Keeskogel

The Keeskogel is a 2,884-metre peak in the Ankogel range of the Central Alps, straddling the border between the Austrian provinces of Salzburg and Kärnten. It stands within the Hohe Tauern National Park, where its rocky summit overlooks three municipalities: Bad Gastein, Hüttschlag and Malta. Nearby summits include the Keesnickelkopf to the northwest, the Zwölferspitz to the east and the Jagerkogel to the southwest. Several small glaciers lie close to the summit, and the Kesselkarbach stream rises on the mountain’s slopes before flowing into the Kötschachbach.

The Vinzenz-Havel-Steig is a marked trail that leads from the Alpenhaus Prossau up to the Kleinelendscharte saddle below the Keeskogel’s summit. The path is named after Vinzenz Havel, a long-serving warden of the Gastein section of the Austrian Alpine Club who built the route. Completing all 55 peaks in the Gastein valley, including the Keeskogel, earns the Gasteiner Gipfelkranz, the highest badge awarded by the Austrian Alpine Club’s Gastein Wandernadeln scheme.

The mountain’s geology is dominated by granite-gneiss and orthogneiss, with glacial deposits covering the higher slopes. On the lower ground, the Sumpf-Bärlapp grows among the damp soils, while the snow-loving Segge appears on the northern faces. The route itself winds through alpine meadows and past small streams before reaching the final rocky ridge that leads to the summit.