Großes Palfenhorn

The Grosses Palfenhorn stands at 2,222 metres in the Berchtesgaden Alps, where the German-Austrian border crosses its summit. It belongs to the Palfenhörner group with the nearby Kleines Palfenhorn, linked by the Wimbachscharte and the Kühleitenschneid. To the north the Hochkalter rises, to the northeast the Watzmann, to the southeast the Grosser Hundstod, and to the northwest the Hocheisspitze. The mountain is reached from the Wimbachscharte in the Wimbach valley via the Wimbachgrieshütte or from the Hochwiessattel after crossing the Seehorn. Both routes follow the broken South-West ridge, often staying right of the crest to the summit cross. The cross was renewed in 1999 and consecrated on 16 October that year. From the top walkers look south over the Dießbach reservoir to the Seehorn and Hochwiessattel. The rocky crest drops steeply on both sides into the valleys of the Wimbach and the Weissbach. The name Palfen means ‘rock’ in the local dialect, fitting for a peak built of rugged limestone.