Dachstein Mountains

The Dachstein Mountains rise in the Northern Limestone Alps, forming a dramatic limestone barrier between Upper Austria and Styria. The range stretches from the Hoher Dachstein at 2,995 metres down to the Grimming at 2,351 metres and the Sarstein at 1,975 metres. To the north the River Traun cuts a deep valley while the Enns valley bounds the mountains on the south and east. Between Bad Aussee and Bad Mitterndorf the Totes Gebirge lies just beyond the Dachstein’s northeastern edge. The Lammer valley on the west separates the Dachstein from the Tennengebirge, and the Gschütt Pass marks the northwest divide with the Salzkammergut Mountains. Geologists recognise the Dachstein as a single limestone block that split off long ago, carrying the Grimming and Sarstein peaks away from the main massif. This view was first set down in 1924 by the Moriggl Division of the Alps. The peaks share the same pale limestone cliffs and caves that make the Dachstein famous. Snow lingers on the high plateaus well into summer, feeding meltwater streams that plunge into gorges below. The contrast between the stark white limestone and the dark forests on the lower slopes gives the mountains their striking appearance. Visitors find marked trails that climb from alpine meadows to the summit of the Hoher Dachstein. On the way up, the Five Fingers viewing platform juts from the rock face, offering views across the valleys. Inside the mountains lie vast caves such as the Mammuthöhle and the Koppenbrüllerhöhle, where ice formations remain year-round. The Dachstein Glacier on the northern side provides a year-round skiing area. From the summit ridge the eye follows the Enns valley eastwards to the Grimming’s isolated pyramid and westwards to the distant Tennengebirge.