Prominent but worthwhile photo destination – Lake Seebensee, Austria

Lake Seebensee near Ehrwald in Tyrol is on the bucket list of many tourists coming to German and Austrian Alps. Especially tourists coming from Garmisch-Partenkirchen can get to Ehrwald quickly by train or via the road to the Fernpass-Straße. You will certainly not alone up there, but the two-hours-trip from the gondola station will be highly rewarded with outstanding vistas and the great motive of the Seebensee. If you have time you could also hike further to the Drachensee.

The tour begins at the modern ropeway from Tyrol’s beautiful Ehrwald near Zugspitze to the Ehrwalder Alm. You can get to the ropeway with a bus which commutes between the ropeway station and the train stop, which is also the train stop for visitors using the Tyrolean Zugspitze ropeway.

The area is a highly frequented place for winter sports. During winter, the ropeway brings a lot of people into the skiing area above Ehrwald. But it is a popular destination in summer too. Many hikes begin at the Ehrwalder Alm. The most well-known mountain peak here is the Zugspitze, but there are other spectacular hikes. One leads to the Seebensee and from there to the Drachensee with a mountain cabin, the Coburger Hütte.

The ride in this comfortable cable car is an attraction in itself: We glide over the green alpine meadows and the mountain forest and enjoy a fantastic panoramic view during the short 10-minute journey. From there the hike begins:

Normally, anybody can do this, and this is an easily accessible trail that has a lot to offer. There are many great vistas along the way. BUT please read the advice in the paragraphs below!

The scenery seen from the trail: Looking south towards the Fernpass.

Parts of the trail lead though a wonderful mountain forest. The forest provides some highly welcome shade along the trail. And sometimes an opportunity to build these little stone pyramids:

There are a couple of important things: There are two trails, and there is a fork in the path approximately in the middle. The path to the left is shorter, but it is not for bikes, or if you are not comfortable with mountain trails. There is nothing especially difficult here, but there are some ups and downs and it is a mountainous trail with steps and roots and not a street. It could get glitchy after rain. The path on the right is more like a mountain road, and anybody can do it. However it is still also a 2 hours hike bus also with some ups and downs with a difference of 222 metres in height. For further information please check this tour guidance. And always be aware of the weather: It can be hot up there and thunderstorms and dramatic weather-changes with sudden drops of temperature are always possible even in summer.

Stay always on the hiking trails and protect the sensible eco-system of mountain forests, lakes and alpine meadows and you don’t want to get lost. Attention: Don’t follow signs to the Hoher Gang Steig, this is an Alpine VIA FERRATA, not a normal hike and needs climbing experience!

Both trails reach the Seebenalm, where you can get refreshments. After the Seebenalm, an ascent begins with more great panoramic views of the valley with Ehrwald and the surrounding mountains.

The lake is at a height of 1657 metres. It’s not far from the Seebenalm, but it is exposed to the sun during summer. The sunlight can be pretty intense here.

The famous lake with its unique green and the surrounding mountain tops. On the left side of the shore of the lake the trail leads further to Drachensee. The Drachensee is another great destination however there is an ascend and some condition is required.

The way black to the rope-way offers again many opportunities for pictures and videos. Every corner of the trail offers new perspectives.

It’s a great place to spend time and discover this unforgettable landscape.

One tip: Check when the last gondolas leave the station. It’s a long walk from the mountain station to Ehrwald. Better enjoy this fantastic ride with the ropeway, which offers again some great perspectives of the valley and its surroundings.

Near the station of the ropeway is a huge parking lot, but there are buses that bring you back to the train station too. Bus timetable 2025: https://www.almbahn.at/uploads/tx_bh/141/sommer_bus1.pdf

From Ehrwald, there are regular trains to Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Germany and Reutte in Austria.

The ropeway is 25 Euros up and down in summer 2025

The train commutes hourly between Garmisch Partenkirchen and Reutte/Pfronten (R6) .

Restaurants/Refreshments: near mountain station of ropeway (Ehrwalder Alm), Seebensee Alm, Coburger Hütte.

English hiking description: https://zugspitzarena.com/en/Ehrwalder-Alm-Seebensee_tour_231981

A Cinema Of Nature In The Bavarian Alps – The HÖRNLE MOUNTAIN

Peter Engelmann, October 13, 2024

Every mountain peak in the Alps is a great experience. But here is one that makes you feel like watching the green pastures of the countryside in front of the Alps from a seat on an airplane.

The Hoernle Mountain, which actually consists of three mountain peaks of different heights, sits at the beginning of the Ammergauer Mountains mountain range. It’s close to Bad Kohlgrub, a well-known Bavarian holiday destination and spa. From here, a steep path leads up to the mountain.

There is a fantastic panoramic viewpoint on top near the chairlift station. It’s special because there is nothing on the west, north, or east sides. Only on the south side and south-west are higher mountains. That little peak near the station and the cozy Hörnle cabin has been called Zeitberg since 2013.

The other Hörnle peaks require some walking, but that little peak already provides a unique experience. They call it a “nature 3d cinema”. Wooden banks invite you to stay. It is indeed a cinema in nature. It provides great opportunities for photographers and videographers.

You can see a couple of lakes from the mountaintop. To the northeast, there is Lake Staffelsee, a famous lake near Murnau where lots of artists live and where famous painters such as Gabriele Münter lived.

Another lake in the north is Starnberger See, the second largest lake in Bavaria. Between the lake and the mountains, there are villages, hills, and woodland. It’s good to have a day with some clouds which create an interplay of light and shadow. This adds to the impression of depth in landscape photography.

In the lower half of the picture is Bad Kohlgrub. A destination is known for its mud bath. The suspension railway starts from here. It is also the train stop for the train coming from Murnau, which heads then to Oberammergau.

The mountain path is steep but a great experience. Normally everyone can do it. But if you have problems walking down a steep path consider the suspension railway as an alternative.

A unique sight from the mountaintop is the chain of the Ammergauer Alps. This is a nature park and some areas resemble a wilderness, but it is also where the famous Linderhof castle is located. The Ammergauer Alps offer a lot of great experiences as the Grinding Mill Gorge (Schleifmühlenklamm).

What impressed me most on the mountaintop was the big sky. Yes, this is a cinema of nature. It’s fantastic to watch the clouds moving and constantly changing.

At the bottom of the picture above is the “Hörnle Schwebebahn”, an attraction itself. It’s called a suspension railway with a Double swivel chair. This is a unique construction like nowhere else: When you reach your destination you don’t need to jump away to avoid being hit by the chair like other chairlifts. The chairs rotate 90 degrees and you can walk away. The chairlift went into operation in 1954 and brought tourists within 20 minutes to the mountain top and the Hörnle-Cabin til today. It operates both in winter and in summer but check before if you plan your trip here.

The Hoerlen suspension railway is approximately a 25-minute walk from the train station Bad Kohlgrub. From Munich or Augsburg, you take the train to Murnau and change for the train to Oberammergau. The ride with the train is a great experience itself.

I strongly recommend checking weather conditions before: If it is rainy the steep path might be slippery and be careful if there is snow. There is a so-called “Winter path” but due to the steepness, I would be careful with that if you are not an experienced hiker.