Loferer und Leoganger Steinberge

The Loferer and Leoganger Steinberge form a compact limestone range in the northern Limestone Alps, straddling the border between Salzburg’s Pinzgau and Tyrol’s Kitzbühel district. They lie between the Saalach and Großache rivers, with the Kaisergebirge to the west and the Steinernes Meer to the east. From the Tyrolean side the peaks appear as one solid block, while from Salzburg they split into two distinct massifs named after the towns of Lofer and Leogang. The range is famous for its deep caves and dramatic gorges, including the 650-metre-deep Loferer Schacht and the 14.650-kilometre-long Lamprechtsofen, one of the longest caves in the Alps. Two alpine huts, the Schmidt-Zabierow-Hütte and the Passauer Hütte, sit above 1 900 metres to serve hikers and climbers. Winter visitors use the Buchensteinwand ski area and the Hochfilzen biathlon stadium, a regular World Cup venue. A network of marked paths links valleys and summits such as the Großes Ochsenhorn and the Birnhorn. The Pillersee valley cuts the range in two, while the Schidergraben separates the Loferer and Leoganger blocks. Waterfalls like the Vorderkaserklamm and the Teufelsklamm plunge through narrow rock walls, and the Pillersee lake offers calm reflections of the surrounding peaks.