Plattenkogel

The Plattenkogel, also called Gerlosplatte, is a popular viewing mountain standing 2,039 metres above sea level in the Zillertal Alps of Salzburg province. A cable-car system and marked hiking trails reach its slopes, linking the area to the larger Zillertal Arena ski region. The mountain lies east of Durlaßboden reservoir, south of the Gerlospass and west of the Salzach valley, with nearby villages including Königsleiten and Krimml. Its summit was declared a nature monument in 1933, protecting a circular area 150 metres wide around the top. Alpine roses, rust sedge lawns and dwarf-shrub heaths grow in this protected zone, while the lifts stop short of the actual peak to spare the habitat. The circular protection ring makes the final metres to the highest point a short walk across open ground. Visitors ride the cable car up through open pastures and larch woods to an upper station at about 1,850 metres. From there a gentle alpine path leads to the protected summit plateau, where views stretch across the Salzach valley and into the Hohe Tauern range. On clear days the Großglockner, Austria’s highest peak, can be seen to the south. The contrast between the managed ski runs below and the untouched summit reserve above gives the place a quiet, protected feel.