to taste the famous beer produced at an altitude of 2,244 m on the restaurant terrace.

3:30 p.m.: Before taking a leisurely train ride down to the valley, we briefly visit the so-called “telescope” - the landmark of the Karwendel Railway. Hidden inside is the “Bergwelt Karwendel” information center with its beautiful insights into local nature and a meditation corner. Here in the warm room, you can enjoy the view of Mittenwald and the two moving gondolas through the panoramic window without end - except that it gets too foggy, like it is now.

Our Conclusion: A trip with the Karwendel cable car is a great short trip option; it can be easily combined with a walk around the Isar floodplains, a visit to Walchensee or Sylvenstein or a meal in one of the numerous local restaurants. You can plan 3-4 hours for the time above. Other destinations for an extraordinary day out can be selected directly from above. Highly recommended!

Part 2: Mittenwalder Höhenweg via Mittenwalder Hütte

Tips & info:

• Karwendel Railway: Information & opening times. Parking fees must be paid.
• Getting there: From Hotel am Badersee, you can reach Mittenwald by car via the B2, the exit to the Karwendel cable car is specially marked. By public transport, you can reach Garmisch-Partenkirchen train station first with the Zugspitzbahn or the Eibsee bus, then by regional train to Mittenwald. From Mittenwald train station, it takes about 10-15 minutes on foot to the Karwendel cable car valley station.

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