Hohe Tauern National Park

Hohe Tauern covers about eighteen hundred square kilometres across Salzburg, Tyrol and Carinthia, which makes it the largest protected area in the Alps; it was declared in stages from 1981 after decades of argument, largely over hydro schemes that would have flooded parts of it. Inside are the Grossglockner at 3,798 metres, the highest mountain in Austria, the Pasterze, the longest glacier in the eastern Alps and one that has lost more than half its volume since measurements began, the Krimml waterfalls, and a list of high valleys - Untersulzbachtal, Obersulzbachtal, Kalser Tal, Gschlösstal - that carry the walking. Wildlife includes ibex reintroduced in the 1960s, chamois, marmots, golden eagles and bearded vultures. The Grossglockner high alpine road crosses the park and is the way most visitors see it.

History

The park goes back to a declaration signed at Heiligenblut in 1971 by the three provinces, but the first parts, around the Grossglockner and the Hochschober in Carinthia, were protected only in 1981, and the neighbouring parts joined in 1992 (Wikipedia, Hohe Tauern National Park).

What you'll find

• The Grossglockner - Austria's highest mountain at 3,798 metres.
• The Pasterze glacier - the longest in the eastern Alps, and visibly retreating.
• High side valleys - Gschlösstal, Kalser Tal and the Sulzbach valleys for walking.
• Ibex and eagles - reintroduced ibex, chamois, golden eagles and vultures.

When to go

June to September; the high road closes for winter. Three days.

What to expect

The park is enormous and needs a base valley chosen in advance. The Grossglockner road is tolled and busy. High weather changes fast. The glacier viewpoints now show mostly rock and moraine.

Nearby

Krimml waterfalls, Heiligenblut and Zell am See are all at the edges.

Key facts