Ammergau Alps

The Ammergau Alps stretch across the border between Bavaria in Germany and Tyrol in Austria. They form a compact block about thirty kilometres wide, rising from the edge of the Alps near lakes like Alpsee and Forggensee. The range is mostly forested, with rounded mountains of flysch rock in the north and stark dolomite peaks in the south. A single county boundary runs through the heart of the range, dividing Upper Bavaria from Swabia. The Ammergauer Hochplatte and Säuling stand out as impressive limestone mountains in the north. In the south the Kreuzspitze group shows the typical dolomite scenery of steep scree slopes and dramatic ridges. Two cable cars serve the northern edge at Tegelberg and Laber Berg, while the rest of the range remains free of lifts and huts. The Via Alpina long-distance path crosses the Alps here in three stages, linking Garmisch-Partenkirchen to Linderhof and the Kenzen Hut. Visitors find quiet valleys such as Graswangtal filled with streams of dolomite scree known as Gries. Rare plants grow on the shifting slopes, including Spirke trees and Mount Baldo sedge. The Plansee and Heiterwanger See cut fjord-like into the forested sides, their shores almost untouched. Castles like Linderhof and Neuschwanstein sit at the edge of the mountains, while abbeys such as Ettal overlook the valleys below.