Höllengebirge

The Höllengebirge is a limestone mountain range in Upper Austria’s Salzkammergut. It forms a high plateau averaging 1,600 metres, rising to the 1,862-metre Grosse Höllkogel. The plateau is covered with mountain pine and riddled with sinkholes and ravines. Forests cling only to the lower flanks, while the upper slopes are bare rock. The range stretches 17 kilometres from Attersee in the west to Traunsee in the east. Its steep northern walls drop 600 metres to the Attersee, interrupted by gentler sections such as the Brennerriese. The mountain is worth visiting for its dramatic scenery and well-marked trails. The Feuerkogel ski area can be reached year-round by cable car from Ebensee. The plateau offers long walks through pine scrub and views across the surrounding lakes. The southern slopes descend more gently, marked by avalanche chutes such as the Brunnlahngang. The cirque ‘In der Höll’ gives the range its name and adds to its rugged character. Visitors find mountain huts scattered across the plateau, linked by an extensive network of paths. The Taferlklaussee and Langbath lakes lie at the eastern edge, fed by streams from the flanks. The Adlerspitze and Steinerne Männer rock towers rise above the northern escarpments. The plateau’s karst landscape drains underground, creating a quiet, open terrain ideal for hiking and winter sports.